FOCUS January 2022

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FOCUS, January, 2022, Vol. 10, Part 1

Cover Photo Source SparkAdobe: ‘Sustainability of Nature and the Mission of the Church’, Cover Design by Lal Varghese, Esq., Dallas.

Contents 1. Editorial: Sustainability of Nature and the Mission of the Church.

Page 3 2. The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Ecumenical Christmas Letter.

Page 6 3. Confessions of a Doctor Couple Regarding Their Faith Journey: Dr. George Varghese and Dr. Sheila Varghese.

Page 8 4. Cain-Abel Narrative: An Eco-Hermeneutic Reading of Genesis 4: 1-16: Revd Alexander M. Isaac.

Page 13 5. Don’t Look at Solomon, Look at Nature: Revd Oommen Varkey.

Page 16 6. Sustainability of Nature and the Mission of the Church: Valson Thampu.

Page 18 7. The Carpenter’s Son – A Christmas Reflection: Lal Varghese, Esq. Page 21 8. The Church and the Ecological Crisis: Dr. K. V. Thomas and Dr. Elizabeth Thomas. Page 22 9. Evolving Eco-theology for Christian Mission in Post Pandemic India: Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph.

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10. Book Review: Beyond Religion: Imaging a New Humanity by Valson Thampu.

Page 29 11. A Creation Care Pledge: Dr. Kanayathu Koshy and Elizabeth Koshy.

Page 30 12. Patriarch Bartholomew, Pope Francis and Archbishop of Canterbury: A Historical Statement on Climate Change.

Page 32 13. Climate Change and Christian Response: Dr. Mathew Koshy Punnakadu.

Page 34 14. A Reflection on Green Grass: Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph.

Page 36 15. Manufacturing Industry in Transformation to a sustainable world: George Thomas. Page 37 16. Sustainability of Nature and the Mission of the Church: Dr. Cherian Samuel.

Page 40 17. Sustainability of Nature and Mission of the Church: Towards an integral Echo-Theology: Revd George Abraham.

Page 44 18. Ecology and Spirituality: Dr. Zac Varghese.

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EDITORIAL Sustainability of Nature and the Mission of the Church We cannot go on ignoring the human contributions to increasing the carbon foot print, which is contributing to the global warming. Carbon foot print measures the amount of green gas emission that human beings are responsible for due to their uncaring activities. Therefore, we have a responsibility individually and collectively to do whatever we can to stop it. Jesus linked the kingdom of God to the yeast in bread-making (Lk 13: 20-21), something so small has a remarkable transforming effect on something much larger. Individual change of lifestyle is important. Each change we make towards a greener lifestyle is both a change in itself and an inspiration to others for further change. Our worship, thanksgiving and prayer should lead us to total commitment for addressing the environmental crisis through the missional activities of the church. The formation of ‘Forest Churches’ and ‘Forest schools’ in churches in the UK are welcome initiatives. The focus of a missional church must be centred on healing this fractured world and then the church will become an earth-centred ecological church to make our Lord’s prayer – ‘Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.’ – a reality in our daily living.

As part of God’s ‘oikumene’, the whole inhabited earth, human beings have an absolute responsibility to love and care for what God has entrusted to them as stewards.

Recognizing the interdependence of human beings with the rest of creation demands ethical basis for our living on the earth, which requires respect rather than dominion.

This respect is reflected in addressing the earth as the ‘Mother Earth’ in the Indian tradition. For maintaining environmental justice, we need a responsible and sustainable stewardship.

According to the creation story in Genesis, at the end of the creation of the world, God saw all that He had made and said, “it was very good” (Gen 1: 31). Instead of taking the responsible God-given role as caretakers of the world, humankind exploited it and damaged it by exercising domain and power over it. We totally neglected our God-given responsibility as stewards of creation to live sustainably for the welfare of the present and future generations. Sustainable living should be part of our social and environmental justice. Exploitation of earth’s resources, market economy, uncontrolled consumerism, global dependence on fossil fuels and Globalisedeconomic expansions based on a ‘throw away culture’ undermine the basis for sustainability.

It is important to encourage Christians to refrain from the exploitation of nature’s resources and strive to keep the earth as a God-given habitable home for the present and the future generations. It is greed that causes people to exploit resources. As Gandhiji said, “The earth provides enough to satisfy everyone’s need and not everyone’s greed.” Today wealth is in the hands of a limited few who through market economy want only to strip nature of its resources and destroy it, imperilling the life of the future generations; it is a clear example of ‘chronological unfairness’ against which young people like Greta Thunberg of Sweden has been making the whole world conscious of this fact. Late Fr. Stan Swamy, the 84-yearold Indian Jesuit priest, was championing for many years for the rights of indigenous and marginalized people in eastern India’s Jharkhand state; he died on Monday, 5th July, 2021 while in prison. Let us thank God for Fr. Stan Sway’s life and his commitment to the poor tribal people and championing their struggles against the environmental damage by mining companies and land grabbers.

Our primary task as Christians is understanding our involvement and responsibility as partners in God’s mission (Missio Dei) in establishing God’s kingdom values on the earth. Environmental crisis is now reaching a breaking point, due to the rapid pace of change and degradation; these are evident in large-scale natural disasters including COVID-19 pandemic and other social and even financial crises; these escalating problems cannot be analysed or explained in isolation. One thing is absolutely certain that the present world system is

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certainly unsustainable from a number of points of view, for we have stopped thinking about the common good, every aspect of the sustainability and humanity as a whole has disappointed God’s expectation of us of becoming partners of God’s Mission for healing this wounded and fractured world.

Pope Francis (1) in his introduction to his encyclical in 2015 wrote: “I believe that Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically. He is the patron saint of all who study and work in the area of ecology, and he is also much loved by non-Christians. He was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the poor and outcast. He loved, and was deeply loved for his joy, his generous self-giving, his openheartedness. He was a mystic and a pilgrim who lived in simplicity and in wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature and with himself. He shows us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace.”

Francis is speaking for the whole Christian community in his encyclical, he further added: “The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change. The Creator does not abandon us; he never forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us.

Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home. Here I want to recognize, encourage and thank all those striving in countless ways to guarantee the protection of the home which we share.

Particular appreciation is owed to those who tirelessly seek to resolve the tragic effects of environmental degradation on the lives of the world’s poorest. Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded.

“I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all. The worldwide ecological movement has already made considerable progress and led to the establishment of numerous organizations committed to raising awareness of these challenges. Regrettably, many efforts to seek concrete solutions to the environmental crisis have proved ineffective, not only because of powerful opposition but also because of a more general lack of interest.

Obstructionist attitudes, even on the part of believers, can range from denial of the problem to indifference, nonchalant resignation or blind confidence in technical solutions. We require a new and universal solidarity. As the bishops of Southern Africa have stated: “Everyone’s talents and involvement are needed to redress the damage caused by human abuse of God’s creation”. All

of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents.

“It is my hope that this Encyclical Letter, which is now added to the body of the Church’s social teaching, can help us to acknowledge the appeal, immensity and urgency of the challenge we face. I will begin by briefly reviewing several aspects of the present ecological crisis, with the aim of drawing on the results of the best scientific research available today, letting them touch us deeply and provide a concrete foundation for the ethical and spiritual itinerary that follows. I will then consider some principles drawn from the Judaeo-Christian tradition which can render our commitment to the environment more coherent. I will then attempt to get to the roots of the present situation, so as to consider not only its symptoms but also its deepest causes. This will help to provide an approach to ecology which respects our unique place as human beings in this world and our relationship to our surroundings. In light of this reflection, I will advance some broader proposals for dialogue and action which would involve each of us as individuals, and also affect international policy. Finally, convinced as I am that change is impossible without motivation and a process of education, I will offer some inspired guidelines for human development to be found in the treasure of Christian spiritual experience.”

It is worth studying this encyclical, its six long chapters, for understanding various aspects of the ecological problem with a Christian perspective and for making a serious commitment. It is developed around the concept of integral ecology, as a paradigm able to articulate the fundamental relationships of the person with God, with one’s self, with other human beings, and with creation.

Pope Francis says that this movement starts by listening to the results of the best scientific research on environmental matters available today.

Let us also thank God for Greta Thunberg and other young people across the world for exposing the ‘chronological unfairness’ involved in the ecological problems. During a fiery speech at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Thunberg asserted, "Our house is on fire," and then proceeded to verbally torch the billionaires in attendance for focusing on wealth at the planet's expense. In the United States, she famously tore into the United Nations. Eyes blazing with urgency, she declared, "How dare you! You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words." She ripped into "fairy tales of eternal economic growth." She warned that "the eyes of all future generations are upon you and if you choose to fail us, I say we will never forgive you."

The historic Joint Statement on 1st September, 2021by Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby before the COP6 meeting in Glasgow and as reported in this issue is

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significant. They said: “Today’s children and teenagers will face catastrophic consequences unless we take responsibility now, as ‘fellow workers with God’ (Ge 2: 4– 7), to sustain our world. We frequently hear from young people who understand that their futures are under threat.

For their sake, we must choose to eat, travel, spend, invest and live differently, thinking not only of immediate interest and gains but also of future benefits. We repent of our generation’s sins. We stand alongside our younger sisters and brothers throughout the world in committed prayer and dedicated action for a future which corresponds ever more to the promises of God.” Therefore, what is required is to restore the harmony between God, human beings and creation. The biblical mandate to have “dominion over the earth” (Gen 1:28), and to “till and keep it” (Ge 2:15) is not for exploiting the nature, but to protect the earth and preserve it for the present and the future generations. Lynn White (2) on the other hand, in an article in Science in 1967, blamed the Judeo-Christian tradition for the ecological crisis based on the biblical mandate of “dominion over the earth.” He wrote, “Christianity, in absolute contrast to ancient paganism and Asia’s religions (except, perhaps, Zoroastrianism) not only established a dualism of man and nature but also insisted that it is God’s will that man exploit nature for his proper ends.” He blamed anthropocentrism for the ecological damage.

Unfortunately, there is a broken relationship of mutuality between humanity and the earth. The urgent Christian mission must be focussed on restoring the relationship between the earth and mankind and become stewards of whole creation under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Ecology is cracked, but not yet broken; it is the time for repair; it is the time for prayer-centred action. Let us carry the hope of the Psalmist to face ecological crisis confronting us. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns. The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations; I am exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psalm 46:1-11).

Our faith in God’s Love and our mission should address all life situations including various environmental issues that are confronting us which we are discussing in this issue of the FOCUS. The testimony of Dr. George

Varghese and Dr. Sheila Varghese, pages 8-12, shows us that we must truly entrust ourselves to the love of God in all our needs and struggles. In their testimony, they highlight various environmental issues they came across at Manali and Kullu valley in the foothills of Himalayas because of tourism and other economical pursuits. They wrote: “Unplanned growth produced garbage which filled most of public spaces. Garbage polluted the drains and the river. The small village became a cluttered busy market filled with tourists and noise. Traffic jams began to choke the roads. Exploitation of tourists became the norm.” There are moments or situations in which our faith is put to difficult tests. Therefore, in these critical times we must see God's love and believe that God will provide the strength and God is with us. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (Jn 16: 33).

The editorial board is very grateful to all our contributors who wrote insightful articles on various aspects of the ecological crisis for the current issue of the FOCUS. We hope that all our readers are keeping well and safe form the COVID-19 pandemic and the winter flu episodes. We also hope that you were able to have a joyful get-together with family and friends over the Christmas season. We wish everyone a happy and blessed New Year.

Reference: 1. Pope Francis, Encyclical ‘Laudato, Si’, June 2015.

2. Lynn White, “The Historical Roots of our Ecological crisis”, Science (March 10, 1967): 189.

Dr. Zac Varghese For the Editorial Board http://www.issuu.com/diasporafocus http://www.scribd.com/diasporafocus Web Site: www.facebook.com/groups/mtfocus E-Mail: mtfousgroup@gmail.com Published by Lal Varghese, Esq., Dallas for and on behalf of Diaspora FOCUS Disclaimer: Diaspora FOCUS is a non-profit organization registered in United States, originally formed in late Nineties in London for the Diaspora Marthomites. Now it is an independent lay-movement of the Diaspora laity of the Syrian Christians; and as such FOCUS is not an official publication of any denominations. It is an ecumenical journal to focus attention more sharply on issues to help churches and other faith communities to examine their own commitment to loving their neighbors and God, justice, and peace. Opinions expressed in any article or statements are of the individuals and are not to be deemed as an endorsement of the view expressed therein by Diaspora FOCUS. Thanks.

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Christmas 2021 The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Ecumenical Christmas Letter Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours! (Luke 2:14) At Christmas we lift our voices to join with the angels in heaven’s song of praise. The account told by St Luke fills us with the hope and joy of God’s promise, now fulfilled in the incarnate Christ.

However, for many Christian brothers and sisters around the world, particularly those who face persecution and oppression, much is against them finding peace amidst the encircling darkness.

Many of us in good places sometimes may find it difficult to experience the presence of God in the course of our ordinary lives.

But at Christmas, God breaks into the ordinary. He does not come as an Emperor or King – not as people would recognise, anyway – he comes born to ordinary parents, to live a ‘normal’ life.

He doesn’t come as one with the trappings of power; he comes as one who saves and serves.

He does not come as a warrior in this place of occupation in the Middle East; but as helpless child, wrapped in cloth by his mother.

Yet, in the midst of this conflict and oppression, Jesus is the Prince of Peace. And in the middle of a humble stable, amongst shepherds - lowest of the low - who arrive empty handed, whilst the world continued its rotation through the night, this child’s face is the true glory and power of God. It is the foolishness of God to answer the power of darkness with a vulnerable baby in a war-torn country born to poor parents. Yet that answer is the true wisdom of God, for here God - invisible, incomprehensible, indescribable – is translated into a sign and a substantial reality that the simplest human being can grasp and before whom the wisest scholars find themselves falling in worship (I Corinthians 1:20).

The angels who proclaim this glory in Luke’s Gospel overflow out of the Heavens. The triumph of what God has done for us cannot be contained. Let us too, no matter our trials and our challenges, continue to proclaim joyously as we remember the birth of our saviour: ‘Glory to God in heaven!’ Let us too, in the face of trouble and conflict, declare peace upon all who he favours! Every tear brings the Messiah closer!

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God’s favour is offered to all, not forced upon some. There is nothing we can do to earn this boundless grace of God. We can merely open ourselves humbly to receive it.

Christ breaks into this suffering, complicated, divided world, and unites all of heaven and earth in wonder at his birth. I pray we too might share the same wonder this year: for through him we have been given salvation, we who could not save ourselves. And through him we have hope, who once felt hopeless and lost. Through him we are renewed in love for one another and may ourselves be living translations of the mystery of the Trinitarian God. Through the Christ-child we see God’s faithfulness. Through his Son, God has fulfilled his promise to us: we can trust in him and him alone.

The early church father, St Augustine, writes: ‘…let us be at peace with God: for justice and peace have embraced one another. Through our Lord Jesus Christ: for Truth has arisen from the earth. Through whom we have access to that grace in which we stand, and our boast is in our hope of God’s glory.’

The glory is indeed God’s, not ours, so we have no boast but Christ. But may we be illuminated by his glory this Christmas, so we can shine as lights for him, witnessing with joy to him who has brought justice and hope, glory and peace.

This Christmas, my prayer is that the joy of the extraordinary God may transform our ordinary lives. In his birth and life, suffering and death, resurrection and glorious ascension he calls us out of darkness together, and into his marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9).

In his peace and glory,

The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury

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CONFESSIONS OF A DOCTOR COUPLE REGARDING THEIR FAITH JOURNEY Dr. George Varghese and Dr. Sheila Varghese about the historical truth. The witness of the first century Christians, scanty though the records available about them are, who faced suffering and persecution because of their faith challenged me.

[The following is an amazing and blessed testimony of a husband-and-wife, Dr. Laji and Dr. Sheila, medical team who dedicated their whole life to the service of rural communities in the foothills of the Himalayas in the North Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. This was delivered to a very small group who are participating in a course on Christianity conducted by Revd Dr. Valson Thampu. This testimony was felt by all as a spiritually uplifting experience. The FOCUS is very grateful to them for allowing us to publish it. We very much hope and pray that this testimony will stimulate our readers to take up such God-given challenges to serve communities near and far away places under the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. May their life and mission be a blessing to many others across the world. In the text, the sections that pertain to Sheila, Laji’s wife, are italicized.]

I was born and brought up in the Orthodox Syrian Church Tradition. Nowhere in my church life there was any challenge to engage with the person of Jesus through the Gospels. It was while I was in CMC Ludhiana as a second-year medical student that I was challenged to put my trust in what the historical Jesus of Nazareth did and to believe and live as a follower in faith. But it took me many years to understand what it meant “to believe and to follow”. I realized my lostness and lack of purpose during this time, and that was the reason I turned to Christ. It was a free choice. With 50 years of the adventure of faith behind me, I can now look back and say it was the right decision. The whole message of the Gospel was in a way ridiculous, and many times did it not make sense. Yet the person of Christ, His Words, the way He lived and died –these encouraged me to read more

I, Sheila, was born and brought up in East Africa (as it was then known). Though I was brought up in a Christian family of Anglican tradition I always questioned the reality of God. The riddle of suffering perplexed and bothered me. I stopped going to church for a couple of years after I came to India at the age of sixteen and argued and questioned and doubted “GOD” whatever or whoever he/she was as I was looking after my younger brother who used to go into acute asthmatic attacks and cyanotic episodes and I knew he had not done anything wrong and was an innocent child . . . but kept searching for the TRUTH anyway. When I saw the joy in a group of boys and girls who had come to CMC Ludhiana (they called themselves “Newfound Love” I knew that was what I wanted . . . and that is when I gave my heart to Jesus . . .

