All Saints Highertown
  • Home
  • Safeguarding
  • All Saints Church
    • Blog
    • Sermons
    • Transforming Mission
    • Anti-Racism
    • Hall & Room Hire
    • Truro Lifehouse
    • Our vision
    • This Sunday Rotas
    • Who we are >
      • Staff Team
      • Ministry Team
      • Church Council
    • Where we are
    • Churches Together in Truro
    • Baldhu Church
  • Church Life
    • Life Events >
      • Weddings
      • Baptisms
      • Funerals
    • ASH Youth Club
    • Christians in Politics Course
    • Sunday Services
    • Toddle
    • Home Groups & Bible Study
    • Fellowship Groups
  • Community
    • Hall & Room Hire
    • Acts 435
    • Cornwall Children's Clothes Bank
    • The Foodbank
    • Christians Against Poverty
  • GIve
  • Contact Us

Environmental Theology is an expression of our walk with Jesus

10/10/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
All this talk of recycling, protecting the environment, and green energy reminds me of one of my favourite dad jokes. It goes like this: I gave all my dead batteries away today… free of charge!

Since Sunday 1st September the Church of England has been keeping Creationtide, a period in the church calendar that concludes on the feast of St Francis 4th October. At All Saints Truro we’ve been thinking about what a Christian care for God’s creation might look like. We’ve been thinking about the impact of pollution and climate change, and about sustainable living and environmental justice. We’ve been blessed to hear some great speakers and preachers including Dr Tim Taylor (Senior lecturer at Exeter University for Environmental Economics), Luci Isaacson (Diocesan Environmental Officer), Janette Mullett (Director of Epiphany House) and Revd Dr Lucy Larkin (Tutor for SWMTC).

Hearing these people has reminded me of how important it is for Christ’s church to take seriously the instruction to ‘be fruitful, and to care for’ this incredible gift of life. As I’ve reflected on our discussions it has been increasingly clear to me how important this is, and how it’s not so much about the church being ‘green’, although that is important, but more about our walk with Jesus.

I’ve learnt that our relationship with creation is the great leveller, since all of humanity is dependent on God’s gift of life - through His Word and His Spirit in a spiritual sense, and through creation in a physical sense. We all require food, we all require fresh water, warmth and shelter to live. It doesn’t matter if we’re a wealthy oil tycoon, or a struggling unemployed dad of three, we still need the basic elements of life to flourish. Jesus’ ministry was always close to this truth. As he mixed with the rich and the famous and the poor and forgotten, his teaching was never far away from the essentials of human need. It was a grounded ministry, held close to the dirt and earthiness of life.

The more I’ve studied the bible over the course of Creationtide the more I’ve come to realise that Christian discipleship is lived out in our love for Jesus and in our delight for what was created through Him. In essence, how our love for Jesus can be reflected in our love for what was brought about through him. Sadly, much of the developed world has over-consumed and underappreciated God’s creation; and as a result, the poor and forgotten have paid the price.

Christ’s church can take a lead here by making small and simple lifestyle changes, such as recycling our batteries – despite my dad joke. As well as taking the Truro Diocese 10 pledges.

Here’s another dad joke (as they’re called in our household) – Did you hear about the new restaurant on the moon? The food is great, but there’s just no atmosphere!!
I’m really sorry.

Creationtide is about protecting our atmosphere but also about creating a new atmosphere of action in the church to protect God’s creation. And to see this environmental theology as an expression of our walk with Jesus. We don’t need eco-warriors we just need more followers of Jesus who want to keep breaking bread with the world, and want to meet more people at the well.
​
Revd Jeremy Putnam | All Saints Truro
0 Comments

    Authors

    A collection of thoughts and reflections from the people of All Saints. 

    Archives

    January 2021
    November 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015

    Categories

    All
    Activism
    Acts 435
    Advent
    All Saints
    All Souls
    Alzheimers Society
    Ascension Day
    Ash Wednesday
    Babel
    Beginnings
    Bible
    Black Friday
    Black Lives Matter
    Blessing
    Brazil
    Brexit
    Brokenness
    Caasar
    Calais
    Calm
    Change
    Chaos
    Chartism
    Child
    Children
    Christlike
    Christmas
    Christmas Day
    Christ The Redeemer
    Churches
    Churches Together In Truro
    Civil Partnerships
    Climate Change
    Clothes Bank
    Community
    Compassion
    Connection
    Coronavirus
    Course
    Covid19
    Creation
    Creationtide
    Credit Union
    Curse
    Daily Mirror
    Daniel
    Darkness
    Desert Fathers
    Desert Mothers
    Discipleship
    Division
    Domestic Violence
    Easter
    Education
    Election
    Emmanuel
    Empire
    Environment
    Environmental Theology
    Epiphany
    Equality
    EU
    Faith
    Faith And Family
    Festivals
    Foodbank
    Football
    Freedom
    Funding
    Fundraising
    Gap
    Garden
    General Election
    Generosity
    Genesis
    George Floyd
    Giving
    Giving Up
    God
    God With Us
    Gogglebox
    Gospel
    Government
    Grace
    Halloween
    Harvest
    Headship
    Healing
    Hero
    Hole
    Holy Spirit
    Holy Week
    Homeless
    Homelessness
    Home Schooling
    Hope
    Immanuel
    Imperialism
    Incarnation
    Isaiah
    Jeremiah
    Jesus
    Justice
    Kavanaugh
    Kernow Credit Union
    Language
    Learning
    Lent
    Life
    Lifehouse
    Li