The Anglican Communion released a new eco-theology resource, Renewing the Life of the Earth, which includes a video from our Missioner for Creation Care calling the Church to share in God’s mission of restoring all people and all Creation to unity with God and each other in Christ.
“Let’s repent and turn away from any anthropocentric theology that claims that human beings are somehow separate from the rest of God’s creation, as if we alone were worthy of God’s saving love. Let’s stop praying, preaching, and acting as if God cares about only one species, Homo sapiens.
Scripture tells us that God created, redeems, and sustains the whole creation, not only human beings. After all, this is God’s creation, not ours – the Earth belongs to God, not to us. When we grasp that truth, surely every one of us will start sounding the alarm about climate change and start fighting to keep fossil fuels in the ground and to build a more just and sustainable society. The living world is holy, and destroying Earth is a desecration, a sin against the Creator.”
- The Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas
Runaway climate change, toxic waste, and resource depletion are threatening to unravel the web of life upon which we, and all God’s creatures, depend. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christians in this diocese are rising up to proclaim God’s love for the Earth, which God pronounces “very good” (Genesis 1:31) and which the crucified and risen Christ gave his life to redeem.
Now is the time to experience afresh our reverence for the Earth, which reveals God’s glory, and to express our concern for our neighbors, here and worldwide, who are already affected by extreme weather events, rising seas, and conflicts over natural resources, such as water. Now is the time to proclaim our vision of a just, sustainable, and healthy world.
The best way to stay informed and connected with our diocese’s Creation care ministry is:
Thank you for everything you do to bear witness to God’s love for the whole Creation.
The Episcopal Church’s Covenant for the Care of Creation is a commitment to practice loving formation, liberating advocacy and life-giving conversation as individuals, congregations, ministries and dioceses. Explore the Covenant here and sign up for the newsletter and opportunities to formally adopt the Covenant in your community.
This resolution affirms the Episcopal Vision for Creation Care put forward by Bishop Michael Curry and The Episcopal Church, and calls upon all our clergy and lay members to: take the pledge to Creation Care and “place the care of God’s Creation at the heart of our common life” as we work to grow a (1) loving, (2) liberating, and (3) life-giving relationship with the whole of God’s Creation.
The resolution calls on all our clergy and lay members to meet each of these goals by carrying out a wide range of actions – such as preaching and praying, engaging in legislative advocacy to keep fossil fuels in the ground, and reducing our personal carbon footprint.
Among other things, this resolution called on all parishes in the Diocese to be faithful stewards of our fragile planet by creating a Green Team and undertaking an energy audit of all parish buildings in order to reduce the parish’s carbon footprint.
Among other things, this resolution praised the “We Are Still In” declaration, in which hundreds of signatories pledge support of the goals of the Paris Climate Accord, and joined with the United Church of Christ in living out the principles of the Paris Climate Accord by committing our time, financial resources, and prayers to:
Our diocesan Missioner for Creation Care, the Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, represents the diocese at environmental conferences and other gatherings so that the Church has a seat at the table for one of the most crucial issues of our time. Her mission is to mobilize a wave of religious activism within and beyond the diocese to protect and heal God’s Creation. Margaret also reports on climate action opportunities and builds ecumenical, interfaith and secular partnerships.
If you would like to invite her to preach, to lead a retreat, or to speak at your church, please contact her by email (mbj@revivingcreation.org).
She is on sabbatical from May 1-July 31, 2023.
Margaret invites you to visit her website, RevivingCreation.org, where you will find sermons, articles, books, and more. Please signup for her newsletter and join our Creation Care Justice Network (CCJN), which includes both dioceses in MA.
