A sermon for Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church
2nd June 2024 – Environment Sunday
Colossians 1.15-20
Today is Environment Sunday,
and today I think we find ourselves at a critical moment for our planet. [1]
I don’t know about you, but I often struggle bring myself
to read the news reports of the climate crisis,
sometimes it all feels too much to deal with,
too much to cope with, too big to do anything about.
And yet I know that the next few decades
are going to be decisive for what life on this planet will look like.
The undeniable reality of climate change accelerates around us,
leading to devastating loss of biodiversity
and increasingly severe weather events.
Scientists are clear that the root cause of this crisis
can be traced to our overconsumption of the Earth's finite resources,
and our growing disconnection from the natural world.
Despite some progress, there is still an urgent need for action
to protect and restore the delicate balance of creation.
As followers of Christ, we worship a God
who not only brought the world into existence
but also cares profoundly for its well-being.
The Scriptures affirm this divine care,
revealing God's mission to unite all things in heaven and on earth
under the lordship of Christ (Ephesians 1:10).
As those who embrace this truth,
we are therefore called to actively engage
in God's mission to the whole of creation,
serving not only as disciples personally,
but also corporately as the body of Christ on earth.
And on this Environment Sunday,
we are reminded that our missional activities as a church
should reflect our Creator's love for the world.
It is my conviction that by cultivating greater unity
between God, ourselves,
our communities, and the entirety of creation,
we can work meaningfully together
to restore and protect the earth,
ensuring that it thrives for generations to come.
Our passage for this morning is the beautiful Christ-hymn
from Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae,
and I want to draw out for us three ways in which this text speaks
to the situation of our relationship to our planet.
The first point is that it speaks of God as the CREATOR
‘God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth’
Colossians 1:16 (NLT)
Here we are reminded that God is not only revealed to us in Jesus Christ,
but also as the Creator of all things, in heaven and on earth.
As Christians, our worship is often focussed on the ‘heavenly’ revelation of God:
we worship ‘God on high’.
But the challenge here is that our worship also must also reflect
our reverence for God the Creator
who, from the beginning of time, has breathed life
into a vast and intricate world,
a world teeming with abundance and beauty.
Please don’t hear me wrong, though:
I’m absolutely NOT arguing for creationism, for a young earth,
or against the theory of evolution by natural selection.
A view of God as creator which takes you in the direction of science-denial,
is a profound misreading of the theology of creation.
Creation and evolution are not opposites,
any more than science and faith are opposites.
So, if you want to know how the earth was formed, as a geologist,
if you want to know how life came to be, ask an evolutionary biologist.
But if you want to know how you, and other humans like you,
might live in peace and harmony with the natural world,
and how we might together address the collective sins of exploitation,
perhaps that’s the point to ask a theologian!
Because the biblical insight is that God is not divorced from creation,
standing over it, or above it,
but is rather integral to it.
God is in all things,
and by God’s hand are all things sustained (cf. Hebrews 1.3)
In fact, I would want to go further than this.
It’s not just that we worship a God who sustains creation,
but by observing creation we gain a revelation of God.
My friend Noel Moules has written very powerfully
on the interconnectedness of all things. He says:
‘I personally believe that absolutely everything is sacred:
the whole material universe, visible and invisible.’
He continues:
‘The whole of creation is saturated in the sacred.’[2]
Throughout the Psalms, we encounter awe-inspiring praise for God the Creator,
and the majestic creation that envelops us.
Psalm 145:9 affirms,
"The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made."
This Psalm reveals that God's compassionate character
is one we should strive to mirror
as we engage with our fellow beings and the earth itself.
God's creative work is not to be restricted
to some pseudo-scientific theology of forming the heavens and the earth.
Instead, God's role as Creator
is an eternal and unchanging part of the divine identity,
continually imbuing life and vitality into all existence.
As Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg so eloquently describes,
"God's voice in nature is ceaseless and enduring.
God's speech is the invisible pulse
which ceaselessly imparts vitality to all existence."
There is a rhythm of growth, transformation, and renewal built into creation,
and this is a living testament to God's enduring presence within it.
This dynamic, ever-evolving world
serves as a profound reminder of our Creator's deep connection
to every living creature and ecosystem.
