Ecology and Creation
Genesis 1: 26-31 NRSV
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
What a well-read Bible passage this is – learned by most of us in our schools and Sunday schools when we were very young. When we first read this (or had it read to us), it was probably the first time we were aware of the enormity of God’s gift to us. He gave all of His creation to humankind and put us “in charge” – not for us to selfishly take and use what we want right now, but to cherish and sustain it forever.
So what can we, In our own parish and the whole of Christianity, do to play a part in this? The Church of England has made a commitment to Net Zero Carbon by 2030, which is a huge task. As a starting point, all parishes are asked to complete an on-line “Energy Footprint Tool”, which will show us (and the Church of England) the carbon footprint of our buildings, and help us to measure out year-on-year progress towards Net Zero Carbon.
We are also asked to consider holding a “Climate Sunday” service at some time before the COP26 meeting in Glasgow during November. All of the resources for the service have been provided by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, with support from charities including CAFOD, Christian Aid, Tearfund, A Rocha UK, and Operation Noah.
Individual churches and Dioceses can join the scheme, and by completing an on-line survey can gain Eco Church Gold, Silver and Bronze awards.
Manchester Diocese has already achieved Eco Diocese status, and has its own Environment Officers – Grace Thomas and Clive Hamilton, who are always willing to provide help and training. Several local churches have received Eco Church awards, including two Silver awards. We also have an Eco Champion in Matt Carson from Christ Church Friezland.
A prayer for World Environment Day, written by the Rt. Revd David Walker, Bishop of Manchester.
