Creation Care

Have you ever walked along ancient paths through woods and forests, or stood high on the cliff tops overlooking the sea? Have you ever taken the time to think about how the Bible calls us to care for the gift of creation that God has given to us?

‘Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. The LORD God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground – trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches…The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.’

Genesis 2:8-10, 15 (NLT)

In the beginning, God planted a garden and gave us the task of looking after it. But in our sin and waywardness we have come to regard the earth as our own and have neglected, squandered and discarded its resources. Forests are being torn down, the soil is being degraded, oceans are full of plastic detritus, pollution fills the air and our lungs, and many other effects are being felt at this time.

In Jeremiah and Habakkuk, God gives a warning not to destroy nature:

‘Should I not punish them for this?’ says the LORD.
‘Should I not avenge myself against such a nation?’
I will weep for the mountains
and wail for the wilderness pastures.
For they are desolate and empty of life;
the lowing of cattle is heard no more;
the birds and wild animals have all fled.

Jeremiah 9:9-10 (NLT)

‘You cut down the forests of Lebanon.
Now you will be cut down.
You destroy the wild animals,
so now their terror will be yours.’

Habakkuk 2:17 (NLT)

Jesus, after feeding the 5000, told his disciples to:

‘…gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.’ 

John 6:12 (NLT)

And then in Revelation, it is the earth as well as the heavens that God renews:

‘Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared.’

Revelation 21:1 (NLT)

As human greed and selfishness continue to damage and defile our precious, finely-balanced, God-given eco-systems with awful consequences for us all, why not pray now for our political leaders, that they would have the courage to adopt the long view for creation care, and not succumb to the desire for short-term popularity and profit.

From the Morning Prayer on 21 June 2023, from the Lectio 365 daily devotional App created by 24-7 Prayer. Find out more and download the free app here:  www.24-7prayer.com/lectio-365.

It is easy to be in despair over this. But our God is a God of hope, and we believe that as part of discipleship we can learn to live more lightly on the planet, and be wiser in our use of its resources, by changing our everyday choices in the light of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle…and refuse’.

God’s mission on this earth is three-fold: to reconcile us to Himself, to each other, and to the planet. Our care for the planet is part of loving our neighbour.

Many people want to know how they can help. This website has links to various resources and we hope will be helpful in making those decisions, whether as individuals, as families, and as a congregation.

‘God Saw That It Was Good’

In the Chapel, we recently hosted the installation ‘God Saw That It Was Good’, put together by the Baptist Union Environment Network (BUEN). It consisted of these four images, each one measuring 2m x 2m, with an audio reflection on each one. Although this installation is no longer available here in Guildford, you can still look and listen online by going to www.baptist.org.uk/godsawthatitwasgood and clicking on the thumbnail of each of the images, representing ‘Sky’, ‘Coasts’, ‘Trees’, and ‘Life’.

The contents of this webpage will change on a fairly regular basis, presenting resources, ideas and solutions to the issues that face us.

From our archive…

Lenten studies on Creation Care from Ruth Valerio (March 2010)

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		The Earthshot Report is the definitive review of the progress we have made in protecting and restoring our planet in 2024. Introduced by Prince William and hosted by Hannah Waddingham, the report brings a fresh, entertaining take on global good news stories, solutions and trends that show the progress the world is making towards a stable, thriving future.
		The Earthshot Prize is a global environmental award, initiated by HRH Prince William, that is given to five winners each year for their contributions towards environmentalism. It was first awarded in 2021 and is planned to run annually until 2030. Each winner in the five categories receives a grant of £1 million to continue their environmental work.
		Katharine Hayhoe’s speech at the recent Lausanne 4 Conference, entitled ‘Faith and the Future of Creation’.
		Ruth Valerio’s recent talk at Creation Fest: “Following Jesus Our Hope Into The Climate Crisis”.
		Rare Earth: A series of 6 podcasts on BBC Sounds giving fresh perspectives on the future of our planet.
		Our Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, has recently been to visit the Arctic to see for himself what is happening in a part of the world that is so crucial to the climate change debate, and to write new poems in response. Instead of statistics and measurements, he engages us via our emotions with what he sees around him. You can read more here.
		BBC programme ‘Earth’, with Chris Packham on BBC 2 (series of 5)
		The Guardian – ‘Stop “wishcycling” and get wise: how to recycle (almost) everything’
		At Guildford Baptist Church, some of our World Partners have a particular interest in caring for creation. Juliana Horne, currently working in Colombia with Latin Link, explains in this video why we should take an interest.
		Ophélie, a young Mennonite Christian from Switzerland, goes to various countries in Latin America to find out the responses to climate change that Christians are making there. She is inspired to think about the lifestyle changes she could make back home. The first church she visits is in Bogota, Colombia and we see Juliana Horne, her son Andreas and her sister Grace in this part of the film.
		Our World Partners working for AIM recommend this video featuring a missionary friend of theirs, August Basson, who set up ‘Growing Nations’ whilst working in Lesotho, to encourage care for the resources that God has provided in nature.
		Zero Carbon Guildford is a community hub in Guildford at 168 High Street, GU1 3HW. It seeks to bring together many of the environmental organisations and charities working locally, to help the borough adapt to the changing planet. A Climate Cinema shows films about climate issues and possible solutions. There is a community fridge, a zero-waste shop, displays on biodiversity in Guildford, and a Terra-Cycle recycling station which can receive all sorts of hard-to-recycle items. Click here for the link to what ZERO can currently receive to recycle. For further information, visit ZERO’s website: www.zerocarbonguildford.org
		Here is a link to a website on Sustainable Gardening as recommended by a girls’ environmental club in Alabama, USA. They wanted to share this with us, as they had been so grateful for the resources we have on this website which they had found when researching for a project on sustainability. Take a look, it’s certainly relevant for more sustainable gardening here in the UK.

Some of you may already be thinking towards the new term and considering what Bible passages to study in your groups. Here are a couple of suggestions:

A book by Brian McLaren, Life after Doom. McLaren is a sometimes controversial author/pastor/thinker. In his book, he addresses the question: ‘What does hope look like when hope seems irrational?’.

From Tearfund Australia, seven practical ways to care for creation.

The John Ray Initiative (connecting environment, science and Christianity) has produced a series of five Bible studies to download, entitled ‘A Christian Look at the Environment‘. Rev. Dr Dave Gregory, who heads up the Baptist Union Environmental Network (BUEN), is a director of the John Ray Initiative.

From Tearfund, ‘Christianity and Climate Change’: a nine-part film series featuring Katharine Hayhoe, the internationally renowned Christian climate scientist, taking a closer look at the climate crisis and how Christians are called to respond.

A book published by BRF, entitled ‘Changing the Climate – applying the Bible in a Climate Crisis’: containing practical Bible-based material to use in families and churches.

A book by Katharine Hayhoe, titled Saving Us. A climate scientist’s case for hope and healing in a divided world.

A small Creation Care team has been set up, coordinated by Sara Sims, our Creation Care Coordinator. We made a start two years ago by planting a rowan tree as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy Initiative, to commemorate her Platinum Jubilee. We have put an insect hotel in our garden for pollinators and pest-controllers to hide and nest during the winter. We are hoping to turn a part of the grassy area on the western side of the building into a bee-friendly patch to encourage pollination.

If you would like to be part of the Creation Care team, please contact Sara Sims via the Church Office (office@guildfordbaptist.org).