Most of our boxes have been emptied and folded away – honestly, we really have only 3 left…. EXCEPT for a ‘few’ boxes of books awaiting the arrival of Phil’s ‘shed’ in a couple of weeks which alas includes the one with all my cooking books!!
Whilst unpacking we have also been exploring local walks, one of which is around a huge corn field to the River Avon about 7 minutes walk away and a week ago, as we walked alongside the corn, now reaching above my head, one of the grandchildren asked ‘Why did the corn have lots of hairs?’ Good question, but I had no idea, so we looked it up.
Now most of us would have seen the hairy strands on the cob especially when pulling away the leaves, but did you know they are known as corn silks and every single strand of silk is attached to one specific kernel on the cob. When the wind blows, dust-like pollen from the top of the corn plant (the tassel) falls down onto the sticky hairs hanging out of the husk. When a piece of pollen lands on a hair, it grows a tiny tube all the way down inside that hair to reach the unformed kernel. If a hair misses out on pollen, the kernel it connects to stays empty, which is why some cobs have missing ‘teeth’ or bald spots.
I found this amazing and kept telling everyone!!! For me it was a confirmation that our Earth, yes, the one we seem to be trying to destroy, was created and loved into life, to the tiniest, the minutest detail. And we, it’s custodians, are failing 100-fold to look after it – the very hot and dry summer we have all experienced (even in North Yorkshire) is a living example.
From the very beginning, the Bible makes clear that the earth is created by God, belongs to God, and is deeply valued by God. In Genesis, we’re told that creation is not an accident or an afterthought, it’s intentional and good: ‘God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.’ – Genesis 1:31.
Therefore, we are not owners of the earth, but stewards, custodians, entrusted to care for it. As in Genesis 2:15, humanity is placed in the garden ‘to till it and keep it’ and that remains our calling – to nurture and sustain the earth. Scargill and Pershore Abbey are both Partner’s in Action (a nice link for Phil and I) with ‘A Rocha UK – ‘a Christian charity working to (inspire and) equip Christians and churches to protect and restore the environment – for God, nature and all people’ And learning about the corn has inspired me.
I am convicted that there is much we can all do both in our local community as well as supporting global engagement. Supporting ventures such as A Rocha or Climate Stewards will help but perhaps we need to also look with eyes that are open to God’s calling. And so I pray that over the next few months we will all be inspired and challenged – not by a maize field I’m afraid – it has already been harvested, but by something or someone, perhaps through an unexpected encounter that encourages us to play a new role in caring for and sustaining the world we call home.