50 years ago. I have never regretted it, or looked back since then. The terrain of my faith journey has been dotted with mountains, valleys, dark alleys and light-filled plains with streams of water interspersed with lonely paths when I wondered where God was. For me it has been a long pilgrimage of obedience. It was forged in daily routine, and tempered in the ordinary. It was a stream of slow, steady, deliberate choices in everyday situations. It was a combination of close attentiveness to God, to self, to others and patient endurance of insults and vexatious distractions. The one thing that has kept me going was the inner conviction of being “chosen” by God; though even this was not a straight line! Even today there are times now and then when I experience God as a stranger whose ways I do not understand, and I know that I will never fully understand this mysterious Holy Triune One. Embracing a new beginning If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, so I was faced with this potential and possibility of having a new way of thinking, feeling and living. Fortunately, I belonged to a small group of young Christians and every week we met together to read, study and understand the practical implications of this new reality called the “Kingdom of God.” All these took months and years, but there was great joy and peace in my heart, even though I still felt incomplete and imperfect. This joy was visible to others in my college and that is where I learnt to share what I experienced in my heart.

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As young Christians we were exposed to the needs of our country through various doctors who worked in the mission field. This evoked a desire in some of us to work in remote places and share both the medical skills and the good news.

Somehow, I felt very secure as a Child of God and Jesus became more and more of a LOVER and a FRIEND rather than a distant God. I realized that making promises to myself and striving to live them was important to becoming genuine. Conflicts used to erupt within me from time to time between my old thinking and my new way of living. This was, as I realised in due course, part of my learning the meaning of dying to self. Discerning where my desires and my will had to be dethroned was a crucial training for being incorporated into the Kingdom of God, even as I lived upon this earth. Even now this remains my biggest struggle. One of the promises I made was to live and die in this land as a doctor when there was a temptation to seek green pastures elsewhere. At one point, about 40 out of our class of 50 were abroad and I was a point of ridicule in many circles.

In my search for a partner who shared my ideas and spiritual calling, I was blessed to have come across Sheila, who became my companion in this faith journey.

We were both prepared to pack up, leave and go to strange places leaving families and friends, in obedience to what we believed was God’s voice . . . and this became a reality soon after we got married in 1979.

It is in Pune that we heard the dire need of Manali Mission Hospital through some unexplainable events and we decided to put aside postgraduation and come to Manali.

We got married in 1979 against some resistance from families. Sheila was 26 and I was 27 at the time. All we had at that time was basic training as medical doctors, trust in a loving faithful God and the prayer support of some friends. It was an adventure in the plan of God for a people. It was a place where we could experience the truth of what we believed in the midst our own inner intermittent darkness. We both had a basic grounding in the scriptures. God gave us a love for the people of the Kullu valley. Unfortunately, we had no skills in management/administration and had to figure out our own ways of dealing with people and their needs. God alone was our Guide. We were a small team of nine people most of whom were illiterate. The challenge was to bring to life to a medical mission that was going to close down.

During our medical college days, and later in our early days in Manali, we had made long lasting friendships.

Some of them are still in touch with us and remain our close friends. I continue to battle the dark side of my old self streaked with selfishness and pride.

Moving to Manali meant leaving familiar places and friends and being in an unknown territory with very little resources and experience. We were fortunate to have had good mentors and teachers who became examples of compassion and care. The notes that we had from our professors of medicine were sufficient to manage most of our patients. Books were our consultants. We were confident that God would give us the needed courage and resources to accomplish the task entrusted to us. We accepted clinical medicine and surgical skills as gifts, but continued to study and develop creative and imaginative approaches. As leaders, the art of getting along with others, dethroning power and money, keeping the church’s political power at bay all became necessities.

We could identify ourselves with the people in Manali, even though everything about their culture was different.

Though we were few, we were committed to creating an atmosphere of care through a dedicated team. Working day and night to form a wider family and to reach out to people in Kullu Valley became our focus. Manali was very primitive. Diseases like TB, measles and other infectious diseases were rampant. There were no toilets. Electricity supply was erratic. So, we started teaching and training health workers. Sheila and some staff began to visit villages, giving health education and to help women and children to improve their hygiene. For Sheila, the first two years were mainly focussed on reaching the remote villages with health education, immunization and training village health workers about hygiene and disease. This work brought about many changes in the village in respect of health. This continued till the late 80s when other groups and the local government agencies stepped in. I continued to do surgical work. Giving anaesthesia and operating at the same time remained a challenge.

Our little group continued to meet to study and to pray for God’s help and strength in our daily work.

We have two daughters Kripa and Deepa. They were one of the first students at Day Star School, which we had to found in view of the absence of any worthwhile schooling facilities in that region. I had stopped working when they were born as I had learnt during my paediatric training that the first five years in the life of children are their foundational years. I felt duty-bound to be with them. This was a very hard decision for me, but Laji agreed with me and was blessed to be supported by him in this. During these years Laji had to do double work at the hospital and it took a toll on our marriage as we hardly saw each other and we drifted apart. Some friends advised us to take a sabbatical and we put our girls in a boarding school for a year to spend some time mending this rift. We visited friends during this year out. We also fostered a few children later when our daughters were a little older.

As the years went by tourism entered the Manali scenario.

We invited medical students from overseas to do their electives with us. Some of these students became lifelong friends and continue to support our work. We faced many

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disappointments and gradually our own trust in God began to be secondary to our own smartness and capabilities.

Over the years there was a subtle shift in our faith in God (which we noticed only in retrospect). We began to “know” how to make decisions on our own, we began to “know’ what was the right thing to do when medical problems arose. We had honed our skills to perfection (as we thought) teaching ourselves at every opportunity according to the needs of the situation (Laji learnt more of surgery/anaesthesia/psychiatry/how to write projects/how to raise funds/architecture/planning buildings – I learnt more of new-born care/obstetrics/tuberculosis/treating subfertility/doingultrasounds/communityhealth/ dermatology/nursing care/administration/counselling). For about fifteen years we were each doing three people’s jobs not only in the medical field but also in education.

I drifted away from trusting God with my dreams, to selfreliance and self -effort. Started using people for my own agendas. This was induced by my vulnerability to power and authority. My Faith weakened, my love for God became divided, and “wanting to have my own way” began to surface. When I could get what I wanted through my own ways, I began to be frustrated and dispirited. I began to suffer spells of depression. I was tormented by the power of selfishness, greed and lust.

Even as I experienced the power of darkness, the face of Jesus never vanished from my eyes. I remember longing for being pure in my heart just for 24 hours at a stretch! At the same time, I also saw the tear-filled eyes of Jesus looking at me. Sheila could sense my hypocrisy.

Coldness crept into our marriage. We had to talk to senior friends to relearn the art of better communication within our marriage. Yet I failed miserably in loving with all my heart.

By early ‘90s we had established a reasonably wellequipped base hospital with 40 beds, a good community health programme for training health workers. Also, a primary school that became, in course of time, the best model school in Kullu Valley.

It was also the time our tiny church started to expand from 10 to 100 members with people from different backgrounds – Nepali, Tibetan, Kului, Lahauli- becoming followers of Christ. There were no organised Christian efforts to evangelise, but something drew people to God in a strange way.

Many started to move out of Manali to other parts, especially the Nepalis. Wherever they went they prospered and their fellowships thrived. YWAM leadership provided a good model in training disciples.

It was also the time we thought about reaching out to the Higher Himalayas with health care.

We started three Health Centres in Spitti, Lahaul, and Jibhi. It was a fun-filled challenge. Thousands of people were treated and there was good will towards “Mission people” everywhere.

Slowly and steadily I became disillusioned about Mission work and its impact. Better roads and better buildings changed the landscape. Money started to pour into the tiny valley. Affluence affected life styles and brought new problems. Obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hormonal issues, arthritis, heart attacks, major trauma (diseases that we rarely saw in our first fifteen years here). Easy money pushed children into video games, drugs, alcoholism. The lack of purpose in life created general unhappiness. Psychosomatic illnesses emerged.

The culture around slowly changed people’s eating habits, dress, language, expectations. Unplanned growth produced garbage, which filled most of public spaces.

Garbage polluted the drains and the river. The small village became a cluttered busy market filled with tourists and noise. Traffic jams began to choke the roads.

Exploitation of tourists became the norm. Ordinary village people started to construct multi-storey buildings for rentals and home stay. Money and more money became the measure of all things. Real estate price skyrocketed.

Slowly the Mission too changed. Simplicity gave way to more complex structures of work dynamics. Hierarchy, control, CCTVs, imperial attitudes crept in. The church too took a hit. Bishops and priests started to smell the gains of economic growth. Organized religion replaced simple basic worship, and the spirituality that goes with it.

Priests, draped in their clerical costumes, began to feel a class apart from the common man. We felt a need to move out of the new administration and decided to do things differently. We left the main hospital and moved to work in Lahaul and Spitti In 2007-2008 we concentrated on preschools and health work and became pioneers in rural surgical camps. These camps were very challenging, and many doctors joined this venture. We could provide good surgical care without too much fancy equipment and personnel. It became a teaching model for young doctors.

All this took a toll on our own personal lives. My lack of trust in God showed in lack of trust in people and the system. My lack of love for God reflected in my relationships.

To me, one of our greatest disappointments in our early years was that the people who admired us and talked about us never visited us. We were invited to speak at meetings and conferences about “Our Pioneering work in Himachal” but not one person in these groups ever visited us. We were not backed by any church or organization.

We had come on our own. We did not lack likeminded

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people, but they did not support us with their PRESENCE. After a few years we stopped going for meetings or conferences. . . We were too exhausted anyway but found no real support from the so-called religious people. Of course, communication in those days was difficult . . . no phones . . . no WhatsApp messages. . . no emails.

The dearth of enthusiasm, joy, and freedom in spiritual life reflected in all that I did. Life became boring. Coming back to the narrow path meant giving up other loves.

Personal renewal was needed to remain sane.

Sheila took the initiative to bring me back on the road to recovery. We let go of our positions, power and all that we had accomplished. Walked away with much pain, but also inwardly fortified by a sense of doing the right thing.

Because we had come to think of Manali as our home, we felt homeless at having to leave and to re-locate ourselves elsewhere.

We joined a tiny local fellowship gathering with 8-10 members. Gradually a new vision dawned on us. As old patients came and requested us to have a clinic for them, we decided to start consultations two days a week at Grace Centre, which was part of Aadisha Retreat Centre.

This gave some income for our daily bread as our pension was/is very small. We sold Sheila’s home in Pune after her parents passed away and invested the proceeds in making a retreat centre for those who needed rest and spiritual rejuvenation. We had to give up our old home of 29 years and made a new home near the local fellowship.

Now we work for The Himalayan Friends Trust, doing subsidized surgeries for the poor and needy people. We continue to teach God’s Word, share with young people.

Sheila is involved in spiritual guidance and counselling.

We learnt that it’s difficult to live in this world with a different and higher moral value. The pressure to conform and to compromise is relentless. Yet, it’s possible if one keeps to the narrow way. Mission work is not rosy, and people in mission are not saints. The devil is in the details as Jordan Peterson says. It’s difficult for young doctors to find a place where they can receive personal nurture under role models in the spiritual culture of caring. Many lose their dreams amidst the mission work. Some leaders are bureaucratic, lacking sympathy and understanding.

Young people are used as cheap manpower without any potential to contribute to better administration and the delivery of compassionate care. They end up doing their work without passion, eager to get out the given responsibilities to pursue further studies and financial advantages. Many live like sheep without a shepherd.

Some become damaged goods with disillusionment about faith and mission. Leaders of mission need to think hard to address this regrettable reality and to bring about the required improvements.

As of now, we have reached the fag end of our active life.

We are at the threshold of resting from active service.

Possessing nothing, yet feeling rich in life. Surgical work, retreats, photography, talks, drives into the mountains, dreams, music . . . fill our days. We feel blessed in being able to help those who need our guidance. The best we can do is to point them to the Man from Nazareth.

Continually being involved with all sorts of people, being friends to many and constantly refining our perception of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit keep us energised.

Our lives are painted over and over again with Grace and Mercy. . .much joy and peace . . . also many doubts and some fears. Looking back, there have been times when I wished I had not believed in this Man called Jesus. His words are life-transforming if I dared to believe them. I was too scared to totally trust Him. Perhaps, I still am. Yet I cannot find anyone who has words of hope. Do-ityourself advice does not work for me. He diagnosed my problems and offered a solution and it seems to work. He is tough and gentle. He is honest to the core yet smiles with grace. He accepted me as I am and endured all my darkness. He set me free from myself. He strengthens me by living in me, raising me up to another level of living, where love and forgiveness are possible, truthful living with contentment is real, and where purity of heart and real brotherhood are within reach.

We are ready to meet our Maker. We talk about death and the hope of entering another realm. The only way to know the truth of all that I believe is to cross the river and see who is waiting for me with open arms. Even if all I have believed thus far is a myth, it’s a better, blessed myth. It has been the source of the reason and joy of my live. The Voice in the dark calls us out . . . fear not, walk with me.

Further Reflections: Pioneering medical work is very demanding and draining especially when the resources are limited and government policies are impractical. For policy makers the individuals don’t matter. But for us they mattered most of all. Many times, our hands were tied due to new laws that restricted what we could do to relieve suffering.

There were times we wanted to quit. Medical mission can be done without love for people or passion for God. I remember being angry at God for many unanswered prayers. Sometimes complications occurred after surgeries and I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me, as the sense of failure was humiliating and frightening. There were no miracles. Only disappointment and sadness. There were times I had to do surgeries on my family members and wait in patience to see the outcome. Even though I have done thousands of surgeries, I approached every surgery with fear and trembling as I had the added responsibility of taking care of the anaesthesia too. Carrying these burdens all the

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time challenges one’s faith at a deeper level. I became indifferent to the suffering of people. My anger led me to become cynical and dismissive of Christian jargons at which I laughed secretly. What were the alternatives? I had no other skills. Like Peter, I wanted to go fishing.

Move away from the uncertainty of His presence to familiar things like fishing or to talking philosophy. Many times, in those moments of deep depression, the voice of the Lover echoed ever so gently, do you love me . . .

Don’t waste your time in fishing. Take care of my sheep! It is in that caring voice that I found myself cared for.

Sins of resentments against God and others, inability to live up to the promises I had made to myself, the inner struggles between my desires and God’s truths, all these took a toll over a period of time. I felt as though I was becoming less than a man. I moved around like a zombie.

Even in this darkness I had to get up every morning and go to work and play the role of a good guy and a sympathetic doctor. Sometimes what was going through my mind used to spill over on to others and hurt them. I don’t know how many people I must have wounded knowingly or unknowingly. Life went on.

Sad events slowly faded from immediate memory, yet they still linger somewhere within. As David said, “My sins and failures are ever before me.” . . . Sometimes they haunt and play as a broken record in my mind. Inner accusations by the dark voice laughing at my failures, used to demotivate me from rising up again. That’s when I saw afresh the return of the prodigal son who thought about and rehearsed what he would say to his father. But when he felt the embrace of the Father, all he could hear was the joyous words of celebrations. “You are back home in my arms. You are alive. No need to talk about all that happened among the pigs. I know it all. Come, take rest. You are loved . . . These became real to me. Nothing could separate me from Gods love, even my sins and failures. Only thing that can separate me is walking away from Him, and I didn’t want to do that. So, I stayed and prayed, “Oh God don’t take away your spirit from me”.

There is a sadistic desire in us to know the details of people’s sins. Whether one’s sins are a few or many we are all law-breakers. No one is righteous. All have sinned and come short of the ideal. Sermon on the mount is a blow to all those take pride in themselves with “I am not like that attitude. . .” The impossibility of reaching the ideal by myself is what drove me back to Jesus again and again. Leadership is a lonely vocation and leaders are lonely people. I used to think that Manali circled around me and I held it together. I became the life source for many. What a seductive delusion! I had to get out of there, before I lost my balance. God in His mercy effected that transition against what everybody wanted. It was good for me and my family that it happened so.

I enjoyed music. Songs that describe my inner state appeal to me especially. Some of the old numbers are meaningful and they sound almost like prayers. I knew the meaning of Cohen’s ‘Broken halleluiah’, Elvis’s, ‘You are always on my mind’, Billy Joe’s ‘Honesty’, Nat King Cole’s ‘Mona Lisa’, Sinatra’s, ‘I did it my way’ and Susan Boyle’s, ‘I dreamed a dream’. Then there were other lifegiving ones from Mahalya Jackson’s ‘In the upper room’, Amy Grant’s ‘One day at a time’, Mark Lowry’s ‘Mary did you know’, and Michael Card’s ‘Joseph’s song’.

Hymns like the ‘Old rugged cross’, ‘I come to the garden alone’, ‘How great thou art, ‘So send I you’, all had great healing power on my soul. Movies like, ‘Les Misérables’, ‘The inn of sixth happiness’, ‘Bruce Almighty’, ‘Fiddler on the roof’, and ‘My fair lady’. Then there were books and talks that helped me to think and get some clarity.

In the midst of our own misery, reaching out to others became therapeutic to us. It’s not good to go through this journey alone. We need companions who walk alongside without judging. Tired bodies and mind push one into a hopeless state. We were not saviours of the world and we needed to understand our role in this work. Ego needed to be deflated. God has his own ways to do that. Jesus said,’ I do only what I see my father doing’ . . . We needed to see what God was asking us to do and what He is doing in and through us. This needed silence and solitude . . . It’s a deliberate choice. We lived the myth that everything would fall away if we are not in control.