If we are to genuinely experience the fullness of God's love and grace,
and if we wish to help others do the same,
we must celebrate and honour our God as Creator
by extending divine compassion to all creation.
In Genesis 1:26, we are told that human beings were created in the image of God,
and this ancient narrative conveys a theological truth
which is that we too reflect the divine nature.
This profound responsibility compels us to ask ourselves
whether we are faithfully reflecting God's nature
in how we care for the world around us?
Do our activities as disciples and as a church
demonstrate a genuine commitment
to safeguarding and nurturing the Creator's magnificent work?
As Ruth Valerio so insightfully observes,
"There is a need to rebuild our relationship with our planet
so that we might rebuild our relationship with its creator."
In light of this challenge,
there is a call here for us to deepen our appreciation for God as creator,
and to renew our dedication to caring for
the incredible world we have been entrusted with
—not only for our own sake
but also as a testament to the divine love and compassion
that encompasses all creation.
Which brings me to my second point: CHRIST
‘He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation’
(Colossians 1:15 NLT)
In this verse we are presented with the astonishing claim
that Christ existed before all creation and stands supreme over it.
This divine pre-eminence calls us to expand our understanding
of Christ's role in our lives, and the world around us.
As Shane Claiborne suggests,
Christ's reconciling work extends not only to our relationships
with God and fellow humans
but also to our relationship with creation itself.
The passage reveals Christ as the source, sustainer, and saviour of all things
— the divine life force incarnated to reconcile and restore,
holding all of creation together (Colossians 1:17).
This cosmic role reminds us that Christ's presence
has been deeply rooted in creation from the very beginning,
and this is a truth that was ultimately embodied in the incarnation.
To quote Noel Moules again:
‘It is vital to remember that when we say, ’everything is sacred’,
we understand this sacredness is two-fold.
First, that tree, that rock, that person, is sacred in their own right,
and so recognised for who they are within themselves.
Second, because it is the Spirit and Creator who enables them to be sacred,
so sacredness should deepen our relationship
with every particular expression of creation,
as well as with the Creator.
Jesus’ incarnation does not make matter sacred.
Matter is already sacred.
Jesus’ incarnation simply and powerfully confirms this truth.’
Throughout the Gospels, we witness Jesus
demonstrating a deep attentiveness and connection to the natural world.
His teachings are enriched by vivid references to fig trees, foxes, and flowers,
while in the parables he revealed a keen understanding
of the intricate relationships found within creation.
Jesus urged his disciples to consider the birds and flowers
as models of trust in God's provision (Matthew 6:25-34),
and even in the wilderness, he is described
as being "with the wild animals" (Mark 1:13).
Christ's relationship with nature
challenges our conventional understanding of power and dominion,
offering a contrasting vision of leadership
that is marked by humility, compassion, and interconnectedness.
Rather than seeking to dominate the natural world,
Jesus modelled a different way of ruling
—one that extends to all of creation, not just humanity.
As followers of Christ in the 21st century, we must ask ourselves:
Do we share the same deep connection to nature that Jesus exemplified?
How are we actively following his example in our daily lives,
and how can we contribute to the reconciliation
and restoration of our broken climate?
The call to "take up our cross and follow him"
must be considered within the context
of our responsibility as stewards of creation.
Much as I love our cross here at Bloomsbury,
soaring high above us in the sanctuary,
suspended in mid-air half-way between heaven and earth,
and much as I love lifting my eyes to it in adoration and worship,
sometimes I think we just need to remember
that the cross of Christ would have been a wooden post,
with its base deep in the soil of the mount of crucifixion.
Just as the tree from which it was shaped had grown in the earth,
so by planting the cross of our theology firmly back into the earth,
we commit ourselves to reconciling with the world around us,
healing the wounds inflicted upon it,
and seeking a harmonious relationship
between humanity and the environment.
The cross of Christ is for the redemption of all creation,
and as we remember and embody this truth,
we honour Christ's supreme role within creation
and strive to emulate his profound love
and compassion for all that God has made.
Which brings me to my third point: CREATION
‘And through him God was pleased to reconcile to Himself all things’
(Colossians 1:20 NRSVA)
Here we are reminded of God's divine intention to reconcile all things.
This profound truth extends beyond personal salvation
to encompass the vast and intricate world that God has created
—a creation that serves as a primary means
for God to reveal the divine nature to us.
