Some of the earliest followers of Jesus, known as his disciples, were fishermen. They would have known about the unpredictable nature of fish stocks and I wonder what they would have made of the challenges faced by Devon’s fishers.

Recent warmer sea temperatures might be good news for our holidaymakers but they’ve also affected the stocks around our coast. The news that octopus have arrived in large numbers and are raiding lobster pots has meant that some fishers have switched to catching octopus. The arrival of bluefin tuna has provided some spectacular displays of fish leaping out of the sea, but they have also devoured some of the more common fish we use for our fish and chips.

Caring for the world around us has become something of a political issue, which I often struggle to comprehend. Surely, ensuring the wellbeing of our planet is essential for this generation and generations to come? Whether you are motivated by faith and believe in a God who created our world or not. For the sake of our wellbeing and that of our neighbours, near and far, surely we should be reducing our carbon emissions and helping to reduce the rise in sea temperatures around our coast?

The fishermen that followed Jesus changed and adapted to new roles. As disciples they would have been part of the movement to take out the message about Jesus. Over two thousand years later, there are still billions of people across the world who seek to follow in the way of Jesus. They have also learned to change and adapt to different contexts and different challenges.

I’m delighted to see more and more Christians taking eco issues such as biodiversity loss and climate change seriously. If you want to find out what’s going on and how churches are responding just search for Eco Church – there are more initiatives out there and a growing realisation that warming seas mean new challenges.

The good news of Jesus is that there is always hope. Hope for the future, hope for the planet, hope for future generations.