All these needed shattering, in order that the truth may emerge. God brought people who broke our jars. In that crushing, we found newness of life.

In conclusion, one of my saddest states in my spiritual journey was not knowing whether I was fake or real. This confusion tormented my soul. Not being authentic is living a life without the power of resurrection. It's the feeling of impotence. Too much darkness and sudden light was more blinding. Many times, I said like Peter, "depart from me, I am sinful". Yet I knew deep in my soul that Jesus was waiting with open arms to embrace me and wipe away my fears and tears. There was no rejection in Him. Pure love is painful to behold yet it's where healing awaits. There was no one else offering anything better, so I clung to Him and He smiled. God dismantled me . . . and started to remake me in spite of my resistance. There is no compromise in Him. God remains committed and faithful to us.

Now it's our turn to do the servant ministry He delegates us to do to establish God’s kingdom values on the earth. Let us pray and seek His guidance.

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Cain-Abel Narrative: An Eco-Hermeneutic Reading of Genesis 4: 1-16 Revd Alexander M. Isaac* Introduction We read the biblical texts today in the midst of a global environmental crisis. The disastrous effects of climate change surround us as readers. No biblical interpreter can read the text in a vacuum. Two dimensions of the current context are crucial for a contemporary reading of the texts: the alarming context of environmental crisis and our ecological consciousness and worldview. The Earth Bible series is a fresh initiative that offers an ecological hermeneutic reading of the biblical texts to address the ethical dilemmas corresponding to the eco-crises. The Genesis narrative of Cain-Abel story is indicative of the efficacy of such a reading.

Cain-Abel Narrative There is a multiplicity of interpretations about the motivation of what was displeasing or pleasing to God in terms of sacrifices offered by Cain and Abel. Hebrews 11:4 attests to Abel's offering as more acceptable sacrifice than Cain's. The writer of the Hebrews refers to faithfulness as what makes a sacrifice more acceptable.

Right worship is not a negotiable thing. Worship involves thanksgiving for favours received from God. The Genesis narrative makes a slight distinction between the two offerings. Cain appears to pay not much attention to the quality of the offering, whereas Abel "brought of the firstlings of the folk, their fat portions” (v.4). Abel makes a wilful choice of offering from what is available to him as the best. In fact, it is God's prerogative to be gracious upon whom God wills (Exodus 33:19). God's preferential option is evident throughout history, reflecting God's freewill.

But the narrative takes a definite turn of events with Cain's handling of the situation of rejection at the hand of God. What becomes evident in Cain's reaction accounts for his inability to handle his anger and disappointment when events are turned against his wishes and expectations. Then it becomes a matter of moral responsibility on the part of Cain to choose between what is right and wrong. Gen. 4:7 is pivotal when God approaches Cain with these probing words: "If you do well will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it". This is where Cain fails absolutely.

Sin always has a fatal instinct, lurking with evil motif. Cain is left with only two options; either to accept God's

acceptance or rejection with an obedient heart, or to rebel against God's purposes, and turn against his brother.

One cannot place the blame of sin lurking in life on external circumstances, but one succumbs to one's own quick reflexes. Envy naturally leads to anger and malice followed by hatred and murder in quick succession.

The Mosaic Law has permissions to retaliate evil with an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth. But Jesus exhorts his followers to end the cycle of violence with an imperative to show the other cheek if an evildoer strikes on the right cheek (Matt. 5:39). This is a non-violent response that will end the vicious cycle of violence. Yet, in the case of the Cain-Abel narrative, there is no initial cause for violence, instead, what sets the eventful story to roll solely rests with Cain's reaction to God not accepting his worship.

God issues a prior warning to Cain about the possible future course of actions. Cain is not a hapless victim of his circumstances, but he could exercise mastery over his life and overcome the evil instincts lurking at the door. He could have resorted to the path of reconciliation as Jacob does with his brother Esau. Instead, Cain chooses the easy way of retaliation, eventually shedding the innocent blood of his brother. As a result, Cain faces severe judgement being forced out of the fruitful soil, which has been the source of his sustenance. A cycle of violence is rolled on. Cain becomes a fugitive and wanderer accursed of fratricide, thereby losing the warmth and security of human fellowship. Cain forfeits his responsibility of being his brother's keeper. Now, Cain is cursed from the ground.

The burden of guilt and its repercussions are heavy upon him. 'My punishment is greater than I can bear' (vs 13).

God intervenes and places a mark of protection on Cain.

God sets Cain free from the death penalty and follows the

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life of the wanderer to bless him with a second chance in life. Cain is nonetheless the source of human culture, especially human professions. Cain the farmer becomes an ancestor of cattle-raising nomads, urban-dwellers, musicians, and metalworkers. The story of Cain thus applies to all humanity. Let us now discuss how a new evolving ecological hermeneutics helps to unearth the hidden meanings in a text and offer a corrective to traditional textual misinterpretations.

Emergence of an Ecologic Hermeneutic Hermeneutics refers to the methodology of interpretation of sacred texts. The term is derived from Hermes, the divine messenger. As a link between the gods and humans, Hermes "interprets," or make explicit the meaning that is only implicit, or is hidden, in the divine messages. The term is currently used in secular disciplines as well. The intention is to make explicit the implicit meanings in a text using hermeneutic tools for interpretation.

It was the pivotal article of American historian Lynn White Jr. in the journal Science that spurred the development of counter-apologetics to White’s complaint against Christianity. White, Jr. traced the cause of ecological crises in the theological treatises and practices of the Judeo-Christian traditions, assuming that it was JudeoChristian traditions that rationalized the exploitation of nature. White claimed that 'especially in its Western form, Christianity is the most anthropomorphic religion the world has seen'.i Feminist theologians charged the biblical texts with an inherent patriarchal bias as part of a hermeneutic of suspicion. As a corrective to both critiques, the stewardship reading of scripture attempted to recover the texts that manifested God’s intention for humanity with a responsibility for creation care. The stewardship model too had anthropocentric overtones.

In Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor, liberation theologian Leonardo Boff explicitly expands the preferential option for the poor to include the cries of the Earth. Boff finds Liberation theology and ecological discourse to share something in common: they start from two bleeding wounds. "The wound of poverty breaks the social fabric of millions and millions of poor people around the world.

The other wound, systematic assault on the Earth, breaks down the balance of the planet, which is under threat from the plundering of development as practiced by contemporary global societies. Both lines of reflection and practice have as their starting point a cry: the cry of the poor for life, freedom, and beauty (cf. Ex 3:7), and the cry of the Earth groaning under oppression (cf. Rom 8:2223)."ii One of the significant ecumenical projects was the publication of The Earth Bible, which promoted a retrieval

hermeneutic in reading and interpreting the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. This book series is an effort offering a corrective to feminist critique and Lynn White’s argument. In his introduction to the Earth Bible Series, Norman C. Habel defines his approach as one "concerned with listening to Earth as a subject in the text—rather than as a topic in the text, or as the backdrop to human history."iii A new ‘ecological hermeneutic’ has been developed in order to let the voice of the earth be heard. The intrinsic worth of the earth as subject can be discerned in the text, which has three interrelated steps: suspicion, identification, and retrieval.iv In terms of a hermeneutic of suspicion, especially two phenomena are deconstructed. The first is an anthropocentric reading. Though biblical texts are theocentric in nature, the writers being mostly men, the narratives could be expected to be anthropocentric or rather androcentric in character. The second is the reification of nature, which leads to a dualism between humans and nature. A hermeneutic of identification is one of solidarity and empathy, acknowledging the kinship with the wider earth community. By contrast, a hermeneutic of retrieval is the recognition of the earth and of the members of the earth as subjects with a voice.v The process of retrieval is closely related to the prior steps of suspicion and identification. Such retrieval exposes the anthropocentric culture of Earth violence and oppression.

Then the identification with marginalized or silenced Earth or Earth community produces counter-readings of resistance and hope.

A hermeneutic of suspicion begins with critiques offered

by Lynn White on anthropocentric readings of texts or feminist charge of androcentric readings of the text. The next step of identification offers an imaginative voice of the earth to be heard. The third step of retrieval attempts to recover or rediscover the implicit meanings to be made explicit as a corrective to traditional misinterpretations of the texts.

The new ecological hermeneutics is part of human moral obligation to help find a solution to the ecological crises from an earth perspective using the lens of faith. This will entail counter-readings of the biblical texts that identify undercurrents that challenge the dominant anthropocentric voices of the biblical text with an ecocentric worldview. This paper will attempt to read the Cain-Abel narrative from an eco-hermeneutic perspective.

An Eco-Hermeneutic Reading of Genesis 4: 1-16 Traditional interpretations have mostly ignored the role of the Earth in the narrative. The word 'Earth', or more precisely, 'ground' ('adämäh) occurs in the story of Cain and Abel six times. An attempt is made in this article to make an ecological reading of the story from the

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perspective of the Earth. Of the three major components of an Earth-oriented reading- suspicion, identification and retrieval - the ecological reading will focus mainly on identification and retrieval, uncovering the part that Earth plays in the story and letting its voice be heard.

Genesis 4 ruminates on the nature of the relationship between humanity and the ground and how the human actions have a direct bearing on the plight of the earth.

There is a play of words with Adam and adämäh (ground or soil) having a mutual relationship of origin and destiny.

God creates Adam from the ground and to the ground one will return. Cain is cursed 'from the ground' [Genesis 2:7; 3: 19; 4:11].

give its yield. Jørstad describes the ground as a moral agent than a victim, a counterweight to human violence.vii Such alienation of human beings began from the time when Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden. Now the cyclic and repetitive nature of sin continues to disrupt the relationship between the human and the ground.

As part of the hermeneutic of retrieval the text calls us to carefully hear the cries of the Earth community today and empathetically give them voice so that everyone listens to those cries. These suppressed voices provide the basis for reconstructing the cries of earth that have been silenced by traditional readings. Identifying earth and members of the earth community as subject is the key in the retrieval process.

Conclusion The ground is very much part of the web of life and the two must remain linked in a reciprocal relationship of mutuality and responsibility. When such linkages are broken wilfully by human activities, the ground stands in opposition and resistance to human wrongdoing in the created order. Let us listen to the cries of the earth, or rather 'groaning' of the created order, which longs for the redemption of the human beings. Let us not forget that the COVID 19 Pandemic affected only the human population. Before the arrival of human life on earth, the web of life was uninterrupted. The whole inhabited world bears the burden of human violence, a case unparalleled in history. It is time to heed to the cry of the earth and cry of the poor. An ecological hermeneutics gives vent to the voices of the earth. The Cain-Abel narrative gives us a clear prophetic voice emerging from the ground with which all creation belongs.

The intimate connection between Cain and the ground is evident in the passage. Cain offers the fruits of the ground. It is in the field that the killing takes place. The blood of his brother cries out to God from the ground and Cain is cursed from the ground, which has opened it mouth to receive the blood from his hands. After Cain kills Abel, God starts a dialogue with Cain: Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” The word 'keeper' echoes Gen 2:15 where the human is placed in the garden to keep it. And now, Cain's destiny is to till the ground that will yield him less. The judgment is passed on Cain to remain a fugitive and wanderer on the earth.

Hebrew Bible scholar Mari Jørstad relates Cain's responsibility towards Abel and the ground on the same plane. Abel's return to the ground through the violence of his brother in turn separates Cain from the ground. "The ground opens its mouth and takes Abel’s blood, and Abel, in response, uses the mouth of the ground to cry out to God."vi Cain is thus cursed of the ground. Since Cain's actions were destructive, the ground will no longer

Norman C. Habel’s articulation of a three-step process involving suspicion, identification and retrieval has been a useful tool of interpretation of biblical texts with an ecosensitive reading. The present ecological crisis may in some respects also incite us – in line with the Earth Bible Project, eliciting an Eco-hermeneutic reading of the biblical texts to go beyond their original meaning, allowing a critical reading that allows room for ethically responsible actions. The task of interpreting the text demands a strategy for reclaiming the sufferings and struggles of the Earth, a task that involves regarding the Earth and its community as our kin. An eco-hermeneutic reading of the Cain-Abel narrative makes our ethical options loud and clear. *Rev. Dr. Alexander M. Isaac ;Associate Professor in the Department of Theology and Ethics at the United Theological College, Bangalore and an ordained minister of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar.

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Don’t Look at Solomon, Look at Nature A Biblical Reflection on St. Matthew 6: 25-30 Revd Oommen V. Varkey Sermon on the Mount is generally considered as a counter cultural manifesto of Jesus. References to the Kingdom of God are laced throughout the sermon.

Jesus’ counter imagination, counter ethics and counter practice are embedded in the narration of the sermon.

Jesus has seen the Kingdom of God as an alternative space for counter practice. The notion of counter practice is very important to discern and to resist the complexity of our present age. This biblical portion is providing a new perspective to counter the forces, which make inroads into the life world of the people and nature.

Jesus, in St. Matthew 6: 25-30 is searching for fundamental reasons for human anxiety. In this beautiful and poetically narrated text, Jesus invites our attention to look at (The verb here- look and consider- are exceptionally strong. Jesus wants us not merely to glance at but to look) the agents of nature such as: sky, field, lotus, lilies, wild flowers grass, seeds, etc. Then he lists the items, which are needed to sustain human life such as food, water, cloth etc. After pointing out all these images related to nature and human life, he brings out the name of King Solomon. Text says, “But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers” (Vs 29) Why did Jesus bring out King Solomon in this discourse? The answer can be unearthed by reading in between the lines of this text.

Here Jesus is drawing a line vertically and putting King Solomon on one side and agents of nature on the other side. In that way Jesus compels the readers to compare the functional logic of King Solomon and the operational logic of the natural world. We have to note that Solomon was an icon in the mind of Jewish people because of his wisdom, wealth and luxury. The people’s consciousness is affected by Solomon’s vision of social reality. This consciousness was a betrayal of the radical vision of Moses which was built up on economic justice and

sharing. Royal consciousness of Solomon was consolidated by several devices such as compulsory taxing, accumulation and domesticating God for selfinterest. Functional principles of Solomon’s logic were hegemonic, hierarchical, exploitative and accumulative. It had an inbuilt mechanism to perpetuate human anxiety.

Jesus had an analysis about the life world of Solomon, which was totally contrary to the operational principles of nature.

Hence, Jesus outrightly rejected the functional logic of Solomon and very clearly said, don’t look at Solomon, look at nature (“But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers” vs29). Jesus asks us to look at nature. Look around and see how God operates in the natural world.

Jesus uses birds and lilies to teach human beings about how God operates in the natural world. Mutuality and reciprocity are the fundamental principles of nature. If the human world follows those principles, many of the present human anxiety can be reduced.

In his public ministry, Jesus had publicly criticized King Solomon on two more occasions. The first incident is recorded in Mark 13:1-2, where Jesus questions Solomon’s model of affluence and super construction. In order to understand his critic against the temple we must go through the discourse occurred just before (Mk.12:4144). Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury and was watching the offering contributed by people. He noticed the contrast between the large contribution placed in the till by the rich and the meagre sum by the widow. She had put in everything she had, her whole substance.

Infuriated by the thought that a widow had been made destitute by tithing obligation, Jesus summons his disciples for another solemn teaching. This widow gives all she had to an institution that was going to be utterly destroyed. In the very next passage Jesus declared of the temple, “You see these great buildings? Not a single stone here will be left in its place; every one of them will be thrown down” (Mk.13:2). Solomon’s temple was considered one of the architectural wonders of the ancient Mediterranean world. It was indeed a magnificent structure, a bigger than life, architectural symbol of their social project. (Jerusalem temple was rebuilt by king Herod and the construction work on the outer court and decorations continued throughout Jesus’ lifetime until 6264 CE) Here Jesus is raising a vital question that is, do you see this great structure? We are all well aware that we cannot build a mega structure without exploiting the nature. Again, Jesus points to nature and reaffirms that

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small is beautiful. He asks us to keep distance from the utilitarian logic of King Solomon.

On another occasion also Solomon’s model was outrightly rejected by Jesus (Luke 11:31). In a conversation with people Jesus referred the wisdom of King Solomon and the visits of Queen of Sheba “On Judgement Day the Queen of Sheba will stand up and accused the people of today, because she travelled all the way from her country to listen to King Solomon’s wise teaching; and I tell you there is something here greater than Solomon” (Lk.11:31). What does history tell us about Solomon? His great power and fascinating wisdom led the nation into civil war and ended up in conquest and exile. Jesus emphatically says that here is a person greater than Solomon. That means one should not follow the value system of Solomon where everything that was big was beautiful and fascinating. Jesus himself asked the people look at him and see the new alternative practice of life which promotes peace, Justice and integrity of creation. We need some kind of discernment about what is genuinely valuable and sustainable.

All these texts are providing tools for cultivating counter imaginations to discern the complexities of our time. We need counter imagination to overcome the meta narrations of the present capital-utilitarian oriented world.

Our social realm has become more complex and fragmented. The capital and market are having complete sway over people and all areas of human life have been brought under their control. WCC former General Secretary Konrad Raiser points out that “increasing numbers of people are being excluded from the ‘one world’ of this integrated system, condemned to mere survival on its fringes. Globalization symbolizes a form of human power, which can no longer be controlled.

Because the global economic and financial system recognize no limits - whether of national boundaries, political sovereignty or ecological sustainability - it finally becomes self-destructive” In the light our meditation some common concerns are shared for further reflection.

