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Today and for the next two Sundays we will be observing a brief Season of Creation, a theme I have mentioned before. There are now alternative readings to the regular lectionary to encourage awareness of God the Creator, as well as a call to responsible care for our planet home. This season actually began the first Sunday in September but I have been away. The three themes for this year will be Oceans, Storms, and the Cosmos. Our daughter, Jocelyn is in a graphic arts program, so she has created bulletin covers for each week and you see one above.
It happens that on this weekend, Oceans, we have been informed that the capping of the Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico has been completed. This is five months, almost to the day, since the rig exploded, killing eleven workers and then gushing an average of 50,000 barrels of crude oil a day into the gulf for three months. It was a monstrous environmental catastrophe perpetrated by a company, BP, which initially downplayed the severity and more recently has tried to deflect blame onto other companies. Scientists will measure the effects of the spill for years.
We spent time alongside the Atlantic Ocean in Newfoundland this summer and were reminded of the unique beauty of our seas and oceans. We were encouraged to hear that cod stocks are slowly recovering and we actually ate a meal or two of cod while we were there. We also spent time with friends whose son manages one of the deepwater rigs off the Newfoundland coast. the province has enjoyed prosperity generated by oil, but could it lead to disaster as well.
I have checked in with you about your thoughts on the Gulf disaster along the way. Any reactions or observations as this situation draws to a close?
2 comments:
I am relieved that it has finally been capped, but we know that there are more plans for offshore drilling - and in deeper waters in the Atlantic.
I believe there should be no offshore drilling. Period. Will we not learn from this disaster in the Gulf? Unfortunately, memories of this will fade, and the oil companies will continue to put our precious oceans at great risk.
Not only the Atlantic but the Arctic waters. We can only hope that what happened in the Gulf of Mexico will wake our federal and provincial governments to the need for stringent controls and proceeding with great caution. And remind them that profit and tax revenues aren't everything. Thanks Johnny.
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