Can you recall a time when you were in an area of outstanding natural beauty? What stands out in your mind’s eye? Maybe it was in the Mourne Mountains at sunrise or sunset. Maybe it was a hike through a local forest with family or friends or by yourself. A late summer walk on a beach with your dog. Sitting in your garden with your favourite drink in hand. We can all think of a time and place that captured all of our senses, from the blustery rain or wind, the sunshine on our face, the sights and sounds of creation. Maybe you haven’t considered the natural environment around you that much or maybe you’re the most outdoorsy person that loves hikes, cycling, canoeing or just appreciate times in nature rather than a university lecture theatre or workplace.
I grew up in Clandeboye Forest in Bangor, County Down; a stunning collection of trails, rivers, lakes, diverse trees and beautiful quiet that filled my soul from childhood to this day. Time alone in nature nourishes and replenishes my soul. Why? Because I breathe in God’s creation- the sacredness of the silence and solitude. I soak up his artistry of sunrises and sunsets, the transitioning of seasons, the power of water, the vitality of soil, the freshness of pure air from an abundance of diverse trees to the sights and sounds of nature all communing together providing a beautiful song, new and brilliant every day. I love it.
A few years ago, I visited friends in Utah and trekked out to Canyonlands National Park where we went for a hike that I will forever remember. Most of the time, I was looking down at the trail, taking in some of the scenery, putting on extra factor 50…classic Irish tourist, chatting with my friends and finally, we reached our end. I was hit with a moment of awe and the divine. I looked up and was met with the massive sky above me and an open expanse of land as far as the eye could see. I was moved to silence. I couldn’t comprehend the creation before me. I had never experienced such a climate and landscape. The red dirt beneath my feet, the heat on my back, the sunshine, the history of the land, the silence in the air, the desert place and a closeness with God that I had never felt so tangibly.
Here’s what needs to be addressed before I continue…Some of you might be thinking, here we go, I’m reading a blog written by a hippy tree hugger wearing Birkenstocks as she types… Stay with me. I write wanting to inform you of an adventurous, joy filled, sacrificial walk that is so based on thankfulness and gratitude for a way of life modelled by Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
In this post, I would love talk about how our faith, as disciples of Jesus, should index our hearts to care for and consider our common home. This topic is often overlooked by the church but needs serious attention. The Earth provides for us in so many ways. Our earth supports life. It is the basis of all our economies. It conveys beauty and evokes our recognition of something greater than ourselves. Jesus’ teachings were mostly outside and in those teachings, He talked about; trees, rivers, fields, flowers, birds of the air, the elements and how our journey of faith interacts with creation. Jesus was pointing toward the simplicity, the richness and deep wisdom that nature holds. The Son of God found rest in the wilderness, he taught on mountainsides, he retreated to the quiet place and He beckons us to learn from nature’s seasons, rhythms and sufficiency with God at the centre of it all.
Our hype or something more?
Maybe your social media feed is infused with the world’s attention on sustainability. We are inundated with information about and options for ethical fashion, local food, boycotting Amazon, investment in electric cars, shop local or else, the rise of veganism / vegetarianism and ample Netflix environmental documentaries to binge watch. Environmental awareness is in the air. People are catching onto the trend, but is there more to it? Most recently, we have witnessed the war on plastic, which was catalysed through Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet series on TV. People across the world were captivated by the power and beauty of nature. The BBC series boasted more than 14 million viewers at the start of the year as the public marvelled at creation. Why is that? What is it about nature that captivates an audience and moves us to wonder, awe and amazement? Is it just a good TV series to watch on a wintery evening or is there something deeper than is connecting us to our Creator? Why are scientists, celebrities like DiCaprio, politicians, activists, screaming at the top of their lungs about the environment and strong policy to protect the earth. Also, didn’t the President of the United States, Donald Trump call global warming a ‘hoax’ and ‘fake news’? Yep. Maybe you noticed the recently released IPPC report which may have filled your news apps a few weeks ago. Written and edited by 91 scientists from 40 countries who analysed more than 6,000 scientific studies, the research found that if we fail to keep temperature rises below 1.5C, we are in for some significant and dangerous changes to our world as we know it. The sobering report provided the hard-hitting truth that we must press in to action that must be taken. I believe as disciples of Jesus, we bring a new voice to the table, one that is guided by the depths of wisdom shared throughout the bible and the voice of God that moves our spirits today.