1. Learn to live within the limits Modern world is growth-oriented and unlimited growth is its goal. Our modern economic system is a cruel parody of biblical jubilee vision. We have indeed created a situation of “scarcity” in nature because of our relentless plundering of the land and its gifts. At the same time, capitalism has demonstrated incredible ingenuity and capacity to manufacture “artificial abundance” (think of 30 kinds of cereal or toothpaste at your local supermarket). There is enough, but it is no longer a gift of creation. Rather, it is a marketed commodity, which by definition does not circulate equitably to everyone. Our refusal to limit our appetites has drained natural

abundance, and our artificial abundance belongs to the few. This is not ironic; It is idolatrous. Humanity is part of God’s creation. It is placed within the limits of finitude, ultimately under the limits of death. Hence, we the human beings, individually and collectively, must learn to live within limits.

2. Learn to live with nature On many grounds, we are at a crossroads. Our mere survival is on trial and faces deep crisis. Consequences of climate change are making deep inroads in our daytoday life. Historian Eric Hobsbawm concluded his famous book The Age of Extremes with a warning: “We do not know where we are going. We only know that history has brought us to this point. However, one thing is plain. If humanity is to have a recognizable future, it cannot be by prolonging the past or the present. If we try to build the third millennium on that basis, we shall fail.

And the price of failure, that is to say, the alternative to a changed society, is darkness.” We have to take nature seriously and build a counter practice to live with nature.

Humanity has no choice but to develop ways to live with nature in order to sustain the integrity of creation.

3. Learn to live in relationship The basic notion of life is that nobody can live alone for a long time. Life is possible only in relationship. As finite, physical creatures, we are dependent upon those around us. -human and nonhuman for our survival. If we go without water for more than three days or without food more than three weeks, our vital organs and systems shut down, and we die. We cannot guarantee, on our own, that we will have a constant supply of water or a consistent source of food. In order to live, therefore, we are radically dependent on others. According to Howard Thurman, the great inspiration of civil rights movement, “Human beings, all human beings belong to each other, and anyone who shuts himself away diminishes himself, and anyone who shuts another away from themselves destroys himself”. Mutuality and reciprocity are the two components behind the organizing principles of the Universe. It is our failure to grasp the way the universe works. Bishop Desmond Tutu once said: “We can be safe only together, we can be prosperous only together, we can survive only together, we can be human only together. How can we learn to accept ‘others’ in their difference, not as a threat, but as a potential enrichment?

“As a faith community let us ponder how to re-read and respond to these challenges posed by Jesus two thousand years ago. *Revd Oommen V. Varkey, Priest in the Mar Thoma Church. He taught Social Analysis in Mar Thoma Theological Seminary, Kottayam. Former director of TMAM Research and Orientation Centre, Kottayam and JMM Study Centre, Trivandrum.

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Sustainability of Nature and the Mission of the Church Valson Thampu The word ‘nature’ evokes an assortment of responses.

What do we mean by nature? Is it a quarry of resources subjected wholly to the will of man? Is man a part of, or the lord of, nature? How does nature connect to human nature?

Today we prefer the word ‘environment’ to nature. The former is, obviously, a word of limited evocation than nature. Human beings are the centre of environment. It constitutes whatever that surrounds us. It is analogous to the position of the earth in the Ptolemaic model of the universe. The Sun goes around the earth. In mythology, the Sun is a chariot driven by Helios. The adventure of his son, Phaeton, is well known to us; and it doesn’t have to be recounted here. We can be Helios, or Phaeton, in relation to the ‘chariot’ of nature.

An aspect of the progress that our species has achieved is that the functions once considered to be exclusive to God are taken over by human beings. Human usurpation of divine roles underlies the pattern of progress. We denote this today as secularisation. Progress and secularisation are inseparable. As we grow, we outgrow our Father in heaven. We think, we have come of age.

Like in the parable of the lost son that Jesus taught, sons leave their Father and go to the far country, celebrating their coming of age. These potentially lost sons, historically understood, symbolise the secularised humankind, characterised by the ‘waste of substance’ as an entitlement.

Wasting one’s substance involves a misunderstanding of what constitutes one’s inheritance, which, in turn, implies a straining of one’s relationship to the Father. Like in the case of the son in the parable, humankind is not the creator, but the inheritor of nature. Why does human nature incline towards creating a gulf between the inheritance and the Giver of that inheritance? The prospect of abuse and waste is immanent in this pattern.

To want to go to the far country, to be independent of the father, is to want, howsoever subconsciously, to waste one’s substance. Substance is a term of wide ontological scope. Beyond the totality of material resources it also refers to the larger nuances of life, as implied in the words of Jesus, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’. To waste one’s substance is to become an abuser of one’s resources as well as of the uniqueness in being human. As a rule, one cannot ‘waste’ anything without corrupting oneself as well as legitimizing a culture of callousness regarding the management of the shared garden of life this world is divinely envisaged to be.

The issue of ‘sustainability’ of nature is a misleading formulation of this creational logic. The key issue is not how nature may be ‘sustained’. The issue is how human nature may be so maintained as to enable human beings to be responsible stewards of nature. Nature, as God’s creation, is sustainable. God, the Creator, found everything he created ‘good’. What is good is sustainable, unless its ‘goodness’ is corrupted by another agent of action.

In this context we must reckon the biblical idea of human ‘freedom’. The unique extent of freedom that human beings have, as compared to other forms of life in creation, stems from a unique relationship to nature presupposed in it. If humankind were a ‘natural’ part of nature –say, the dust without the breath of God - human freedom would have been woefully limited and we would have been like other animals. No other species in nature, except human beings, can undermine the sustainability of nature. Human freedom is the reason for this. The more human beings emerge from nature, and root themselves in culture as an alternative to God, the more they tend to undermine nature.

Culture is a domain of metaphysical forgetfulness. Or, in the metaphor of the Bible, it is our ‘hiding place’. Adam and Eve, after their transgression, hid themselves from God. That marks the seminal shift from nature to culture.

The Garden, envisaged to be a sphere of work and fellowship, becomes a hiding place. Historically speaking, it is from memory that human beings seek to hide. The need for Adam and Eve to hide arises out of the vocation entrusted to them, which they need, now, to forget. In their present state of life, that memory is unbearable.

What was that vocation?

Adam was entrusted with Eden ‘to till the land and to take care of the garden’. What did this mean?

To ‘till’ is to seek what is hidden. Eden has two kinds of resources: manifest and un-manifest. ‘Fruit’ is the bridge between the two. Every tree in nature, every seed sown, serves as a bridge between the revealed and the hidden.

Human beings prefer to function, if possible, entirely in terms of the given, the manifest, the tangible; even as they subsist also on the un-manifest. That is because the human instinct to ‘control’ is feasible only in relation to this. There is no way we can control the un-manifest.

Materialism, the insistence that matter alone matters, is not a matter of scientific disposition. Instead, it stems from the inclination to simplify life so as to control the world and to keep it in subjection to human will.

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‘Tilling’, however, is inalienable to being human for the reason that life is designed to be a continuous dialogue between the given and the not-yet, which dwells in the ‘depth’ of things. To till is to go deeper. The deeper we go, the weaker becomes of our ability to control. Depth defies man’s craving to control and covet. The depth belongs to God. The satanic temptation that Eve faced echoes this reality.

Why would we want to be ‘like God’? Well, we want to play God, without being burdened by the duty to be like God. It is like Phaeton wanting to drive the chariot of the Sun without being Helios-like. Phaeton is the son of Helios, but he is not Helios. For Helios, driving the Sunchariot is a duty, undertaken routinely as per the cosmic rhythm that ‘sustains’ life. For Phaeton, it is a mere adventure. What is wrong with being ‘adventurous’, you may well ask. Well, adventure takes place on the surface of things. It is not quite the same as ‘tilling’. Depth is extraneous to adventure qua adventure; unless the one who embarks on the adventure is mindful of the depth of things. In that case adventure will take on the sort of overtones that the ministry of Jesus Christ did.

Redemption is basic to the combination of adventure and depth.

What about quarrying, then? As Martin Heidegger said, quarrying, like farming, involves technology. But, oh, how different in its effect! The technology of the farmer sustains the land. The technology of the miner and the industrial culture he represents ruins the land. Every site of mining looks bleak and cheerless. Outrage hangs in the air around it.

spirit cannot accept is the duty to sustain what one handles. Greed substitutes caring for coveting. Coveting is the economic underbelly of the psychology of controlling. Logically speaking, there is no need to institute a Commandment to the effect, ‘Thou shalt care’.

It is enough to command, ‘Thou shalt not covet’.

Covetousness inhibits the caring spirit of humankind; replaces caring with cruelty. Greed kills. In relation to nature, greed rapes. Both are primeval sins.

We must appreciate, in this light, why the interdiction against covetousness is instituted as a divine Commandment. What is even marginally negotiable or optional will not be turned into a Commandment.

Commandments pertain to the absolute ‘musts’ of life. To break any Commandment is to undermine the sustainability of life itself. The fatal consequences of breaking Commandments may not strike us precipitously like a lightning. But the consequences of it are sure to work their inexorable way.

God has kept the key to nature hidden in human nature.

This is the prime idea that underlies the centrality of humankind to nature. This intuition is embedded in the story of the Fall. It is consequent to the alienation of human beings from God that disharmony –symbolised by thorns and thistles- springs up between human beings and nature. This seminal pattern shapes the spiritual response to nature.

In the teachings of Jesus Christ in particular in his similes and parables- the parallel between nature and human nature is present all through. Nature is a canvas on which fundamental truths are portrayed. Human beings are unable to read this script of wisdom because of their alienation from God. Alienation from God induces alienation from the Creation. We can no longer ‘read’ nature. We have forgotten the script of this primeval language, so to speak.

Nature and Church This brings us to the spiritual mission of the church in relation to nature. Here a few basic facts need to be stated.

The problem with technology in the hands of human beings who have wilfully chosen to be in the ‘far country’ of culture is that it excludes the second half of the responsibility entrusted to humankind: to take care of the garden. Indeed, the attractiveness of the ‘far country’ is that it affords enjoyment unrestricted by the duty to care.

Caring denotes the grammar of sustainability. Remove the discipline -the spirituality, if you like- of caring, then sustainability ceases to be a concern whatsoever.

Creation, however, is inseparable from caring. Caring is a response inspired by a sense of intrinsic worth, which inhibits exploitation. What exploitation sans the caring

(a) Christianity is not a nature religion. It is alien to the biblical worldview that supernatural powers, as resident in elemental forces and sources, are to be worshipped or appeased. Instead, God is the Lord of the Creation as a whole. (b) Nature is, all the same, the setting of life and worship, as in the Garden of Eden in which work and worship involve each other. This should not, however, be mistaken for ‘nature worship’. (c) The Church is envisaged to be the ‘body’ of Jesus Christ. ‘Body’, in Jewish thought, symbolises personality.

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The spiritual purpose in instituting the church is, hence, to incarnate the personality of Jesus. (d) Jesus is the embodiment of God’s love for the world. It is intrinsic to the nature of love to care. The church, as the incarnation of the personality of Jesus, is mandated to spread a caring culture that embraces the created order as a whole (e) This the church can do only if it renounces covetousness. Jesus’ body, as the sacrament reminds us, is to be given, not to be bartered or sold for profit. The sacrament, if its spirit is understood, is a perpetual warning against covetousness. (f) The church, while it is the body of Jesus Christ, is not, in itself, the redeemer. It is only a sign-post that leads human beings to the redeemer. (g) The opposite of the covetous attitude to life and nature is the sacrificial attitude, as exemplified in Jesus Christ.

The sacrificial spirit is basic to the caring culture. This is ‘the way’ the church is mandated to witness, or preach, to the world. (h) The strategy appropriate and legitimate to this task is working towards the ‘new creation’: transformed human nature by being re-oriented to the nature of Jesus.

Now consider how church’s mission to nature is not to be undertaken. In the ‘90s of the last century, a theological slogan –Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation- was enunciated from the western hemisphere. It was also denoted as holistic mission. It spread like wildfire through Christendom. How was this ‘new’ mission pursued by the churches in India, to the extent that they heeded it? I remember several bishops hiring water tankers at considerable expenses to go around, watering plants and trees on the roadside. Innumerable Bible studies were conducted to convince everyone that commitment to the ‘integrity of creation’ was basic to Christianity. On the face of it, it was obvious to everyone, except those in the bandwagon that this was, at best, exotic romantic sentimentality. Consequently, it died prematurely.

Consider, for a moment, the history of the global trackrecord in managing the environmental crisis. Many global summits involving the leaders of the world have been organized. Protocols and declarations have been evolved and issued. But the crisis continues to grow grimmer.

Why? It is absolutely certain that nature cannot be sustained without curbing lifestyles. In the run-up to the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit of 1992, President George Bush (Sr.) declared, ‘The American way of life is not up for negotiations’. Fight climate change, protect the integrity of creation, enhance the sustainability of nature; do what you like, but don’t touch the American way of life! This is

quite similar to the attitude we too maintain. We all like to be ‘transformed’ and become ‘the new creation’; but we don’t want anything in us, or about us, to change. We are ready to welcome transformation, provided we don’t have to change. ‘Lord, save me from my sins,’ so goes one of St. Augustine’s prayers (of satirical intent), ‘but do not take away from me the fruits of my sins.’

Is the church, as it exists today, capable of –does it have the spiritual-moral stature- to make a difference in regard to the crisis the world is facing today? How relevant is the church to any aspect of human life at the present time?

The COVID-19 pandemic, for example. Can the parochialism on which we pride ourselves co-exist with any kind of responsibility concerning global issues? Apart from issuing politically and culturally correct ‘statements’ -besides showcasing, on occasions, tokens of conformity- is the church in a position to incarnate the ‘counter-culture’ it takes to protect nature from the holocaust of human greed?

This brings us to a key pattern that is often overlooked.

Lacking spiritual vigilance, we do not realize the extent to which the church conforms to ‘the pattern of the world’.

Each age has its dominant pattern. The pattern of our age is industry. ‘Industry’ is the dominant metaphor of life today. Industry is run for profit, not charity. Profit alienates. Profit-seeking makes human being predatory.

The tiger that springs on its prey is seeking its own ‘profit’ or gain, unmindful of what happens to its prey. It was this attitude on the part of the custodians of religion two thousand years ago that led to the Crucifixion of Jesus.

The Crucifixion, as Dietrich Bonheoffer said, is not what happened to one person alone; it symbolises the plight of humanity in a profit-seeking, covetous way of life.

Today everything is organized as an industry. It was Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer, one of our most enlightened judges, who ordered that health be treated as an industry.

Education, NGO work in general, media, everything is, in principle, run as an industry. If religion is run as an industry –with faith as the capital- it is inevitable that the pattern of the world prevails over us. Then we become part of the problem, not the solution. We may ‘preach’, but our preaching will not ‘heal’; neither individuals, nor nature.

Where practical relevance diminishes sentimentality and wishful thinking take over. As a result, we fondle selfimages of pleasurable romanticism and imagine ourselves as potential healers of a terminally ill nature. We will pray and evolve special liturgies. They are quite similar to the pious intentions that politicians and heads of states announce at climate conferences and earth summits.

Nothing comes of it. The troika, as Gogol said about Russia under the Tsar, hurtles downhill with accelerating speech!

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Am I saying, therefore, that the church should not address the pressing question of the sustainability of nature? No, not at all! All I am saying is that, for our posturing to command credibility and authenticity, we need to incarnate a lifestyle that is conducive to the sustainability of nature.

The CARPENTER’S SON – A Christmas Reflection Lal Varghese, Esq. Dallas

The question often asked in this regard is as follows. The church is a small, powerless thing. How is it to make a difference in this respect globally? When such questions are asked, I derive comfort and confidence from the parable of the mustard seed. It is not the ponderous scale of the beginning, but the relevance of the vision, integrity of purpose, and the willingness to endure over time, that make the difference.

Here’s what I have been doing, as a private individual, to mind the sustainability of nature.

-I began to reduce to consumption of paper very substantially from three decades ago. As an author, this poses serious difficulties to me. Editing one’s texts on the screen in risky. But I have given up taking printouts altogether. More trouble for me, less for nature on account of me. I used to subscribe to more than one newspaper. I have now reduced it to one.

-I maintain my needs at the lowest minimum; whether it is water, petrol, clothes, or phone. It suffices, for example, to open the tap to a quarter-measure for the sake of personal hygiene, except when having a bath.

-I have been reducing travel –especially air travelgradually. By now I have renounced air travel, which is a major cause of ozone depletion. It is not talked about because it could affect the elite sections in all societies.

-I work like a quasi, amateur farmer. I am convinced that farmers are the greatest friends of nature. They sustain the vitality of nature. Sadly, though, succumbing to the greed that modern culture injects into the veins of every human being, farmers too have come to endanger the integrity of creation. In this I won’t blame them; but blame the state of affairs, which forces them to be so. Man, as a parasite on nature, will be a predator in relation to nature.

I feel that my sweat is in relation to nature is what the blood of Jesus is in relation to human nature.

It is only when work and worship become one under the umbrella of sustained daily communion with God that man becomes a caretaker, or steward, or nature.

Anything short of this -within the church, without the church- will sustain the war on nature, even as truce is declared on nature. As St. Augustine says, the people of the world will preach peace and prepare for war at the same time. To me, nothing summaries human hypocrisy in relation to nature better than these words.

Jesus was chosen to be born as a carpenter’s son in a borrowed manger, but he is the son of our heavenly Father who was with the Father from the beginning of time (John 1: 1-5) and to be buried in a borrowed tomb.

