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Good morning.

As we enter the month of July we can be forgiven for wondering what particular record this month will be breaking. February was the wettest for the UK as a whole, May was the sunniest, so what will July be? It is rather grim evidence that the climate is indeed changing. And change is very often a cause of concern.

Living as I do in the countryside, these changes are very visible – there seem to me to be fewer butterflies and bees than there were on the hills I walk, the song of the skylark hovers over fewer fields than I’ve ever heard before.  And the warm weather in the winter months produced blossoms which were savaged by the frosts of the spring.

We can feel helpless in the face of great changes, as though we are tiny, amid a sea of troubles:  but just as one bird can move the direction of an entire flock, the changes we make in our lives can become influential if we model what we believe to be right.

Righteousness is an old fashioned term, unfortunately associated with self-righteousness, but in its original meaning had no taint of boasting or preaching. It just meant sticking to the right path regardless of whether your neighbour is doing the same.  And the beautiful thing about righteousness is that it is infectious. When one person has the courage to do the right thing, it encourages others to follow.

God of all creation, you have taught us to care for your world and all that is in it. Give us the strength of will to do what is right, to live with gentleness and care, to tread lightly on the earth, to model your kingdom of peace for all, so that our example may strengthen the hearts of those who seek to do your will. Amen.