Congregation members at All Saints Church heard a call to work to restore nature rather than record its decline, from Associate Priest The Reverend Hannah Higginson in her sermon on Jesus’ teaching in Luke’s gospel. The sermon was the first one in this year’ s Season of Creation (Creation Time) for which the theme is biodiversity or the web of life. Hannah reminded her hearers of the huge and damaging impact human activities have had on the natural world and its diversity in the last half-century. The Amazon rainforest fires are the latest examples of the lack of care for ecosystems vital for the survival of many species and posing ultimately a real threat to human survival. Reflecting on Jesus’ call to invite to share food not friends who will repay you but the poor and needy who cannot repay, Hannah made the link with our need as followers of Jesus to make changes to our lifestyles in order to protect the planet. Caring for the earth is an essential expression of a biblically authentic and holistic expression of Christian faith which we do not simply with an eye to our own benefit but for the well-being of the whole of God’s creation and especially the most vulnerable.
Listen here to Hannah’s sermon
Questions to follow through from this call to work to restore nature.
What can we do to restore nature?
Who has the power to restore nature? – An article from the New Economics Foundation about the economic and political dimensions
5 things people are doing to restore the environment – An article from National Geographic magazine. Can clever new technology fix the damage?
The Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale – a massive online hub of resources on connections between faith and environmental concern
The John Ray Initiative – promotes responsible environmental stewardship in accordance with Christian principles and the wise use of science and technology
Operation Noah – a Christian charity working with the Church to inspire action on climate change.