When you see the church care for creation, what does it teach you about God?
18 All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…
Matthew 28:18-19
What we know as the ‘Great Commission’ starts from Jesus stating his Lordship over all creation.
In this video, Ruth Valerio talks about bringing together theology and practice. Because of our belief that Jesus has ‘all authority in heaven and earth’ there is a practice to undertake, namely, to teach and ‘make disciples’. It is significant that the Great Commission in Marks gospel starts with ‘Go into the world and preach the gospel to all creation’ (Mark 16:15).
The practice we undertake may look different depending on the context, but as a church we should understand this practice of caring for creation as being integral to the life of church.
The call to creation care is not the call to recycling, but the call to a discipleship in which every part of our lives witnesses to our belief that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Discuss
Which example of creation care from the video stands out to you?
How does our commission to ‘make disciples… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded’ relate to creation care?
How can we ensure creation care is an integral part of being church, rather than a ‘policy’?
Pray, praising God for his authority. Think about how you can move from theology to practice.
- Author: Rachel Mander and Dave Bookless
- Publisher: A Rocha International
- Licensing: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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