Today isn’t any regular Friday, today is Earth Day.
Today is a day that has been carved out to celebrate, fight for, and generally show our love for this planet we call home. Today, all over the world, millions of people are using their voices, their time, their passion, and their resources to stand up for this mighty Earth of ours.
And it got me thinking about this planet- this beautiful, broken, life-giving, unpredictable, powerful, damaged planet we’re on.
How does looking after it collide with our faith? What does climate justice have to do with Jesus? What does global warming have to do with loving God? What does sustainability have to do with the Holy Spirit?
If similar questions have been swirling around your head, then I guess this is for both of us. Feel free to read the rest of this article in David Attenborough’s voice, it’s definitely the voice I’m writing it in.
So, I guess we can start with the obvious- God made this Earth. And he made it good.
There’s so much speculation, so many questions, so much mystery around how, when, and why the world began… and I’m no genius, so I’ll leave those questions for people much smarter than me. But on thing I do know, one thing that the Bible makes 1374295837% clear, one thing that is taken right from page 1, is that this Earth is no accident.
I truly believe that this world was, and still is, adored by God. I believe that he made it with purpose, with creativity, with beauty and delight. I believe that every single piece of it was made to bring life and joy, for us and every other creature we share it with. This earth, every square inch of it, is the most wonderful gift. And so, it makes perfect sense to me, when I remember all of this, to take as much care of it as I possibly can.
This world is the gift that keeps on giving, and it makes me so sad that I live in such a way that is stopping the flow of this gift, and I don’t even realise.
So, there’s that- I love God, so I should love the world he made, because he made it. But I think there’s more…
Protecting the world is a way we protect each other. By caring for the world, we’re caring for each other. By actively finding ways to love the world, we’re finding ways to love each other- and that’s the one thing that Jesus wants from us above all else.
The damage being done to our planet is putting lives in direct danger, it’s causing all kinds of harm in ways that probably haven’t even crossed our minds. Whether we see it with our own eyes, in our own little piece of the planet or not, the impact of the constant damage being done is very real.
So, it seems that loving our planet is also a way to love our global neighbours, especially those people whose lives are being put in direct danger and risk. How can I not do something about that? How can I not see that the way I live has an impact? How can I not see this world as something I share with 8 billion other people, people who need me to share it well?
I’m thinking that maybe we shouldn’t let this Earth Day just pass us by. Maybe if we all really took today as an opportunity, if we all gave it a little thought- how can we share this earth in the best way? How can we love it? Love each other?
I know you probably think that all your changes would be too small, pointless even, but we have God who cheers on the smallest of beginnings. Imagine if today was the day millions of small changes were launched- not so pointless at all.
