A Wonderful World
You don’t have to travel far to get freaked out with anxiety over the state of the planet. It’s become pretty clear that human beings have been poor tenants of God’s good earth. These days, however, we are slowly waking up to the need to change our relationship with the planet. So many of us are assessing our carbon footprint, reviewing our plastic pollution and consumption of meat and power and clothes, and seeking to better care for this wonderful world God has gifted us.
Holy Spirit fuelled people
However the climate crisis and environmental challenge point to issues far deeper than the practical. Fundamentally they ask deep questions about our human condition and our place and role on the planet. You don’t have to get past Genesis 3 (17-18) and 4 (v10) to read that our human failures leave the earth itself damaged and crying out. Post-industrial society has left us all forgetful that we live in a symbiotic relationship, dependent upon creation and its creatures.
Yet we believe that God loved the world so much that he came to rescue and repair it in person, in Jesus, through his life, death, and resurrection.
- Does our view of God need to be expanded to capture his love for and delight in his whole creation? (Psalm 145: 9-12). For sure creation is brimful of his presence and ceaselessly proclaims his character.
- Does our view of the gospel need to be enlarged so that we are awe-struck by the scale of God’s purpose to save the world and redeem his creation? After all, even trees are promised a place in his coming kingdom!
So as gospel loving, Jesus centred, Holy Spirit fuelled people we should be at the front of the line caring for our Father’s world. We after all are inspired by the great news of hope for our hurting planet.
God So Loved The World
So we are revisiting the most loved verse in scripture over these next weeks (John 3:16). “God so loved the world”, says Jesus. The world is more than me! Our gospel has often been too small, me-sized.
It is our prayer that our lives would be re-energised by the Father’s passion for what he has made and that we would be invigorated by the hope for creation that Jesus has accomplished through his death and resurrection.
Romans 11:36 – For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
So as we head toward the weekend you might like to think about our hurting world: what does it tell us about ourselves, and what might God’s attitude be towards the planet in these days?
Iain