Nature is Extraordinary

Recently, I had the height of some of the trees in the Rectory garden reduced. The trees had got so tall that a strong wind would bring down some large branches. I was concerned though, since it is spring and animals and birds would be nesting. The company reassured me that any nests found would either be undisturbed or carefully moved.

Once all the work was done, and the enormous amount of branches moved, I went into the corner of my garden to look up to the newly revealed sky. As I stood in the stillness, I heard a shuffling and noticed movement. On closer inspection I saw that a baby squirrel was trying to climb the fence. Clearly a nest had been disturbed and I was mortified.

I quickly googled what to do if you spot a baby squirrel out of its nest. The advice was to leave it alone and watch. If the mum didn’t appear, to keep the squirrel warm and find a local rescue centre. So, I watched.

The baby squirrel made some high pitched noises and continued to shuffle on the fence. I felt helpless but trusted what I’d read and waited. Every now and again, I’d hear rustling in the trees and would hope mum was on her way. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a squirrel. There was something gathered at the front of her. She was carrying another of her babies, carefully but swiftly making her way across the branches and eventually up a neighbouring conifer tree, presumably to their new nest.

My baby squirrel was next. I watched in awe as mum navigated the fence, working out the best way to scoop up her baby. She tried multiple angles, coming back each time for reassurance. Finally, she appeared from the top of the fence, angles calculated perfectly, and found her way to her baby. She scooped the little bundle into her mouth and the baby put their arms around mum’s neck. This baby was carried back to the nest as expertly as the first rescue.

Nature is extraordinary! God’s Creation is so perfectly formed and incredibly beautiful. Taking time to sit in nature, breathing in the air, watching the majestic creatures, plants, flowers and trees, is prayer. It offers us a time to sit in awe and wonder and praise God for all God has created.

.

The fifth mark of mission invites us to consider this. We are; “To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth.”

At Holy Trinity, we are striving to get our Eco Church Gold award. This isn’t just because we want to gain an award, it’s simply an incentive to do the work we should be doing. Each of us has a responsibility to protect the earth we have been given to live on. Our planet is fighting for its life. It’s criminal what we are doing to it. The destruction of green spaces without careful consideration for the replacement of living creatures is one area where we are killing God’s creation. Of reducing the height of three trees meant one of God’s families had to find a new home, imagine the effect of HS2!

What we do has consequences around the world. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are considered to be the most vulnerable to climate change. However, Europe is at risk too. (See https://climate.ec.europa.eu/climate-change_en).

As Christians, we have a duty to safeguard this planet. Let us be an example to the community. We can do our own little bit but we need to also write to our MP, fight against the injustice that displaces wild-life and keep heightening awareness to others.

Let us work together to create a church community that cares for our planet, and strive to safeguard it for future generations.

Let us consider the care of that squirrel mum, and use the example of her initiative to work out the best route to recovery.

Every small step counts.