God could have chosen many ways for His incarnation, but He selected Mary and Joesph. By inhabiting the womb of Mary, a village girl from Nazareth, a very clear message is made about where God's priorities lie. There is no bias towards respectability, wealth, prestige; indeed, all of things, which we too often value, seem to have been deliberately avoided. A west Texas man was in a Church with shabby clothes. The pastor of the Church was upset about his dress and asked him to talk to God and come back dressed like others. He came back wearing the same rugged clothes. Pastor asked him, "I thought I told you to talk to God and return dressed like all others." He said, "I talked to God, but He said He was never been to your Church." Christ chose to be born in a manger and not in a palace. If Christ were to come to our parishes, probably we may not recognize Him and may even ask to Him to do the same thing the pastor asked the west Texas man. It is not in the way we dress, and the appearance when we attend the church, which matters, but it is our faith and commitment to live the gospel, which matters.

Christ must be born within us so that we can be Christ like. The one who created the whole world chose to be born in a manger. The one who has our destiny in His hands chose to submit to His father’s will and to die on the cross. We celebrate Christmas without knowing the reason for the season. We often forget the child born in the manger when we celebrate His birth. This child’s life and His death on the cross should be able to change our life and the life of others around through us, and our parish life.

(Continued on Page 43)

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The Church and the Ecological Crisis Dr. K. V. Thomas and Dr. Elizabeth Thomas* Introduction “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” . Instead of taking care of it man misused and exploited the earth. Over the centuries his activities endangered the very existence of the earth and all that is in it, by destroying its ecological equilibrium.

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Historical Background In the early stages of history, the Christian Churches all over the world adopted a favorable attitude towards nature. St Francis of Assisi in many of his poems “extolled the natural world and the God who created it” . During the Renaissance there was a dramatic change in the conceptualization of nature. The creator was reduced as an inventor with no “ongoing relationship with his creation” . Thus, the earth was converted to a resource-base for human consumption. The churches across the world were no exception to these changes.

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The inordinate misuse of the earth continued until 1960s when some environmentalists became aware of the disastrous effects of industrialization; certain religious groups joined too . The World Council of Churches (WCC) became active in environmental advocacy since 1970s mainly by lobbying at major international conferences.

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date of 2030 for the church to become carbon neutral.

Several church dioceses are developing strong diocesan environmental plans . > 8

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has joined other representatives from the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church, Methodist and Reformed Churches, the Salvation Army and other denominations along with leaders in the Muslim, Sikh and Jewish communities to sign the Lambeth Declaration (2015/16) as an urgent call of interfaith leaders. The Declaration highlights: “As leaders of the faith communities we recognize the urgent need for action on climate change. From the perspective of our different faiths, we see the earth as a beautiful gift… for the sake of all who share this world today and those who will share it tomorrow” .

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United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church of the United States has been active in supporting the farmers of their rural churches in their agricultural activities to save nature . They are very active in climate change responses as well, for example, the Methodist church's response before the COP26 such as: 10

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Continuing to take steps at all levels to reduce carbon footprint in conjunction with organisation such as 'Eco Church'.

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A youth led campaign called 'Climate Justice for All' that will work on an international stage to highlight the global challenges facing communities ahead of COP26 in November.

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Working ecumenically through the Joint Public Issue Team to promote resources and action for climate justice .

Roman Catholic Church The Roman Catholic Church initiated action against the ecological crisis when Pope John Paul II on January 1, 1990, delivered his ‘World Day of Peace message’ in which he lamented a “widespread destruction of environment” . Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environmental crisis, ‘Laudato Si’, Published in 2015, strongly reasoned “one’s moral responsibility for earth as our home” .

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The Catholic Green Initiative has helped parish schools to install solar panels and has advocated for state legislatures in California to climatic change and sustainability. The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) and the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) have shown great interest in protecting nature. The Bishops Council exhorts the faithful to adopt the policy of “recycle, reuse, reduce” without affecting natural resources .

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Anglican Church Anglican churches all over the world respond to multiple disasters in different countries and the youths of the

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Presbyterian Church The Presbyterian General Assemblies in the USA have given special emphasis on issues of environmental protection and justice since the late 1960s. The Assemblies major policy statements on environment were in 1971 and 1990 and on energy in 1981. The 202 General Assembly (1990) adopted a policy statement on “Restoring creation for Ecology and Justice”. One important recommendation of the 208 (2008) General Assembly was that an increasing percentage of the nation’s energy be produced renewably and sustainably” . nd

th

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churches actively take part in creating awareness pertaining to the dangers of ecological imbalance. In February, 2020 Church of England's General Synod set an ambitious target

Seventh Day Adventists The Seventh Day Adventists advocate a simple wholesome lifestyle, where people are advised to avoid over

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consumption, accumulation of goods and waste. Members of the local churches are initiate steps to work with agencies that environment and “Recycle, remodel, reuse, and practice restraint” .

production of encouraged to are protecting reclaim, repair

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Main Churches of Kerala The main Churches of Kerala have taken strong actions to save the ecology of the area and, “Environment is increasingly becoming part of evangelization and faith formation for the churches in Kerala”, Mathew Koshy Punnackadu, Secretary of the Ecological Commission of Episcopal Churches in Kerala told ENI news. He said that besides the CSI, Mar Thoma Church, the Orthodox Church as well as the Catholic Church are part of the Ecumenical Commission, he co-ordinates. The commission organized a major convention on the “religious response to ecological challenges” that was attended by Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist leaders as well as Church leaders .

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Church of South India (CSI), the second largest Protestant denomination in India, has given special emphasis on ecology and has initiated many action plans to execute the decisions taken by the Ecological committee at the synod level functioning since 1998. They have started the ecological department in 2021 to organize various programs and projects . The CSI has proposed many ideas including “Do not build ornate Churches, use LED bulbs, plant saplings and water them from rainwater harvesting, instead of plastic, use steel plates during religious services, serve food on banana leaves to avoid wastage of soap and water etc. . These must be need-based, “no regret” options and not a display of pomp and glory.

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8.

Using Bio gas plants for working purposes in the parsonages and church halls when possible.

9. Create a strong awareness in the minds of the people about the urgent need to realize the importance of imminent calamities due to ecological imbalances. The training for this should start from home (individual), church run schools, colleges, other institutions etc. (institutional) and policies, procedures, enabling environment, necessary institutional framework to promote ecological approaches and creation care (systemic).

10. Establish an on line “Mission Field” to focus on the Ecological Crises that threaten Churches as a part of the global community.

Conclusion The Christian Churches as a whole should emphasize the fact that “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” . Therefore, it is a sin to misuse the resources of the earth and subsequently to pave the way for the destruction of mankind. All Christians are answerable to God for their actions on this earth. It is not a destiny we are doomed to but a choice we seem to be making. Let us wake up from our sleep walk into disastrous calamities like floods, landslides, wildfires and climatic change impacts.

Although some efforts are being made by the Churches to face the ecological crisis, a lot more is yet to be done.

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Bibliography

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The Mar Thoma Church is observing the first Sunday after the Environment Day in June as the Environment Sunday every year. The then Metropolitan Mar Chrysostom had asked the faithful to switch off electrical equipment when not in use and to remove one electrical bulb and live without it for 50 days of the Lent period .

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Some suggestions to preserve our ecological system by the Christian churches are as follows: 1.

Using Church land for gardening and cultivation as shown by Bishop Sabu Koshy Cherian of the CSI .

Increased use of electric or solar powered vehicles.

Using public transport systems or pooling of cars to attend religious functions.

Reducing unnecessary physical meetings by adopting zoom, Google meet or other online means.

Avoid large crowds in meetings of the churches, especially when food is served.

Reduce large-scale celebrations with a variety of food items for services like baptism, marriage etc.

Giving importance to spiritual growth and not material growth such as large, ornate church buildings.

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2.

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4.

5.

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7.

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The Holy Bible Gen. 2:15.

Islandora.wrle.org- Ecotheology and the United Methodist Church – Kelsey Poole.

Ibid.

Ibid. ate connection.org. https://washtheocon.org – Crossroads of Dialogue, Faith and Learning, Ecology and the Churches – Official Statement and Resources for study June 2015. https://ccbi.in>ecology https://anglicanalliance.org; https://www.churchofengland.org/; https://washtheocon.org https://www.ume-gbes.org https://www.methodist.org.uk https://presbyterian.ca https://www.adventistworld.org https://www.newindianexpress.com csimkdecological.org www.asianews.it https://www.thehindu.com 23 May 2013. csimkdecological.org Psalm 24:1. rd

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Evolving an Eco- Theology for Christian Mission in PostPandemic India Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph, Kottayam* In Search of a Green Spirituality: Global scenario Basic Eco- perceptions In an Indian Eco-theology, the first step is to initiate an indepth search for the meaning of the interconnectedness of life in the pluralistic context of Asia. As plurality is integral to Reality, any search for the meaning of ecological pluralism in Asia and its impact on human life must be based on a “pedagogy of encounter”. There is a challenge before us to live with the knowledge of unity in diversity. The riddle of the philosophical question of the “one and the many” can only be answered through the keeping of oikos concept at the grassroots level. It involves recognition, appreciation, assimilation and comprehension so as to celebrate life at its best. ln the Asian scenario of the COVID pandemic ecology creates a common platform for dialogue among the Asian religions and secular movements towards a common future or a better tomorrow.

I would like to list out the following basic perceptions for ecological sensitivity in God’s universe whether in Asia or elsewhere. i) Recognition of the web of life in God’s order of creation. ii) Ecological plurality as integral to the very core of human existence on this planet. iii) Stewardship of human beings as parents of God’s creation. v) Living in peace with nature.vi) Establishment of ecological values of life as eco-dharma (ethics) which makes the Kingdom of God visible and affirmative in life on earth vii) Recognition of solidarity with the five elements of the universe. These basic assumptions compel us to search for a mission paradigm for the Church in Asia. Kofi Annan, the former Secretary General of UN, has rightly remark on the world scenario: “All of us have to share the earth’s fragile eco-systems and precious resources and each of us has a role to play in preserving them. If we are to go on living together on this planet, we must all be responsible for it. Let us be good stewards of the earth we inherited”. “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” The whole creation is facing innumerable dangers and its is on the verge of extinction to a certain extent. There is a re-thinking on the part of all concerned across any religious divide as how we have to handle Nature. The time has come for us to search for a common thread among the Holy Books of all religions and other secular movements for the protection of the environment.

‘Weaving community of hope in Asia’ be realized through a dedicated search for the integrity of creation, as “the earth is a shared inheritance” (Pope Francis)

According to the Oxford Dictionary, “the word “integrity” means, “the quality of being honest, fair and good”; “the state of being whole and unified”. A religious response to climate crisis or climate injustice is now being explored at the universal level of debate. The interpretation of Religious Scriptures is being recognized as integral to the evolution of a culture of peace and eco-justice. In the Colombo Consultation of URI (Jan 31-Feb.4 2015) on the topic “Holy Books and Eco-Spirituality,” it was concluded that there is a common thread among the Holy Books of the Religions of the World as a divine mandate for the protection and preservation of Nature and its diminishing resources. The Encyclical by Pope Francis (June 18, 2015) under the title, “Laudato Si” (I praise Thee) speaks of the need to care for the earth and the climate justice issues. Pope called on a bold cultural revolution to correct what he described as a “structurally perverse economic system where the rich exploit the poor, turning Earth into an “immense pile of filth” (The New, Indian Express, 20-6-2015) (For a detailed discussion of the Pope’s Encyclical, Laudato Si, see National Catholic Reporter, A reader’s guide to Laudato Si by Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese, July 2015.) The encyclical is indeed an eco- capsule for the care of our common home.

The 9th Assembly of the WCC in Brazil (2006), under the theme, “God in your mercy transform the world” had shared very explicit concern over the abuse of the environment.

The I0th Assembly of the WCC at Bussan (2013) under the general theme, “God of life, lead us to justice and peace” also speaks of a Theo-centric understanding of Eco-justice in the world today.

As life is the gift of God, there is a divine mandate to preserve and promote life at its best in the whole world. In such an attempt, there comes a hymn of praise in the order of creation as the Psalmist perceived and interpreted it in Ps.150:6: “Let all that breathe praise the Lord”.

In search of Green Spirituality, the humans encounter the divine as Moses experienced it in the burning bush or Adam in the Garden of Eden. All the religions of the world speak of the integrity of creation “as a cosmic vision in nature”. In Ps. 66: 4 we read “All the earth worships Thee; they sing, praises to Thee, sing praises to Thy name-”.

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A sustainable future for all is a vision to be realized through the combined effort of all the religious people and others with secular ideologies. The Clean India concept of the government of India today is a call to live by the precepts of the Eco-dharma. Flora and fauna are in birth pangs due to the rape of the mother earth and our violation of moral laws in eco-ethics. The contributions of the Nobel Laureates Al Gore and Pauchuri have confirmed this.

Climate crisis is attributed to the wanton human intervention in the rhythm of nature. A purely anthropocentric attitude to nature makes the earth sick as the prophet Isaiah rightly said long ago: “The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the heavens languish together with the earth. The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants, for they have transgressed laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant” (Is. 24:4-5).

The charm of religion is that it can evoke a kind of response that is different from scientific and technological reasoning. We have been warned by researchers that the ecological crisis of today is not simply about climate change and global warming, “but is about us, our lives, and the planet and the way the powerful and the rich of earth have dominated and kept destroying nature for centuries to accumulate private wealth.

The polluting, life-style of the rich is to be understood as “an undeclared war on the poor” largely due to the destruction of our bio-wealth. We need to remember that “defending the earth is not a project, but a way of life”.

The prophetic words of Jurgen Moltmann are worth recalling: “We shall not be able to achieve social justice without justice for natural environment. We shall not be able to achieve justice for nature without social justice”.

“Return to nature” is an urgent prophetic call of ecological ecumenism after the recent Fukishima Tragedy and the COVID Pandemic.

Eco- Justice - a divine imperative In the web of life, eco- justice is a celebration of relationship- being fair to all forms of life- In an eco-vision of the earth community ‘giving, what is due to each component of the whole’, is a divine mandate to establish just relationship which is the raison d’être of just peace.

This is well stated in Gen.2:l where we read that Adam is created out of adama (the ground/ soil). The relation between man and the ground is deep and intense. As human body is made of panchaboothas -earth, water, fire, air and space- there exists a kinship in the wider spectrum of life.

A harmonious existence of the symbols of life could be called prevalence of just peace in God’s creation. Any

kind of imbalance/ disorientation is a state of alienation.

The petition in the Lord’s Prayer. “Your kingdom come on earth (ten gen) as it is in heaven” (Matt.61 0) urges us to make a meaningful relationship in God’s order of creation.

Anything that disrupts or disregards the bond of a uniting tie in Creation is to be considered as injustice to its core.

Paulose Mar Gregorios writes: “We have so become accustomed to the scientific- technological stance that we have lost the faculty of addressing reality as a whole, of seeing in it the source and sustainer of life, of responding to it with reverence and receptivity, and of surrendering ourselves to it in all fulfilling love. We have lost the capacity to respond with our whole being to the being of the Wholly Other who presents himself to us through the created universe. (The Human presence: An Orthodox view of Nature, Geneva, WCCC, 1978, P. 87) Ecological spirituality

management-

The

search

for

eco-

In an anthropocentric attitude to life, ecological management is addressed to human beings. Man, and nature could be conceived in terms of a functional relationship, which could be termed as interrelatedness, interdependent and independent. Any disruption of relationship in the order of creation is to be considered as sinful, unjust and mismanagement of God’s resources. All sinful situations carry a wave of injustice. The polluting life-style and attitude of humans make earth groaning for its redemption-(Rom.8:19-21).

The groaning of creation that we continue to hear from the wounded and the tortured humanity is a helpless cry of the victims waiting for the ecological messiahs to intervene and redeem them. The groaning of creation is a public protest that exposes the sinfulness and injustices prevalent in our social and ecological relations.

There is a correlation between the distress of the earth and social injustice. Groaning is a public display of the inherent sinfulness of the prevailing order and the resilience of the victims to transform it. In Jer.12:4, the covenant people are asked to respond to the divine call to repent as there are several unjust attitudes to the land.

“How long will the land mourn, and the grass of every field wither?”, says the prophet. One may notice such violations of the land by the rich and the powerful in a globalized world. There are ecological activists who consider that the market system is destructive of the ecosystem. There are innumerable examples to support it from the Asian scenario.

The pleasure sports of the rich and the affluent have destroyed forest and paddy lands in several countries.

The grazing fields of the cattle have been turned to golf play grounds! In this context, the Church is called upon to include an ecological audit in its mission concerns and to

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stand for a counter culture against the market giants. ln a recent statement of the WCC Central Committee on Climate Justice, it has rightly said “ecological debt-audit in partnership with the civil society is the need of the hour”. Whether it is in the context of economic globalization or ecological crisis, the Church is called upon to pursue its mission in Christ’s way so as to speak about the spirituality of religion.

Ecological sins such as air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution and light pollution have social resonance and therefore they should be viewed seriously. It is indeed significant that Pope Paul the Benedict the 16th in an encyclical had warned the faithful to be deeply conscious of the ecological sins in the world today. The increasing ‘level of Carbon footprints in the atmosphere (390 ppm) has created unresolved problems for the future generation.

The impact of climate change on the indigenous/ aboriginal people of Asia’s coastal regions has already been felt or experienced through the cyclonic storms and Tsunami tidal ways of 2004 and consequently the destruction of flora and fauna and human lives in a very high magnitude. The temperature in the Indian cities is soaring high. According to a statistical data 10 crores trees were cut down for widening roads and high ways during the last decade where as we were able to plant only a lakh trees. Denial of a bright future for the future generation is an unjust situation in our midst.

Ecological responsibility is a call to live with ecological sensitivity remembering the Lakshmen rekha of the divine mandate (to till, to subdue and to keep) for a sustainable future. It is widely held that global warming’ is due to the unbridled human intervention in God’s created order of the universe.

