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Throughout
the Bible, God calls us not just to be good stewards, but to
love and rejoice in the creation, as God does. Jesus
loved the natural world and went into the wilderness to grow
closer to God, as well as warning us against many of the actions
that lead to environmental devastation, particularly buying
and hoarding too many goods. God gave us clear directions on
how to relate to the Creation and to our fellow human beings
in our use of resources. As a culture in North America,
we've overstepped those bounds fairly regularly, and people
and the earth are suffering as a result. It is at the heart
of our faith to repent – to turn away from destructive
behaviors, and to act humbly in ways, which God has shown to
us. Our devastation of the created world and our injustice
to one another in the way that we use the earth is a clear place
where our faith as Christians calls us to take action. "Being
green" is a secular way of saying, live faithfully –
with restraint, with concern for justice, and with love, rather
than exploitation and selfishness. When we apply those principles
to our use of natural resources and to our economy, we can restore
justice and abundance in the earth. It does take a while! The
grace of God is that you get to feel the change to freedom and
abundance in your own life very quickly, even though redeeming
the world as a whole is rather a bigger project. One which requires
a church – or, as environmentalists say, a green team!
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