2nd Sunday before Lent – Sermon 139

Bible References :

 

Prayer to start

May the words of my lips and the thoughts of our hearts be graciously received for the Glory and Honour of our Lord Jesus Christ

AMEN

Introduction

Global Warming – Do we believe it?

Is it something we should be concerned about – or do we think they’ve got it wrong – and its just an over enthusiastic – scientific – extrapolation?

Not so long ago they were warning us about another ice age – now we are turning the world – into a massive oven –

Should we really be worried? – or just be thankful for having Mediterranean summers right in our own back yard?

Let’s see if our readings can help?

 

First Point        Our need to care for God’s creation

 

Few things speak to us more powerfully – than the sheer beauty and wonder of God’s world

wherever we look – wherever we work – wherever we breathe – God’s creative hand has been there – from the tiniest ant – to the tallest tree – from the smallest island – to the mightiest ocean – from the darkest corner to the brightest light –

God’s creation of the world around us – is a symbol of His great power and involvement in our lives – one of the great landmarks of our faith –

The whole of the first chapter of Genesis is about God’s word and creative power – about the fact that He is – in control – His rule is unchallenged – that He is in everything – and everything is fed from Him

A young mother watched her five year old daughter – looking through the first page of the – bible – circling the word God – whenever it appeared –
“Why are you doing that?” – she asked –
“So I will know where to find God – when I want Him!” – she said –

Its no accident that God is mentioned in the first sentence of the Bible – and a further 27 times on that first page –

God has created on a massive scale with amazing generosity – He gave us all we see – all we hear and feel – He made us – distinctive from other forms of life – created us in His own – image and likeness – created us to be morally responsible – to give generously – and to love – as He loves us –

He created us to enjoy a special relationship with Him – and to have – dominion over the rest of His creation –

Genesis also tells us about other beginnings –about – sin and separation – about the beginning of God’s work to restore us back to Him – through Jesus Christ

God has given us – freedom to choose – to choose whether to accept or reject His Son – accept or reject His gifts of love –

– listen to this adaptation from a prayer on creation and stewardship –

Imagine the earth -is only a few feet in diameter – floating just a few feet above the ground – people would come from everywhere just to marvel at it – they would walk around it – staring at its big and little pools and the water flowing between – They would marvel at the creatures – that walked on its surface – and in the air and water – they would declare it to be sacred – protect it from harm – because – its the only one of its kind – it would be the greatest wonder ever known – people would love to look at it – come to it to be healed – learn from it – admire its beauty –wonder how it came to be – they would come to love it – defend it with their lives – somehow know that their lives – their roundness – would be nothing without it – If the earth were only a few feet in diameter –

Our world is a gift from God – and as Christians – we know that its care and management is one of our most important responsibilities – that we have a special charge – to care for all of God’s creation – and to encourage others to care for it too –

So- we need to thank God – for the treasure He’s so freely given to us – and recognize our duty to safeguard it –

 

Point 2           Trust in God and His ways

 

So in the midst of all this talk of global warming – is there anything we should we be doing – to safeguard God’s creation –

In the media – there’s a lot of talk about becoming more efficient in our energy usage – minimizing our carbon footprint – becoming carbon neutral – even the church has a policy on it –

There are even schemes to help us to compensate for the amount of Carbon dioxide we produce – for every ton of CO2 gas we release into the atmosphere – we can pay for x numbers of oxygen producing trees – to be planted somewhere in the world to make up for it –

All good suggestions – to help us ease our impact on the world’s resources-

But as Christians – living in a climate – changing world – what should our priorities be?

Well in our NT lesson – Jesus has a very clear idea view on this –

“Do not be anxious about food and drink to keep you alive and about clothes to cover your body” – says Jesus

“Look at the birds in the sky – they do not sow and reap and store in barns – yet your heavenly Father feeds them”

“Consider the lilies in the fields – they do not work – they do not spin –yet even Solomon in all his splendour was not attired like one of them” –

Instead says Jesus -‘Set your mind on God’s kingdom and all its justice – before anything else, and all the rest will come to you as well’

In other words Jesus’ tells us that our focus must be on God – and the needs of His Kingdom –

We must bring God’s needs and justice to our problems –

There are many injustices in our world not least to our environment – Not so long ago we were told – of food being taken by lorry – from one end of the country to another – just to save a few pence on the price – no thought on the impact of God’s creation there

Our clothes – our food – our own personal needs – whilst important – should not be our number one priority – instead we should – do things in a God focused way – and then we’ll find that our food – our drink – our clothing will look after themselves-

Jesus’ message is to care for all creation’s needs – not just our own – He wants us to reflect God’s image and care in the world –

There are lots of implications for us – not just on our food and clothes – but also on how we manage our journeys – our spending and finances – our energy – our time

What we do now – we are told – might not matter much – because – developing countries like India or China – are polluting our climate at a terrific rate – generating their electricity – using the methods we used – twenty or thirty years ago –
And who can blame them – they want the same gadgets and aids that we have –
But that’s no reason to give up on them – or to shrug our responsibilities
Jesus is also reminding us that like the birds and flowers – we have an individual choice – as to how we manage or priorities – to follow God’s ways – or the ways of our society –

We can decide whether to walk or use the car –whether to buy Fairtrade or not –whether to use our energy efficiently or not –whether we want to recycle our waste or not –

The reasons put forward by the supermarkets for maintaining their policy on transport and packaging – is to maintain consumer choice – well we have a choice as to whether we agree with them – or not –

but whatever we do – we must involve God – in everything – ask His advice – and pray for His continuing help and support –

Above all says Jesus – we are not to worry about it One thing is certain – God is taking care of our future – and the safest place we know – is in His hands – and surrendering to them – is more important than anything

Prayer

In the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit
AMEN