Act now: Not too late.

One should remember that the climate crisis is not really about climate, as remarked by Mausam. It is not about rising the sea levels and the melting arctic ice, dead seals and polar bears facing extinction. It is about us, our lives and the planet- and the way the powerful and rich of the Earth have dominated and kept destroying them for centuries to accumulate private wealth”. In this respect, eco-injustice appears in the form of greed and consumerism. “There is enough for the need of man and not for his greed” (Mahatma Gandhi). But’ how much is enough’ is a million-dollar question!

In the Lord’s Prayer, the word, “We/ours” takes over the word “I” and “mine”, and also “my bread” by “our bread”.

The depletion of biodiversity has also contributed unhealthy life-conditions for human existence. The theme of World Environment Day in 2010, speaks volumes to us:

“Many species, one planet, one future” has opened up umpteen questions and has urged us to search for steps leading to sustainable development. In our search for environmental justice, we need to initiate scientific search for ecological truths about life.

Larry L. Rasmussen remarks: “Environmental justice is also social justice and all efforts to save the planet begins with the cry of the people and the cry of the earth together. “The message of Pope Francis in Laudato Si is worth recalling: Protect creation, confront climate change and care for the poor”. “In the Bible, particularly in Lev. 19:9-10, environmental justice is integrally related to the care of the marginalized. “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien”.

The implications of the earth ethics and the marginalized groups (subaltern) must be brought to the forefront of the mission concerns of the Church. The most suppressed and depressed groups of people who dwell on earth belong to the earth. The kinship between subaltern groups and the earth is bright as daylight: the Dalits to the to the earth, the Adivasis to the forests and the fisher folks to the sea. It is also imperative to affirm the rights of all beings on this planet earth to exist and to flourish as envisioned in the wider spectrum of Deep Ecology.

In Deep Ecology, the accent falls on Gestalt (wholeness).

All the living creatures-birds and animals- too have hunger and thirst. This aspect is very often ignored in an anthropocentric attitude to life. The so-called project proposal for the inter-linking of Rivers is an unjust philosophy. The living beings other than human beings are denied of their existence in such an initiative. The hills and the wetlands, even small lakes are also for the survival of microorganisms, birds and animals. As an Asian contribution to the Christian liturgy, prayer for plants and animals be included. What is required is to affirm the holistic vision of the Psalmist in liturgical prayers (See Ps. 104).

In a prayer of thanksgiving, we affirm our faith in the God of all grace. The prayer of the Harare assembly of the WCC (9th) is worth recalling in this context. “God, hear the cries of all creation, the cries of water, the air, the land and all living beings, the cries of those who are exploited, marginalized, abused and victimized”. This is a prayer to grant us wisdom and understanding in solving the problem at large. The theme chosen for the 11th assembly of the WCC to be held in Germany in the year 2022. “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity” is indeed an affirmation of life for the whole humanity.

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The prophetic call of Vandana Siva for an earth democracy makes sense in our search for eco-justice.

“Earth democracy- a movement which allows us to move from the dominant and pervasive culture of violence, destruction and death to a culture of non-violence, creative peace and life. It is the democracy of all life.... It is an alternative to the life affecting tendencies of Globalization”. Again, she says, “Globalization, at the most fundamental level, is rewriting our relationship with the earth and her species, alienating land, water and biodiversity from local communities, transforming commons into commodities. It is a break from all earlier stages of human relationships with the earth and her resources.” How can we maintain and support globalization without marginalization?

Environmental rights - a justice issue

In his encyclical, Laudato Si-as mentioned earlier “On care for our common home, “Pope Francis has reaffirmed the need for a common culture of care. To quote, “The earth is essentially a shared inheritance where fruits are meant to benefit everyone” His Grace also adds that “access to safe drinkable water is a basic and universal human right”. In the UN Charter of Human Rights, the environmental rights are not clearly spelt out.

The marginalized sections of the community (Dalits, tribals, fisher folks etc.) are very often denied of their basic rights to drink unpolluted water. Water and air are gifts of the creator to all living beings. As water and oxygen are the gifts of the Creator, they are meant to be shared by all. There is a necessity that is laid upon us across religious or cultural divide to protect the earth from deforestation.” “Environmental rights in all their aspects will have to be recognized, respected and enforced. The Holy Books treasured by the religions of Asia make it clear that there existed a symbiotic relationship between man and nature in all the religious traditions of Asia.

The Ancients even uttered a prayer of forgiveness before the cutting of a tree and even the killing of an animal.

Reverence for life is the basic pillar for the corporate

survival of the created order. Water and Air on sale is simply the denial of creational rights of all living beings.

The right to breathe fresh air has become an ecological right in the COVID - 19 scenario.

The eco- vision of the earth community The moment we look for eco-spirituality that sustains us, we are asked to look beyond and to regard the Church as a fellowship of seekers after the truth. Church as the Eucharistic presence of the Kingdom does not negate truth in all religions and cultures. It carries God’s call in Christ to build a fraternal community. This attitude is relevant today as it speaks about the dialogical existence of the earth community. The continuous activity of God through the Spirit to mend the brokenness of creation is the basic philosophy for the integrity of creation. In our search for an Asian oikumene, the Asian Reality provides a connecting thread along with a challenge.

One cannot deny the fact that the world today is seeking new forms of spirituality that are less dogmatic. The PostCOVID scenario of the world has made a new impact on the church for a search in the New Normal. One should know that irrelevance is sin we are called to interpret “the signs of the times” in fulfilling mission concern. It is an attempt to seek for life-enhancing potentialities in the plural world. Eco-spirituality- an effort to grasp and to realize the Ultimate Truth- affirms the sacramentality of creation and ecological sensitivity. In affirming the Ultimate truth in the order of creation, the eco-sins committed by the humans are to be noted with a grave concern for which we need to ask God’ forgiveness.

“O Creator God, how great thou art” The doyen of Theology, Thomas Aquinas, has rightly said, “any misunderstanding about nature leads to a misunderstanding of God”. In ‘God-talk’, we search for the reverence of life and interrelatedness between humans and other living beings. As appreciation leads to adoration, we look for the buckle that binds all human beings with the flora and fauna on this planet. This is in tune with the compassion of the Lord (cf.Sib.18:13). The cultural slogans of India such as vasudaivakudumbakam (the whole world is one family) and Loka smastha sukino bhavantu (Let the whole world be happy and prosperous) find a fitting place in the affirmation of one Creator God. The wonder of creation as exclaimed by the Psalmist in 104:24, “0 Lord, how manifold are thy works; ln wisdom has thou made them all” is a golden thread that runs through all the religious Scriptures of the world.

Let me illustrate the above point with excerpts from a song of Jim Reeves: “We thank Thee each morning for a new born day; We thank Thee for the sunshine and the air that we breathe; We thank thee for the river that runs all day; Me thank

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Thee for the flower, that blooms, birds that sing; fish that swim; We thank Thee for the pastures where the cattles may mow; We thank thee for the love so pure and free, 0 Lord”.

The lessons that we learn from the order of creation is that life is meant for giving and that nature is the best gift of God to all across any religious or cultural divide .So Jesus said “for he (the heavenly Father) makes his Sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rains on the just and the unjust”(St. Matt. 5:45) The Psalmist adds a note of exclamation, as “the heavens are telling of the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his hand work(19:1).The above words of wonder could be summed up in the famous hymn, “All things bright and beautiful: All creatures great and small; All things wise and wonderful The Lord God made them all”.

The veil of nature is rendered transparent and helps us to breathe afresh in a world choked by the noxious gases of greed, lust and profit making. In our understanding of flora and fauna, there are quite a few unraveled rnysteries.

We could count the number of seeds in an apple. But none is able to say with absolute certainty the number of apples could one harvest from a sapling of the seed. So also, God’s rose bud. None is able to open the petals of a rose bud by hand without crushing it. So great is the unraveled mystery of creation. In the book of Job 38-41 one may find texts which throw a fled of light on the Ubris of man.

In the ecological Psalm of 104, particularly verse 24-30, we get a glimpse of God’s love and care manifested in the universe” 0 Lord, how manifold are thy works. In wisdom hast thou made them all....” (v,.24). (cf.Ps.24:12) According to the Psalms, God is not immanent in creation, but he is imminent in a personal way with humankind” (N. H. Snaith). Nature by itself does not reveal God, it only serves as a means of revelation”.

“Nature is a constant reminder of the reality of God to those who have the eyes of faith” (K. V. Mathew). In the Psalms we do not find any natural law as independent from God. The humans are asked to learn from nature (Pro.6:6-11).

As nature is God’s peculiar language (Robinson), creation and ethics should go together. According to Ps. 147: 16ff, nature is the creative word of God that is at work in the ongoing process of growth and change in nature. This gives “order and regularity in the ecosystem”. It is God’s faithfulness and love that sustain the world (Ps. 139). A sacramental approach to nature is the key to the poetic insights of the Psalmist.

The humans and other living beings come together as partners in praising God, the creator. In a theology of the Sacramentality of Creation, creation carries the footprints of Christ. Any disrespect to creation leads to the

defacement of the image of Christ. Therefore, the pollution of any kind is to be considered as sin against the Creator and Christ. When the integrity of creation is established, “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (ls.11 :3).

Kingdom of sensitivity

God-Call

to

live

with

ecological

The teaching of Jesus gives us a blue print of vasudaivakudumbakam with concern for all. In the parable of the Mustard Seed (St.Mark.4:30-32), there is a divine call to care for the least and to value the inherent potential of all that is good and noble. For Jesus, all that is seen and unseen unfold the face of true humanity in its pristine form. The reference to the Sun and the rain (Matt.5:45); the scorching heat and the south wind(Lk.12:55); the clouds and the showers(Lk.12:54);the earth and the sky(Lk.12:56); the flashing of light; (Matt.24:27);the rock and the sand (Matt.7:26); the seeds and the grains (Matt.4:2-8); the lilies and the grass (Matt6:28-30); the thorns and the thistles (Matt.7: 16); the figs and the grapes (Matt7:1 6); the moth and the rust (Matt.6: 1920); the sparrows and the eagles(Matt.10:29); the dogs(Lk.16:21), the fish and the serpent as well as the scorpions (Lk. 11:1 1); the sheep and the goats(Matt.25 :32). etc. are imageries taken by Jesus to illustrate God’s care of the universe. A triadic relationship of God, creation and human beings vividly seen in the teaching of Jesus on the kingdom of God. As members of the Faith Community, we are challenged to pray as Jesus taught in the Lord’s Prayer: “Let your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” (St. Matt.6.9;10; Lk.11.1-4). Reference to “earth” (gen) and “food” in the prayer makes it ecological as food is grown not in heaven, but on earth! The Climate crisis has a bearing on food crisis. The UN declaration of 2008 as “year of Potatos” and 2014 as “the year of family farming” is meant to highlight the importance of agriculture. If the earth’s topography is changed, earth will ultimately harm the food production.

The year 2010 as UN “year of biodiversity” speaks of the need to preserve all living species on this planet as Noah did in his ark. So the UN theme for 2011 “Forests: Nature at your services” is a reminder to preserve our forests.

The UN theme for the environment day on June 5, 20157 billion dreams, one planet, consume with care” urgently calls forth a form of development which is economically and environmentally sustainable. The theme chosen for the XIV General Assembly of the Christian conference of Asia (CCA) in March 2015. (Jakarta) “Living together in the household of God” has brought out the dialogical relationship of the Asian churches offering its ecumenical and ecological mission paradigms in their search for the New humanity in Christ.

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The Seers of the Vedas said about the secret of human bonding: “We are the birds of the same nest”. A few verses from the Vedas are quoted below: We are birds of the same nest We may wear different skins We may speak in different tongues We may believe in different cultures Yet we share the same home - Our Earth.

Born on the same planet, Covered by the same skies Gazing at the same stars Breathing the same air We must learn to happily progress together Or miserably perish together For man can only live individually But can only survive collectively: ‘When you walk across the fields with your mind pure and holy, then from all the stones and all growing things, and all animals, the sparks of their soul come out and cling to you, and then they are purified and become a holy fire for you’ (Martin Buber).

The Covid-19 Spiritual Lessons We notice the resurrection of spiritual values in different cultures when we pass through adverse circumstances.

In the Indian culture, truth, beauty and order (sathyam, sivam sunderam) are the noble virtues for the joy of living.

The lockdown period all over the world has taught us several values for an authentic existence. We have been able to reduce all kinds of pollution around us. It is widely held that the lockdown period has turned our homes as places of worship. The online worship services and preaching have helped us to search for alternatives in our religious observances. The Webinars have become part of our interpersonal relationships and communications.

The silent periods in our homes has also strengthened family bonds in different ways. It is true that youths and old people had to bear with several psychological problems. May God help them.

BEYOND RELIGION: Imaging A New Humanity.

By Valson Thampu This book is like no other that Revd Dr. Valson Thampu has written over the last 35 years.

The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to shake our dependence on economic security so also the dangers arising from the environmental crisis as explicitly revealed at the COP-26 meeting at Glasgow in November 2-14, 2021. We also noticed the tragic events in Afghanistan as a result of religious fanaticism. The Hinduvata ideology in India is shaking the foundations of the Indian democracy based on secularism, human decency and common good. We have also noticed the death of two significant national leaders, Sawmi Agnivesh and Fr. Stan Swamy during this period who lived and worked for wider ecumenism, human rights and preserving the rights of backward communities in India. The destiny of Indian democracy hinges on the religious question, given that Hindutva and Hinduism have been merged into one, though they are polar opposites. So, it is not religion, but a communal caricature of it, that is feeding the current wave of majoritarian self-assertion. The book is written against this background.

There is a need, hence, to initiate a spiritually wellfounded national, indeed international, debate on what religion is, and should be. Beyond Religion captures the riches of the author’s decades-long research, reflection as well as vast experiences as a socio-religious activist in making a case for such a debate. He emphasizes the urgent need for a shift from religiosity to spirituality.

Let me conclude with the words of Rabindranath Tagore: “My Lord, this is my prayer: Help me to root out all pride and arrogance from my heart. Help me to continue the pilgrimage of life gladly in the midst of joy and sorrow.

Give me the power from above to translate my love into fruitful service for humanity” (“Gitangali-36-a free rendering).

We commend this work to our esteemed readers in the FOCUS family of spiritual thinkers and seekers. It would be nice if such a debate could be initiated in FOCUS itself.

NOTE: The article has been published in the book under the title, MISSION OF CHRISTIAN CHURCHES IN POSTPANDEMIC INDIA, edited by Acharya Catherine Prabhujiyothi, (DharmaBharathiAshram, Mulanthuruthy, Kochi), published by ISPCK, Delhi,2021). Pages 84-99.

https://pipparannbooks.com/product/beyond-religionimaging-a-new-humanity/

The book is published by Pippa Rann Books and Media, UK. It can be ordered using the link-

For the Editorial Board, FOCUS

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A Pledge for Creation Care Kanayathu C. Koshy and Elizabeth Koshy* delegates had struggled to resolve major sticking points, such as phasing out coal, fossil fuel subsidies and poor financial support to developing countries. The U.N. meeting, was billed as humanity’s last and best chance to keep the all-important goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius alive.

Now the reality is that it is a responsibility of the approximately 200 countries that gathered to rally round the ‘Glasgow Climate Pact’ (only an ‘Advance unedited version’ was available at the time of writing this article) and bring climate under control by ‘making things happen’.

Our Book God’s Earth in Human Hands** COP 26 – A scene-setter, Epthinktank, European Parliament; © Ricochet64 / Adobe Stock Introduction In April 2021 we published a book called “Fragrance & Abundance: God’s Earth in Human Hands”. These 316 pagers discussed the current perils of planet earth, and how to manage them, in detail. Creation Care often involves a cyclic system of ever-increasing problems. In brief, these comprise: (i) the unsustainable consumption and production, (ii) very heavy dependence on fossil fuel, (iii) unprecedented climate change, (iv) loss of biological diversity, (v) increasing population with a “bottom billion” under appalling poverty, and (vi) an outdated institutional framework that stifles growth and appear unable to handle the magnitude of the problems at hand. However, we argued that in the hands of determined hard workers, upright in their spirituality and attitude, the situation could be reversed for the better. The United Nation’s Conference on Climate Change, COP-26, had the same message for us, which is “the climate world-wide is changing and we should change too”. This has become the crucial issue under “Creation Care “for our survival.

COP-26 The 26th Annual Session of the Conference of Parties (COP-26) in Glasgow, Scotland, 31 Oct-12 Nov 2021, led by the United Nations ended with mixed outcome. While the organizers were upbeat about the meeting’s success, the group that gathered demanding action was thoroughly disappointed. “It is not a secret that COP-26 is a failure. It should be obvious that we cannot solve the crisis with the same methods that got us into it in the first place,” Greta Thunberg, the climate activist, said.

However, there are many who believe that the truth lies somewhere in between. Such feeling arose because the

‘Fragrance & Abundance: God’s Earth in Human Hands’, published in 2021 by K. Koshy and E. Koshy (the husband-and-wife team) talks about risk reduced living when it comes to disaster management. After all, it is the risk that gets realized into disaster that we fear. It is the same sentiments that was expressed by the third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held in Sendai, Japan in March 2015, when the member states agreed to the latest ‘Risk Reduction Framework’. In applying the Framework to real-world situations, we realize that just as we rush to manage disasters when they occur, we need to work hard to reduce risk even in the absence of disasters and thereby increase resilience.

