“The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,” cried the psalmist.
Last weekend our Taylor family celebrated Shannon’s birthday by going whale watching in Kaikoura. That night, during bed time prayers, Kayli wanted to thank God for the whales and that they have returned to Kaikoura. She then asked God that people who still kill whales would stop. Kayli takes her prayers very seriously and is always expecting answers.
While today is Earth Day, a global call to care for the earth, the words of the psalmist and the prayers of my children remind me that Christians who worship God as Creator should be at the forefront of care of God’s world.
Practically here at Opawa today we are showing the 2006 movie An Inconvenient Truth at 3 pm, followed by questioning of a scientist (Prof Geoffrey Savage) and a Christian thinker and film reviewer (Steve Taylor). We will be asking questions like … How do the CO2 calculations work? How concerned should I be to reduce my carbon footprint? As Christians should we care? Are we going to inherit a new heaven and a new earth? Does God love the physical world, or only the “souls” that inhabit it?
But lest our church become a place of hot air, here are some practical tips to prevent Opawa warming:
Plant a tree (trees increase oxygen levels and filter pollutants)
Replace a light bulb (energy saving bulbs last 10 times as long and use 1/4 of the energy of incandescent bulbs)
Take an old bag shopping (reuse old bags or take cloth ones to the supermarket for your groceries)
Start a compost pile (composting organic waste can reduce your household rubbish by a third)
Clean up your community (pick up rubbish you see on the streets)
an inconvenient truth?
Reflections on the science, theology and personal responsibility of climate change
For anyone who saw Al Gore’s movie and was challenged or has questions …
For anyone who hasn’t yet seen the movie ...
For those who want to know how they can better care for our earth ...
For people who don’t think we need to care for the earth, but are willing to have their view challenged …
With special guests:
Prof Geoffrey Savage (Lincoln University)
Rev Dr Steve Taylor (BCNZ)
Earth Day: 22 April, 3pm-5.30pm
Opawa Baptist Church
Cnr Hastings and Wilsons
379 7680 office@opawa.org.nz