Rise to Life: Engaging in God’s creative action

groundbreaking level. When Jesus said ‘the poor will always be with you’ (Math. 26) he was acknowledging that all earthly systems become corrupted, with the rich profiting at the expense of the poor. Environmental issues are yet another example where those in poverty have fewer choices and possibilities, so however satisfying and essential it might be to improve our personal environmental practices, we should be setting our sights higher, and constantly challenging government at all levels to truly promote the green agenda. We may be doubtful as to whether such campaigns could succeed, but certainly, at a personal and church level, we need to push ourselves out of our comfort zone and be prepared to venture. We should approach God humbly and prayerfully, and ask for guidance as to our next steps. We should also be prepared to make sacrifices. If we can already afford to make many greener choices financially, perhaps our personal stumbling block is time and/or convenience. Perhaps we’re too attached to certain aspects of our life, and can’t bear to think that they’re not environmentally sustainable. Perhaps we’re frightened of change, or sceptical that a seed already planted in our hearts could ever bear fruit.

Whatever is preventing us from moving forward, if we turn to Jesus and offer ourselves to him, just like the characters in the Bible stories, he will engage with us, and then, very gently and lovingly, show us what we need to do to move forward with God on our environmental journey. Only time will tell whether we will be brave enough to respond to that challenge. As we know, although Jesus could see his potential, the rich young man in Mathew’s gospel failed to do so. As we venture forward, we should remind ourselves that we want God to use us to help to achieve his aim of life in all its fullness (John 10:10), and that if we offer ourselves, God has an unfailing ability to achieve more than we could ever have believed possible (Eph.3.20).

There are plenty of areas where we should be campaigning: rather than a future where those already on the poverty line live in fear of further energy price rises, we need policies that subsidise energy from renewable sources; rather than public transport which is incompatible with work and caring responsibilities, we need to ensure that sustainable transport choices are an option for all; the food industry needs to be totally restructured, so that food of the best quality is accessible to those members of our communities who need it most.