These measures would prevent serious disruption of the functioning of communities due to hazardous events interacting with conditions of exposure, vulnerability and incapacity, through mitigation by dealing with the root cause of the problems, and adaptation to address the impacts of such hazards, floods, cyclones etc. An integrated approach would require both mitigation & adaptation before disaster, and resilience & sustainable development after disaster, through Response and Recovery measures. Please see Sections such as: the initial Sections including The Theodosius Mar Thoma Metropolitan’s Message, Ch2, P31-37; Ch23, P144-149; Ch32, P194-200; Ch41, P243-246; Ch42, P247-253; Ch44, P258-263; Ch46, P269-272; Ch50, P287-290 and other relevant sections that follow of our book, if possible.

The PLEDGE SHEET In its implementation, caring for God’s Creation demands our focused attention at multiple levels. There are things we can do as a Family (Individual); larger groups - Church (Institutional); and as the overall enabling environment provided by the Sabha (Systemic). These must be ‘winwin’, or ‘no-regret’ activities – enjoyable and easy to do and must be aimed at all groups in the church - Sunday school, Youth, Sevika Sangam, Area Prayer, Senior Citizen (Golden Circle), etc. Interestingly, any other civil

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group from the larger society, without regard to their faith preferences, could also carry out activities directed at Planet Earth’s well-being. An initial list under the three levels, (Individual, Institutional and Systemic) is shown below; more may be added in due course. Let people pledge voluntarily under Creation Care they would like to do. What follows is a short list of relevant activities that one can get involved in:

One would notice that it is a lot more than mere environmental stewardship that we are talking about. The Environment we live in, the Economic activities we do for a living, and our Social life – all integrate well with our Christian faith & Stewardship. The ability to sustain this delicate stability seems to define true sustainability.

A PLEDGE SHEET Individual – Family/Small Groups

The above approach would fit the needs of a variety of people wanting to do “small-big-very big” projects. The ‘very big’ may have to be broken down to smaller causeeffect hierarchical pieces as in a Logical Framework Analysis (LFA). Please look up the Internet for details OR contact me. This method (LFA) also includes a “Vision, Mission, Activity” sequence most project people would be familiar with. It is true that some of the Creation Care problems are very big indeed requiring breakdown, while others are manageable at lower levels.

1. Waste management – Practice 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse & Recycle.

2. Energy efficiency - Use energy efficient gadgets, minimize wastage; use renewable energy if possible.

3. Time management - Use time wisely, not so much the hours you put in, but what goes into the hours that matter.

4. Family values – Value natural, financial & social capital, and most of all spiritual values.

5. Family prayer – Recognize sustainability principles in songs, Bible readings, and factor Creation Care in prayer.

Institutional – Church/Any Relatively Larger Groups 1. Awareness building – Develop brochures, meetings, campaigns and competitions.

2. Waste management – Continue to exercise 3Rs. 3. Market place evangelism – ‘Walk the talk’, be the change we profess, follow best practices.

4. Intergenerational interactions – Promote healthy exchanges between all age groups.

5. Spiritual security – Ensure the Environmental, Ecological, and Social persuasions do not endanger our spiritual convictions.

Systemic – Sabha/Civil Groups in Districts or States 1. Awareness building – Sensitize Laity, Clergy, Bishops and Decision makers at all levels.

2. Policies and procedures – Enact strategies, roadmaps, policies and procedures.

3. Enabling environment – Ensure Creation Care factors in discussions, sermons, teachings, trainings and financial commitments.

4. Institutional framework/Governance – Appoint high level committee/s and practice Creation Care in all Church institutions.

5. The new mission field – Establish Creation Care as an approved mission area of the Sabha.

Conclusion

*Prof. Dr. Kanayathu C Koshy & Elizabeth Koshy Emeritus Professor, ERRC Manjadi P.O. Thiruvalla (689105), Kerala, India.

E -mail: kanayathu.koshy@gmail.com ** [Note: The disclaimer and the copyright states that “Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorized, provided the source is acknowledged and the European Parliament is given prior notice and sent a copy.

Dr. K. V. Thomas obtained his Ph.D in History from Lucknow University and has published extensively on Indian Culture, Women’s issues, Indigenous nature of Mar Thoma Christians and India’s Freedom Movement.

His extensive teaching record spans Christ Church College, Isabella Thoburn College, Lucknow 1973-82; Founder and Principal of Children’s Academy High School 1984-2004.

He represented ‘Minority Christians of Aligarh City’ at the State level 2002-2004. He represented India at an International Seminar on Educational Technology in Israel in 2001. He returned to Kerala in 2004. He is now the Adminstrator of the Brethren English Medium School Kumbanad. At present Drs K. V. and E. Thomas are very active in several cultural and social organisations, and the President and Secretary of the Kumbanad Senior Citizens Association for the last 3 years.

Dr. Elizabeth Thomas completed her Ph.D in Home Science from Aligarh Muslim University in 2000. She took her M.Sc (Home Science) from Delhi University and her M.A in English from Aligarh Musim University. She has published two books, ‘Clinic in the Kitchen’, and ‘A Handbook of Hygiene for Undergraduates’, which were prescribed as textbooks. She had been teaching both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She was also the International Students’ Advisor & Assistant Proctor, and also a UGC Subject expert for Home Science. After voluntary retirement as Head of the department, she became Vice Principal of a CB S E school in Kumbanad for 9 years. They are settled in Thiruvalla, Kerala.

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A Historic Joint Statement on Climate Change by the Leaders of the Churches [The following is a historic Joint Statement on 1st September 2021 by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Pope Francis, and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby on Climate Change. Using the lessons of the Scripture, they issued an urgent call for an effective collective response to this global environmental threat and for the protection of God’s creation. It was initially published in the newsletter of the Churches Together in England (CTE), and we publish it here with the permission of the CTE.] A Joint Message for the Protection of Creation

For more than a year, we have all experienced the devastating effects of a global pandemic—all of us, whether poor or wealthy, weak or strong. Some were more protected or vulnerable than others, but the rapidlyspreading infection meant that we have depended on each other in our efforts to stay safe. We realised that, in facing this worldwide calamity, no one is safe until everyone is safe, that our actions really do affect one another, and that what we do today affects what happens tomorrow.

These are not new lessons, but we have had to face them anew. May we not waste this moment. We must decide what kind of world we want to leave to future generations.

God mandates: ‘Choose life, so that you and your children might live’ (Dt 30:19). We must choose to live differently; we must choose life.

September is celebrated by many Christians as the Season of Creation, an opportunity to pray and care for God’s creation. As world leaders prepare to meet in November at Glasgow to deliberate on the future of our planet, we pray for them and consider what the choices we must all make. Accordingly, as leaders of our Churches, we call on everyone, whatever their belief or worldview, to endeavour to listen to the cry of the earth and of people who are poor, examining their behaviour and pledging meaningful sacrifices for the sake of the earth which God has given us.

The Importance of Sustainability In our common Christian tradition, the Scriptures and the Saints provide illuminating perspectives for comprehending both the realities of the present and the promise of something larger than what we see in the moment. The concept of stewardship—of individual and collective responsibility for our God-given endowment— presents a vital starting-point for social, economic and environmental sustainability. In the New Testament, we read of the rich and foolish man who stores great wealth of grain while forgetting about his finite end (Lk 12.13–21).

We learn of the prodigal son who takes his inheritance early, only to squander it and end up hungry (Lk 15.11– 32). We are cautioned against adopting short term and seemingly inexpensive options of building on sand, instead of building on rock for our common home to withstand storms (Mt 7.24–27). These stories invite us to adopt a broader outlook and recognise our place in the extended story of humanity.

But we have taken the opposite direction. We have maximised our own interest at the expense of future generations. By concentrating on our wealth, we find that long-term assets, including the bounty of nature, are depleted for short-term advantage. Technology has unfolded new possibilities for progress but also for accumulating unrestrained wealth, and many of us behave in ways, which demonstrate little concern for other people or the limits of the planet. Nature is resilient, yet delicate. We are already witnessing the consequences of our refusal to protect and preserve it (Gn 2.15). Now, in this moment, we have an opportunity to repent, to turn around in resolve, to head in the opposite direction. We must pursue generosity and fairness in the ways that we live, work and use money, instead of selfish gain.

The Impact on People Living with Poverty The current climate crisis speaks volumes about who we are and how we view and treat God’s creation. We stand before a harsh justice: biodiversity loss, environmental degradation and climate change are the inevitable consequences of our actions, since we have greedily consumed more of the earth’s resources than the planet can endure. But we also face a profound injustice: the people bearing the most catastrophic consequences of these abuses are the poorest on the planet and have been the least responsible for causing them. We serve a God of justice, who delights in creation and creates every person in God’s image, but also hears the cry of people who are poor. Accordingly, there is an innate call within

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us to respond with anguish when we see such devastating injustice.

Today, we are paying the price. The extreme weather and natural disasters of recent months reveal afresh to us with great force and at great human cost that climate change is not only a future challenge, but an immediate and urgent matter of survival. Widespread floods, fires and droughts threaten entire continents. Sea levels rise, forcing whole communities to relocate; cyclones devastate entire regions, ruining lives and livelihoods.

Water has become scarce and food supplies insecure, causing conflict and displacement for millions of people.

We have already seen this in places where people rely on small scale agricultural holdings. Today we see it in more industrialised countries where even sophisticated infrastructure cannot completely prevent extraordinary destruction.

Tomorrow could be worse. Today’s children and teenagers will face catastrophic consequences unless we take responsibility now, as ‘fellow workers with God’ (Gn 2.4–7), to sustain our world. We frequently hear from young people who understand that their futures are under threat. For their sake, we must choose to eat, travel, spend, invest and live differently, thinking not only of immediate interest and gains but also of future benefits.

We repent of our generation’s sins. We stand alongside our younger sisters and brothers throughout the world in committed prayer and dedicated action for a future which corresponds ever more to the promises of God. The Imperative of Cooperation

These crises present us with a choice. We are in a unique position either to address them with short-sightedness and profiteering or seize this as an opportunity for conversion and transformation. If we think of humanity as a family and work together towards a future based on the common good, we could find ourselves living in a very different world. Together we can share a vision for life where everyone flourishes. Together we can choose to act with love, justice and mercy. Together we can walk towards a fairer and fulfilling society with those who are most vulnerable at the centre.

But this involves making changes. Each of us, individually, must take responsibility for the ways we use our resources. This path requires an ever-closer collaboration among all churches in their commitment to care for creation. Together, as communities, churches, cities and nations, we must change route and discover new ways of working together to break down the traditional barriers between peoples, to stop competing for resources and start collaborating.

To those with more far-reaching responsibilities—heading administrations, running companies, employing people or investing funds—we say: choose people-centred profits; make short-term sacrifices to safeguard all our futures; become leaders in the transition to just and sustainable economies. ‘To whom much is given, much is required.’

(Lk 12:48) This is the first time that the three of us feel compelled to address together the urgency of environmental sustainability, its impact on persistent poverty, and the importance of global cooperation. Together, on behalf of our communities, we appeal to the heart and mind of every Christian, every believer and every person of good will. We pray for our leaders who will gather in Glasgow to decide the future of our planet and its people. Again, we recall Scripture: ‘choose life, so that you and your children may live’ (Dt 30:19). Choosing life means making sacrifices and exercising self-restraint.

All of us—whoever and wherever we are—can play a part in changing our collective response to the unprecedented threat of climate change and environmental degradation.

Over the course of the pandemic, we have learned how vulnerable we are. Our social systems frayed, and we found that we cannot control everything. We must acknowledge that the ways we use money and organize our societies have not benefited everyone. We find ourselves weak and anxious, submersed in a series of crises; health, environmental, food, economic and social, which are all deeply interconnected.

Caring for God’s creation is a spiritual commission requiring a response of commitment. This is a critical moment. Our children’s future and the future of our common home depend on it.

1st September 2021 Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Pope Francis Archbishop of Canterbury

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Climate Change and Christian Response Dr. Mathew Koshy Punnackadu Climate change is a challenge we are facing now.

Development and growth have, until now, been connected with increased gas emissions, which in the end contribute to global warming and climate change.

There are two key reasons why the global warming crisis is, first and foremost, a justice issue. The first is that the people who are most vulnerable to its effects have done the least to cause it. The second major reason for climate change as a justice issue is that it comes when the world’s wealthiest nations have reached a peak of development while the poorest are still struggling to get on to the development ladder. While it is well within the means of rich countries to maintain their current levels of economic activity while adapting to climate change, the picture is very different for developing countries.

generations, offer an imperative to action to seek justice for those suffering and the threat posed to God’s creation Climate change is not mentioned in the Bible, nor has it so far been part of contemporary systematic theology.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now, and not only the creation, but we, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.(Romans8:23-24). The gospels tell us not only of the coming of Jesus but also of his complete identity with the human condition, in particular, his solidarity with the vulnerable, with those who suffer injustice. In the words of St Paul: ‘He emptied himself taking the form of a slave’.

(Philippians 2.7). That solidarity is also reflected in Jesus’ specific command to care for those who are sick, hungry or thirsty, the strangers and the prisoners, because ‘just as you did it to one of the least of these…you did it to me’ (Matthew25:40).

As the director of the department of ecological concerns of the Church of South India, I would like to mention some of our steps. The Church of South India Department of Ecological Concerns empowers congregations to take a prophetic stand against Climate injustice. The CSI Department of Ecological Concerns focuses on educating various sustainable development goals through EcoMinistry, campaigns for Climate Justice ministry, Green Protocol and Green School Programme. We are planning to create models of Climate-resilient communities.

We must make sure that future development is based on a low carbon approach. We should choose solutions with low emissions and ensure that the energy we use is renewable. This means harnessing the sun, wind and water instead of using carbon-based extractive resources like petroleum, oil, coal and gas. We should also take more care of those natural sinks such as forests, land and sea, where carbon is kept and stored naturally. Despite promising local and national developments to lower carbon use due to raising consciousness in society regarding the impacts of carbon on the environment, there is still a need for significant partnerships between countries in technology transfer and cooperation, financial support and investment, and solidarity and policymaking.

As a church community, we believe that God creates all life on earth. As a part of our Christian faith and discipleship, we have to ensure the protection of the environment and the sustainable and equitable use of resources. The injustices of the climate crisis, including vast global inequalities and the threat to future

Resilience is strengthening human and non-human systems’ ability to withstand and respond to changes in the earth’s climate. It can be seen as a way to bridge the conceptual divide between mitigation approaches to climate change on the one hand and adaptation approaches on the other. Mitigation is to address climate change by cutting down greenhouse gas emissions. In order to avoid the gravest effects of a changing climate, humanity needs to limit the average global surface temperature to 2ºC above pre-industrial levels, but preferably 1.5ºC. In order to do that, we need to cut our greenhouse gas emissions above 50 per cent by 2050, lest we face serious risks, including more intense storms, droughts, and heat waves, all of which pose looming threats to human civilization and the environment. On the other hand, adaptation acknowledges that, even if we immediately cut our carbon emissions altogether, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases would remain well above normal levels for decades to come. In short, we need to adapt to a changing climate, or else we risk severe damage.

Adaptation approaches vary based on geography, time, funding resources, levels of political support, and dozens

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of other factors. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to adaptation.

parables in the background of Climate Change. This is the retold parable of the Rich man and Lazarus.

Resilience recognizes that mitigation and adaptation are two sides of the same coin. Then we have taken up the Green Protocol Campaign. Though environmental damage and degradation were considered among the worst elements within a vision of the future, sustainability was still not considered a factor for progress. Hence, the benefits of integrated environmental, economic, and social development need to be better communicated, particularly regarding how they relate to sustainability within one’s lifestyle. Implementation of Green Protocol provides a unique opportunity to inform and empower young people—and all people—to create sustainable lifestyles and communities. In the life and ministry of the Church, the CSI would like to promote sustainable development practices and build power for change.

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was a poor man named Lazarus. “The time came when the poor man died, and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side.

The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So, he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue because I am in agony in this fire.’ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime, you received luxurious things which increased the carbon footprint on this earth. By increasing the carbon footprint, you made this earth a hell. While Lazarus, by his lifestyle, never contributed towards the carbon footprint. Lazar is the representative of innocent people on this earth who are not responsible for Climate Change. “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ “Abraham replied, ‘They have Socially committed environmental scientists are there; let them listen to them. You lived a luxurious life by burning fossil fuels and creating hell for the whole world. “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ “He said to him, God speaks through two books: His word (the Bible) and His works (creation). ‘If they do not listen to His word and His works, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” (The rich man represents ‘Developed countries and Lazar represents ‘Developing countries.)

We plan to take up Climate Resilient Schools and Communities, different from the Green School Programme. Students are auditing air, water, waste, energy, land, and food in the Green School programme.

They are relating it with their curriculum and preparing their School for Green rating. We have already converted five hundred schools of CSI into green schools.

In climate Resilient Schools and Communities, the students of the school are practicing the Green Protocol of CSI, Carbon neutrality, mitigation and adaptation.

These Children will have to transform their houses in the same way they do in schools—a community transformation through students. We are planning to create some community resilient model schools and model communities by 2022.

Another method we have adopted is retelling parables.

Jesus communicated complex thoughts to the ordinary person through simple stories now known as “Parables”.

Parable gives the essence of his teachings in its simplest possible way. What an excellent teacher was Jesus? Can parables be used today to do the same? We have retold

A new paradigm or model for working and living in harmony with Nature is arising under the conceptual umbrella of sustainability. The development of humanity has been intertwined with that of Nature and wildlife. Any break in their ranks would not augur well for the future.

