Bishop Ward encourages each church to examine the ways they are now or can better care for God’s creation.
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ.
I love this prayer, “New every morning is your love great God of light and all day long, you are working for good in the world. Stir up in us desire to serve you, to live peacefully with one another and with all Creation, and to devote this day to your service.” Indeed, God desires that we live peacefully with one another and with all creation. This good creation is God’s gift.
At the very beginning of the Bible, the story is told of God’s creative, loving, work. God created everything that is – the birds that fly, the fish that swim, the creatures that walk upon the earth. God created us as well, breathing into us the breath of life. It is our commission from God to care for this creation, to honor it, to love it, to be gentle with it.
Today at The United Methodist Building in Garner, we are gathering a forum on “Creation Care.” We want to expand the ministry of creation care so that every congregation will examine its life and the ways in which we are caring for creation in our communities. We want to encourage recycling. We want to encourage community gardens wherever we have space to do so. We want to be outside more and breathe the fresh air and feel the sun or the rain upon our bodies and know that indeed these are all God’s gifts. We want to live peacefully with one another and with all creation.
My prayers are with you as you think about this in your own place of ministry. How might you honor and care for creation even more faithfully in the days to come? May Christ be with you as you do.