It’s supposed to be an absolutely beautiful day – warm sunshine with the temperature possibly reaching 70, not as windy, but, wait! We’re not even in the middle of March yet. In case you thought spring has arrived, next week promises to be back in the high 40s with chilly nights. Thanks to the early warmth, though, daffodils are in bloom.
The water at the shore is still very cold, too cold for many of us to walk on the beach. But the beach is not empty as various items come in with the rising tide. The deep, where we cannot see, is full of discarded items as well.
In the years after the first and second world wars, our government dumped tons of obsolete chemical weapons in the deep, a practice that was ended in 1972, but they still remain there, picked up every once in a while by commercial fisheries. Leaking barrels or rusted metal, they all affect the oceans and ocean life. It will take longer to clean the seas than the beaches, but Lent is a good time to commit ourselves to doing just that.
Prayer for the Day
We come to you, O Creator God, full of regret and sorrow,
For we have despoiled so much of your creation;
Turning to you, we know we must go beyond remorse,
And find ways to heal the damage we have done.
Grant us creative ways to restore health to your world,
So the earth and seas and all your creatures will be healed.
In the name of the One who walked by the seashore,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
We are judged twice – once when we die and once when everything we have said or done has its final effect.
John Flavel, English Puritan minister (1627-1691)
The Roman poet Virgil gave his pet fly the most lavish funeral, complete with meat feast and barrels of oaky wine. You can never know where or why you hear a humming on this soft earth.
Aimee Nezhukumatahil, Philippine poet, from I Could be a Whale Shark
Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
Or take the path that sinners tread or sit in the sea of scoffers.
But their delight is in the law of the Lord,
And on God’s law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water yielding fruit in their season
Psalm 1: 1-3a