Our story
The story of the Gospel is the most compelling story I have ever heard. It is one that guides my every day and postures my heart toward Jesus’ life, compelling me to act in a way that honours Christ in my everything. What does our faith say about creation? How are we meant to consider it or even protect it? Let’s dive into page one of the bible, where we find God bringing colour and life to the beginning of our story. When I read Genesis 1, I feel God’s joy because He is the most joyful being in all of the universe! We read about God singing the universe into existence and the lyric to that chorus is, ‘It is good!’ Sea, land, ‘It is good.’ Tree, river, sun, sky ‘It is good.’ Music becomes the melody of the wind and God’s spirit fills all of creation. There is energy and momentum every word as God’s purpose and design fills every line of our Creation story. It’s as if God, at the centre of the universe, is SO full of pent-up love, joy and peace that is has to leak out and overflow into oak trees, into the ocean, into His artistry and design over vast landscapes to the intricate details of plants, animals, people. There is joy to be found in creation.
Our Earth
Check out Genesis 2. Who cares about the headwaters and rivers, gold and weird names that are strange to pronounce? Well, the writer of Genesis is saying that the garden was made up of raw materials, trees, forests, rivers water and energy, precious metals in the earth’s crusts and human beings are called to ‘work it and rule over it’. Humans are called to cultivate, draw out its potential to take care of it, to watch over and protect it to take the raw materials of the planet and rearrange them into an environment for human beings to thrive in relationship with God and each other. To take the sun, wind and the elements of nature and infuse them together for human flourishing make it even better. God is giving humankind all the tools needed for something great! All of these are astonishing gifts from God, which must be cherished for the sake of life on our common home.
It doesn’t take a genius to highlight that we have moved so far away from the Garden of Eden that it has become but a simple, mystical landscape that once existed. One that just has no relevance in our world today. And we see it with globalisation, greed, consumption, endless activity on the earth, planes in the sky all the time, money, nations addicted to oil so much so that we will go to war for it, the endless striving for power and essentially sin being ever so present in the world. We hear about the rising sea levels, the increase of temperature in the atmosphere, pollution, the melting of ice caps, warming oceans, talks of climate wars, more refugee crises, flooding, extreme weather events and so on and so on. Do you ever just stop to think what it would be like to let the earth breathe for a day? To allow it to find its balance again? Creation has something to teach and draw out of us, to cultivate and bring out our potential, making human flourishing something we could experience and usher in.
Our action
So now that we are all overwhelmed and paralysed with fear…let Jesus provide some hope. God is all about renewing and rebuilding His people and Revelation 21 & 22 is a guiding light of restoration for our Gospel story.
“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”
Revelation 22, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city.”
That is beautiful. What an image of a new heaven, a new earth and a God who is working to restore, rebuild and renew all things into right relationship with Him. So if this is the story we live inside of, then surely we want to honour Christ and participate in this exciting story by orienting our lives in a way that takes care of this world and anticipates the kind of living we are going to engage in when God reconciles all thing back to Himself and unites heaven and earth once and for all. Taking care of the earth is a part of what it means to look forward to that future of justice, peace, flourishing and delight. Creation invites us, season to season, to know the Creator, to meet with Him, hear His voice and find His joy.
Thanks for reading! I am currently serving an organisation called GreenFaith. We are an interfaith environmental organisation; mobilising, educating and inspiring diverse religions for environmental action. Please do check out some work that I am involved with in New Jersey, USA and feel free to get in touch if I can signpost you in this avenue of faith based environmental action. Cheers!
Guest post by: Sarah Newell
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