A Lenten Meditation prepared by the Christ Church Green Team
During this Lenten season, the Christ Church Green Team invites you into deeper thought of our relationship with our planet and its water. We know water is necessary for life but also that it is threatened in a variety of ways. And while this affects us all, the threat is particularly severe to those who societies marginalize.
In this brochure and online, we provide suggested resources that emphasize environmental stewardship. Each week we ask you to listen to or read a lesson about our water, each taking about 25 minutes of your time.
If you would like to react to any of the weekly lessons, there are several ways to do so:
- Put your written comments in a suggestion box you’ll find in the church atrium.
- Email your comments to officestaff@christcd.org
Your comments will be used to make decisions about future Green Team offerings concerning environmental stewardship.
A Prayer for Week 1
When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds… I come into the presence of still water.
– Wendell Berry
Hope for Our Planet
Week 1 – Beginning March 6th
What can we do about climate change and environmental degradation? The problem is immense and it often seems immune to the actions of individuals, working either alone or collectively. Hope gets us started.
This week we will invite you to watch a talk by Jane Goodall, “You are the Reason for Hope.” This powerful video is longer than 25 minutes but some of the same content can be heard here, in an interview from NPR’s program, 1A.
Photo Credit
Creator: Craig Barritt
Credit: Getty Images for TIME
Copyright: 2019 Getty Images
A Prayer for Week 2
Swirling God, who at the dawn of creation swept over the face of the waters, hover over our oceans and all waterways with your blessed presence. Bless each cell and molecule of life below the surface of the waters who trust in you and us to create a prosperous world.
Continually nudge us to nurture creation, joining together with humans all over this planet to covenant with one another and celebrate the gifts of water, air, fire, and land that you have given us. Amen.
– Michelle L. Torigian
Water and the Oceans
Week 2 – Beginning March 13th
Oceans, which cover 70% of the earth’s surface, are facing a number of human-made problems. The challenges, as well as some solutions, are explored in a TED Radio episode, “An SOS From the Ocean.” We suggest you listen to this short portion from that series by clicking on “7-minute listen.”
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
A Prayer for Week 3
We call upon the waters that rim the earth, horizon to horizon, that flow in our rivers and streams, that fall upon our gardens and trees, and we ask that they teach us, and show us the way.
–Chinook Blessing
Water & Lakes & Rivers
Week 3 – Beginning March 20th
Microplastics, including “nurdles,” are released into rivers, lakes, and oceans and, as illustrated in this larval lobster, they accumulate in the food chain. The podcast “Don’t be a Nurdle: Great Lakes Plastics,” lays out the microplastic problem in the Great Lakes, and shows us some actions we can take to lessen the problem.
Photo credit: Madelyn Woods
A Prayer for Week 4
Loving God, We thank you for the gift of water. We pray that each time we wash our hands, pour water into a glass or water the garden, we will say a prayer of gratitude, and each time we see the baptismal font, we will be inspired to live out our baptismal call to follow Jesus’ example and uphold the dignity of others, especially those who live without clean water. Amen.
-Catholic Relief Services
Water & Our Pipes
Week 4 – Beginning March 27th
Access to clean, safe, and affordable water is an ongoing problem in communities of color, both urban and rural.
In this clip from a conference panel hosted by the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, a community activist and an academic researcher illustrate potential solutions.
A Prayer for Week 5
Water flows over these hands. May I use them skillfully to preserve our precious planet.
-Thich Nhat Hanh
Working on Our Own
Week 5 – Beginning April 3rd
Individually and collectively, our actions can make a difference. This week we turn to the written word from Seastainable Blog for a list of things we can do as individual consumers.
A Prayer for Week 6
God in ocean, river, stream
God in creek, rivulet, groundwater
God in rain, snow, sleet
You are the Living Water
Who moves through us and all your beloved creatures
Enlivening, nurturing
Protect us from our shortsightedness
Protect us from our greed
Protect us from ourselves
Living Water
Be with us
Be in us.
–Beth Norcross
Working Together
Week 6 – Beginning Palm Sunday – April 10th
Water equity affects international and domestic conflict.
In Towards a Greener, Better World with Jeffrey Sachs, an episode from the series “What About Water?” we hear how we can create a more sustainable future by moving out of an “Us vs. Them” mindset.