Creation communicates the beauty, creativity, and diversity of God's character
through the rich tapestry of life on earth, in the skies,
and within the depths of the sea.
The natural world offers a grand and awe-inspiring display of divine artistry,
inviting us to contemplate the magnificent handiwork of the Creator.
Furthermore, the earth provides a blueprint
for God's harmonious plan for the Kingdom of heaven
—a vision of interconnectedness and interdependence
that underscores the inherent value of each living creature and ecosystem.
This divine balance of nature
is a testament to the wisdom and love of our Creator.
However, our actions as humans have disrupted this delicate harmony,
resulting in the current climate crisis
that threatens both human and non-human life.
Our excessive consumption of resources
has led to the destabilization of ecosystems
and widespread ecological degradation.
Yet, despite the gravity of these consequences,
we are reminded that God's intent is ultimately to reconcile of all things.
The tension between God’s intent, and our current situation,
is where we are called to be agents of change and hope.
By working to restore and protect the beauty and balance of creation,
we actively participate in God's reconciling work
and honour our Creator's divine purpose.
So what can we do, what are we called to do?
I think the primary calling for Christians
in relation to the created world is one of: CARE
‘The Lord God took the man and put Him in the Garden of Eden
to work it and take care of it.’ (Genesis 2:15)
The creation story from Genesis
reminds us of humanity's divine mandate
to care for and steward the natural world.
This responsibility is emphasized by Tom Wright,
who suggests that all of creation eagerly awaits
the restoration of God's wise order
through the stewardship of redeemed humans.
However, our current trajectory of rising global temperatures
threatens the delicate balance of our planet.
Despite the ambitious goal set at the 2015 UN Climate Conference in Paris,
current national commitments still fall short
of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
warns that achieving this target requires immediate and radical changes
across all sectors of society.
In order to rekindle our connection with God as Creator
and honour God's role as the source and sustainer of all things,
we must critically examine our relationship with the natural world
and the impact of our actions upon it.
By recapturing a view of creation as a reflection of God's beauty and majesty,
we can begin to realign our priorities with those of our Creator.
As followers of Christ and members of the Church,
we are called to embody God's character in our actions and decisions.
This includes embracing our divine mission
to exercise godly rule over creation through service and protection.
Let us heed the words of Chris Wright,
who reminds us that our Christian mission
is inseparable from our primal human mission
to care for the world around us.
On this Environment Sunday, the invitation is for us
to recommit ourselves to the task of nurturing
and preserving the wondrous gifts of creation,
to ensure our efforts serve as a testament to our devotion to the Creator
who has entrusted us with this sacred responsibility.
Conclusion
In conclusion, then, I think our engagement
with Paul’s hymn to the cosmic Christ raises some key questions for us:
How often do we truly contemplate God as Creator,
and how might we better emulate divine creativity
as beings made in God's image?
Moreover, how can we deepen our relationship with God
by caring for creation
and recognizing God’s presence within the natural world?
We are called to unite all things in heaven and on earth under Christ,
but what does this look like for us,
and how can we contribute to its realization?
To answer these questions, we must examine the role of creation care
within our understanding of mission.
As we broaden our concept of mission to encompass the whole of creation,
we challenge ourselves to consider how our efforts
can address the pressing issue of climate change.
It is vital that we recognize the importance of tackling climate change
as a critical component of our values and beliefs.
By integrating environmental stewardship into our missional activities,
we not only serve as responsible custodians of God's creation
but also demonstrate our commitment
to the holistic message of the gospel.
As we move forward, we need to consider
how we might adapt our approaches
to evangelism, discipleship, community engagement, and social action
in order to better reflect God's care for creation.
By doing so, we embrace our divine calling to care for the world around us
and to work towards a future in which all aspects of God's creation
are reconciled and united under Christ.
So on this Environment Sunday, may we embark on this journey
with dedication, passion, and a renewed sense of purpose,
remembering that our labours are a testament
to our love for God and His magnificent creation.
[1] This sermon is based on resources from the Salvation Army, produced for Environment Sunday 2024 https://www.salvationist.org.uk/resources/key-dates/environment-sunday
[2] https://www.christianity.org.uk/article/opinion-sense-of-the-sacred-in-all-things
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