Lynne McNeil Editor

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THIS issue marks two milestones which are significant both to the Church and the wider Scottish community.

Our cover story focuses on COP26 – and the hopes and aspirations of those taking part – and the role the Church of Scotland can play. Another feature marks the 100th anniversary of the first Poppy Day, with the symbolism of the flowers of Flanders fields evoking the memory (at that time) of the fallen of the First World War.

Churches have played a key role in the sale of poppies ever since and are the focus of local Remembrance services on and around November 11.

Those widows and wives who organised the sale of silk flowers on the first Poppy Day would never have dreamed that the commemoration would be kept alive for 100 years after its promotion and adoption by Earl Haig.

The lives we live today are very different from those of our forebears, who ensured the memory of those who fell in the Great War (and subsequent wars) would be kept alive, but they would have been quietly pleased that their work and campaigning has endured.

100 years on, Glasgow is the host city of COP26 – the United Nations’ climate change conference. Landing this prestigious event is a major coup for Scotland, even if the conference was delayed by a year in the wake of the Covid-19 global pandemic.

The call for action on climate change has never been more urgent – nor more compelling. One of the questions to consider is: how will future generations view our response to this ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity (as described last month in our meditation by the Very Rev Dr John Chalmers)?

The call for action on climate change has never been more urgent – nor more compelling.

In 100 years will our future light bearers of faith regard us as fondly as today’s generation regard those who were behind those first Poppy sales to ensure the fallen of the First World War (and subsequent wars) were not forgotten? Will the history books record that this generation became the first to take action to tackle climate change and ensure that the future stewardship of the earth’s resources was not sidelined? Or will the history books record that the failure to take the warnings seriously resulted in disaster and irreversible change impacting particularly on the poorest people of our world?

As it was 100 years ago, the choice is ours and the moment is now. If everyone is able to make (or consider) small changes in different ways to the way we live in the short, medium and long-term than our collective actions will make a lasting difference to the resource-rich planet so generously gifted by God.