60ÊÓƵapp

I wonder what the word ‘Justice’ means to you?? And how might it connect with the natural environment - or in Christian language, ‘Creation’?

In our chapel services this term, our students have been exploring how these two ideas come up again and again in the Christian scriptures, and how they speak to challenges in our contemporary world.

The story of Creation in the bible can be a tricky one, for those of us immersed in scientific understandings of how the universe came to be. I suggest that we don’t read this story as a competing account of the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ - but rather, as a way to enter into deeper questions about ‘who’ and ‘why’. Who is this God, known to people of many faiths as ‘Creator’? And who are we, as human beings? In the story of Creation, we meet a God who is one - the God of everything that is, or was, or will be. This God is wise and thoughtful, calling each thing into being in due course. And this God is good and loving, rejoicing in each part of creation, and blessing it. Human beings are created ‘in the image’ of God. Every single one of us carries that spark of the divine - and every single one of us has the potential to express all the creativity, love and wisdom of God. Every single one of us is also of indescribable worth, blessed and precious in the sight of God. So, the story of Creation leads us naturally to a commitment to justice and equality, to ensuring every single person has what they need to grow and thrive. There is simply no justification for treating some people as ‘less’ or ‘other’ when we are all bearers of the image of God.

After creating humans, God charges them with ‘stewardship’ or ‘custodianship’ of the created world, something Indigenous Australians have been doing here on these lands for millennia. We currently face many challenges in our stewardship of the environment - climate change, threats to biodiversity, pollution of lands, air, and water. And sadly, many of these problems have the greatest impact on those with the least wealth and power. So, for the sake of Creation itself, and for the sake of justice among human beings, we are called to use all our God-given wisdom and creativity to safeguard our natural environment.

Blessings to you and yours,

Rev Lisa