Only when people go against Nature will they be forced to face Nature’s fury, like earthquakes, tsunamis, and droughts. The Hebrew shalom denotes peace and harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare, and tranquility. When the rhythm of humans matches with the rhythm of Nature, we will have Shalom, the Spirit of Christmas – peace on earth. It is one of the most cherished sentiments of the Christmas season. Christmas is a time to restore our broken relationship with God’s creations. When we are responsible for the conflict between God’s creations, how can we restore broken relationships? *Retired as the Principal of Bishop Moore College Mavelikara 2011. He is serving as the editor of magazine ‘New Vision’ and the Honorary Director of CSI Synod Departmental Ecological Concerns.

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A Reflection on Green Grass Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph, Devalokam, Kottayam

Grass, grass everywhere!

It is green My eyes feast on the greenery of the grass What a wonderful sight all around!

It is the symbol of the ordinary It represents the feeble and the least.

Think for a while Its usefulness and legacy.

It is the ordinary who helps the mighty to celebrate life.

It is the small that makes a difference in the life of the big.

In times of rain and storms, the grass keeps its strength The big trees fall The flower of adorable plants scatter!

The fragrance of Jasmine flowers disappears The carpet of the Mother Earth remains the same.

The pride of the big tree is gone when it falls The humility of the grass becomes a lesson for the posterity.

In times of good and bad seasons Let me carry the tag of simplicity and humility in the New Year.

Climate Change Quotes: “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” — Albert Einstein

There is a Javanese folk story. In a forest, there were three trees- a coconut tree, a clove tree and a sacred banyan tree. For the Javanese each of them is important. The clove tree is an important crop, the coconut tree is a source of food and the banyan tree is a sacred tree worshipped by the Javanese. Each of the trees began to boast of his/her own strength and power. The clove tree said: “I am the most valuable tree because I am source of wealth for many farmers”. The coconut tree also had made its trumpet. “I am the tallest tree. I can see everything in the forest. Next the Banyan tree began to boast of its existence. “I am the most powerful tree among all plants. People worship me every Thursday, asking me for help in whatever they do”. After the trees finished their boasting, they asked the grass what attributes it possessed. The grass replied, “I know nothing of power and wealth. When I start to grow, people just cut me down. Animals trample upon me and defecate on me.

I am always humiliated. I am considered a useless plant.

In the same after noon, a violent storm came tearning down and destroying all the trees. Only the grass survived the disaster. It was the only plant, which was able to sustain life and generate the development of other life in the forest. The common people, the least and the last are resilient and they form the basic structure of society. The spirituality of the least is the basis for the survival of al living beings on the planet-Earth.

“Twenty-five years ago, people could be excused for not knowing much, or doing much, about climate change. Today we have no excuse.” — Desmond Tutu “We must face up to an inescapable reality: the challenges of sustainability simply overwhelm the adequacy of our responses.

With some honorable exceptions, our responses are too few, too little, and too late.” — Kofi A. Annan “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt “As human beings, we are vulnerable to confusing the unprecedented with the improbable. In our everyday experience, if something has never happened before, we are generally safe in assuming it is not going to happen in the future, but the exceptions can kill you, and climate change is one of those exceptions.” – Al Gore “There is no question that climate change is happening; the only arguable point is what part humans are playing in it.” – David Attenborough “The shift to a cleaner energy economy won’t happen overnight, and it will require tough choices along the way. But the debate is settled. Climate change is a fact.”- Barack Obama “The Earth is a fine place and worth fighting for.” – Ernest Hemingway “God gave us the earth, to till and to keep in a balanced and respectful way.”- Pope Francis

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Manufacturing Industry in Transformation to a More Sustainable World George Thomas, Copenhagen Preamble As human beings, we are part of God’s creation. We have a responsibility to love and care for what God has entrusted to us as its stewards. Our primary task as Christians is to become partners in God’s mission towards establishing the values of His kingdom on this earth. It is high time that we as followers of Christ look at what is happening around us through the eyes of Jesus.

The exploitation of earth’s resources, uncontrolled consumerism, continuing dependence on fossil fuels, and reckless economic expansions undermine the very basis of sustainability. We cannot ignore the manufacturing industry’s contribution to the increase of carbon footprint, which, in turn, is contributing to global warming. In our quest for efficiency, speed and comfort, have we disregarded the value of Nature in its own right?

High levels of consumption of commodities produced by manufacturing industries (such as cement, concrete, steel, etc.) are responsible for the degradation of the environment and rapidly diminishing natural resources.

Today, second only to water, concrete is the most consumed material, with three tonnes per year used for every person in the world. Air pollution, water scarcity, soil degradation, poor rehabilitation of raw material quarries, disturbed biodiversity, unfair displacement of communities and livelihoods, and unfair compensation to landowners (mostly farmers) are just some of the issues stemming from growing industrial development.

This paper attempts to: (i) reflect on the need for a new ecological ethic based on spirituality, (ii) examine the linkage between Christian spirituality and sustainability, (iii) explore the contours of the three pillars of sustainability, (iv) probe the sustainability frame from the stance of manufacturing industries, (v) highlight the impact of the cement industry – a major polluter (with which the author has been closely associate for more than five decades) on sustainability, and (vi) look ahead beyond the deliberations of the recently concluded UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.

Nature and Spirituality One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between Man and Nature shall not be broken. Leo Tolstoy, Russian writer.

There is a growing concern and argument that our alienation from Nature is at its peak and that we face a

crisis of spirituality regarding our relationship with Nature.

Therefore, we need a spiritual awakening that promotes a profound sense of earth stewardship that can form the foundation of a new ecological ethic.

While mainstream discourse on sustainable development seems to focus on areas such as renewable energy, climate change, ecological economics, sustainable agriculture, and urban design and planning, an acknowledgment of the spiritual dimension of our lives seems lacking within this discourse. There are a number of possible reasons for this including the fact that rational, scientific thinking still dominates the worldview.

Spirituality is understood and practiced by people in different ways. It is generally regarded as something personal and private.

Hallmarks of Christian Spirituality First, Christian spirituality is biblically defined as the practice o the beliefs of the Christian faith. It includes both knowledge and action. James 1:25 notes, “But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and preservers, being no hearer that forget gut a doer that act, he shall be blessed in his doing.” From the earliest writings of the New Testament, the principle of integrated and authentic faith and action has been taught as essential to Christian spirituality.

Second, Christian spirituality relies on the power of the Holy Spirit to live according to God’s will. The Holy Spirit serves to lead us into all truth (John 16:13), gives joy (Ephesians 5:1*), and convicts when we sin (Ephesians $:30). True spirituality depends on the supernatural power God gives through the Holy Spirit rather than dependence on human strength.

Finally, the pursuit of Christian spirituality will result in what the Bible calls the fruits of the Spirit: ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control,: against such things there is no law (Galatians 5: 22-23). Thus Christian spirituality is for the honor of God, personal maturity, and serves as a blessing to others, thus ensuring sustainable living for all on this planet.

Third, Christian spirituality is concerned for all of a person’s life. Rather, than separating spiritual, physical, financial, social, and other life components into distinct areas, Christian spirituality is concerned with how all of

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life connects to our relationship with God. For example, the use of our fiancés reflects the attitude of our hearts (Mathew 6:21). How we treat our body reflects our spiritual life in important ways (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Manufacturing is the production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, and chemical or biological processing. The term is most commonly applied to industries in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale.

Three Pillars of Sustainability Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In addition to natural resources, we also need social and economic resources. Sustainability is often characterized in terms of economic viability, environmental protection, and social equality.

Sustainability is made up of three pillars: economy, society, and environment. These pillars in a way represent profit, people and the planet. The need for aggregated sustainability information has become a concrete goal of industries and corporates committed to sustainable development. New investments into projects in the manufacturing and other sectors call for rigorous assessments and appraisals of their techno-economic feasibility besides environmental and social sustainability.

Social sustainability is about identifying and managing business impacts, both positive and negative, on people.

It consists of factors such as location, supply chain, labor practices, re-settlement issues, training and education, reporting, health and safety, and cultural aspects.

Economic sustainability refers to practices that support the long-term economic growth of the enterprise without negatively impacting the social and environmental aspects of the community. The economic factors include tax rate, exchange rate, inflation, demand/supply, wages, governmental policies and activities in infrastructure, etc.

Economic sustainability requires that a business uses its resources efficiently and responsibly so that it can operate in a sustainable manner to consistently produce an operational profit.

Environmental sustainability refers to the conservation of natural resources and protection of global ecosystems - now and in the future. Environmental sustainability tackles the effects of climate change, pollution, and other environmental factors that can harm people's health, livelihoods, and lives.

Thus, sustainable development means conservation and development of resources (including people) without harming the natural environment and economic interest.

Hence, the formula of sustainable development is pres (preservation) + cons (conservation).

Manufacturing Industry and Sustainability

The manufacturing industry usually causes environmental pollution by emitting solid, liquid, and gaseous wastes.

Often a large-scale manufacturing industry causes major issues of social and cultural concern.

Sustainability is no longer an option for the manufacturing sector. It is imperative. Increasing energy use, resource depletion and waste generation are creating an urgency to rethink current consumer and business practices, and specifically to address priorities related to sustainability.

Sustainable manufacturing uses processes that are nonpolluting; these processes conserve energy and natural resources and are economically sound and safe for employees, communities, and consumers. Industries like cement and concrete have made tremendous progress towards improving process efficiency, lowering energy consumption, reducing environmental pollution, and enhancing the health and safety records of their employees.

Cement Industry: A Daunting Example The cement industry is one of the most polluting industries of the manufacturing sector. It emits a considerable amount of fine dust besides certain gaseous wastes such as carbon dioxide (CO2), a potent greenhouse gas. This industry is among the key drivers of climate change, responsible for 6 to 9% of global CO2 emissions.

Cement manufacturing is involves the quarrying of substantial volumes and tonnages of raw materials, crushing and grinding of raw mixes and intermediate products which in turn cause air pollution by creating dust, exacerbating respiratory diseases. Other elements of pollution include high levels of noise, ground vibration, solid wastes, and resources-depletion due to raw material extraction.

In the 2016 Paris agreement, it was agreed to keep the global temperature increase below 2 degrees C. To achieve this, CO2 emissions will have to be reduced by 80 to 90% by 2050. Consequently, the cement industry faces increasing pressure, but it has already started to address this challenge.

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The UN Climate Change Conference and Beyond The UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) concluded its deliberations in Glasgow, Scotland in November 2021.

The outcome document, known as the Glasgow Climate Pact, calls on 197 countries to report their progress towards more climate ambition next year, at COP27, set to take place in Egypt.

Theme - FOCUS- April 2022, Vol.10- (2) GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

By the end of 2022, the Glasgow pact asks countries to revisit their nationally determined contributions and strengthen them to bring them in line with the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement. Limiting warming to 1.5 degrees C is broadly accepted as a critical goal to avoiding worsening climate consequences.

But it is clear that current national commitments will not get us there. We will need stronger emissions reductions pledges, especially from the largest greenhouse gas emitters.

Expanding creativity, innovation, and determination from every sector of society to get on with real-world solutions is essential.

The private sector also showed strong engagement with nearly 500 global financial services firms agreeing to align US$130 trillion – some 40% of the world’s financial assets – with the goals set out in the Paris Agreement, including limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C. COP26 has triggered new hopes and expectations in spite of certain serious disappointments and lurking concerns about the broader issues of sustainability.

Several large companies, or multinational brands, have made significant sustainability promises, and there will be increasing pressures to meet those promises.

Finale Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In addition to natural resources, we also need social and economic resources. Manufacturing industries such as cement and concrete, though vital to overall economic development, have a special responsibility to uphold the three pillars of sustainability – economic, social and environmental.

We have a narrow and critical window of opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is clear that the private sector will have a growing role to help slow and reverse those emissions. Christian entrepreneurs, investors, professionals, managers, employees and other stakeholders have a duty to consciously integrate their faith element into the whole realm of sustainable development. As stewards of God's creation, Christians believe that humans have a responsibility towards the environment and Nature. God reveals himself in Nature.

Living sustainably can help us grow closer to God and preserve Nature for generations to come.

“The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God” (Saint John of Damascus 749 AD).

Thanking God for the First FOCUS Decade “They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (Lam 3: 23).

“Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, . . .

Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided.

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!”

(Thomas O. Chisholm (1923) – Christian Worship: Hymnal #602) It is with absolute humility and deep gratitude to God that we are entering into the 10th year of this ecumenical publication directed towards the Indian Christian Diaspora Communities across the world. We sincerely thank all our contributors and our readers for journeying with us and helping us with your hospitable presence.

Thank you for being our fellow travellers in our spiritual journey. May God continue to bless you to be a blessing to the whole inhabited earth (oikoumene).

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Sustainability of Nature and the Mission of the Church Dr. Cherian Samuel, McLean, Virginia Introduction.

This essay explores the relationship between Sustainable Development—covering economic, social and environmental sustainability aspects—and the Mission of the Church. The discussion is anchored in the divine mandate to humanity as stewards of creation and its implications for sustainability. The essay is divided into two sections. The first section outlines issues related to Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Sustainable Development Goals, and the Mission of the Church. The second section explores the relationship between Sustainable Development and the Mission of the Church, and concludes the essay.

Sustainable Development.

The 1987 Brundtland Reportviii defined sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The Report characterized sustainable development as a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are made consistent with future as well as present needs.

Sustainable development requires meeting the basic needs of all and extending to all the opportunity to satisfy their aspirations for a better life. Sustainable development was subsequently adopted as an overarching objective

by Governments at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, more commonly known as the “Earth Summit”.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Developmentix— adopted by all UN Member States in September 2015— provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) x, an urgent call for action by all countries, recognizing that ending poverty and other deprivations must go along with strategies to improve health and education, reduce inequality and promote economic growth, while tackling the challenge of climate change to preserve the planetxi.

Climate Change.

Among the 17 SDGs, Goal#13 on Climate Change is perhaps the most urgent, given the existential threat posed to the planet and humanity. There is a symbiotic

relationship between Sustainable Development and Climate Change. On the one hand, Climate Change influences key natural and human living conditions and therefore Sustainable Development. On the other hand, society’s priorities on Sustainable Development influence both the Green House Gas (GHG) emissions that are causing Climate Change and the vulnerability. As a result, the adverse impacts of Climate Change are undermining the ability of countries to attain Sustainable Development.

Poor and developing countries, particularly the least developed countries (LDCs), are among those most adversely affected and least able to cope with climate change related shocks to social, economic and natural systems. Increases in global temperature, sea level rise, ocean acidification and other climate change impacts are seriously affecting coastal areas and low-lying coastal countries, including many LDCs and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

According to the World Bankxii, no country today is immune from the impacts of climate change. There is an unmistakable link between climate change and its impact on human wellbeing and poverty. If unchecked, climate change will push 132 million people into poverty over the next 10 years, nullifying hard-won development gains.

Annually, natural disasters cost about $18 billion in lowand middle-income countries through damages to power generation and transport infrastructure alone. They also trigger wider disruptions for households and firms costing at least $390 billion a year. Climate change could also drive 216 million people to migrate within their own countries by 2050, with hotspots of internal migration emerging as soon as 2030, spreading and intensifying thereafter.

The international political response to Climate Change started at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, where the ‘Rio Convention’ included the adoption of the UN Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC)xiii. In December 2015, the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) convened in Paris, France, and adopted the Paris Agreement, a universal agreement which aims to keep a global temperature rise for this century well below 2 degrees Celsius, with the goal of driving efforts to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial revolution levelsxiv. While climate change mitigationxv is the solution to address the climate change challenge, adaptationxvi is an immediate and win–win action to increase resilience and reduce climate-related impacts and risksxvii.

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Following the recently concluded (November 2021) 26th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, UK, a consensus has emerged regarding key actions for tackling Climate Changexviii, relating to adaptation, mitigation, and financexix. Regarding adaptation, a work program has been established to define the global goal on adaptation, which will identify collective needs and solutions to the climate crisis already affecting many countries. On mitigation, the persistent gap in emissions was identified and the Parties collectively agreed to reduce the gap and ensure that the world continues to advance during the present decade, so that the rise in the average temperature is limited to 1.5 degrees. Regarding finance, there was consensus on the need for increased support to developing countries, with a call to at least double the finance for adaptation, as well as fulfill the pledge of providing $100 billion annually from developed to developing countries. A process for defining the new global goal on finance was also launched. Finally, after six years of negotiations, pending items that prevented the full implementation of the Paris Agreement on carbon markets and transparency were approved.

Sustainability and Evaluation.

The ex-post evaluation framework for private sector projects supported by Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs)xx are anchored in sustainability considerations as well. For example, in the case of both the International Finance Corporation (IFC)xxi and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)xxii—members of the World Bank Group—the stakeholder framework is used for assessing the development impact of supported projects ex-postxxiii, underpinned by the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of supported projectsxxiv.

Within the stakeholder framework, sustainability of private sector projects is fundamental, based on the recognition that failed businesses do not make positive contributions to the economy and society.

Mission of the Church.

The mission of the Church is to proclaim and share the “Gospel”xxv message, the good news regarding the reconciliation between holy God and sinful humanity

through Jesus, as He commanded through the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 19-20, Mark 16: 15-16, Acts 1:8). As Apostle Paul proclaimed to the Corinthian believers, God has reconciled humanity to Himself through Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 18, 19). Jesus bore the guilt and punishment for the sin of humanity on the cross, thereby imputing righteousness to believers.

As elaborated in the Gospels, reconciliation was the very purpose of Jesus coming to earth: to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10); to save people from sins (Matthew 1:21). Prophet Isaiah prophesied the fact of the Messiah being wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our inequities, and the chastisement for our peace being upon Him—700 years before Jesus was born—and dying on the cross for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3). Therefore, it is God who reaches out, initiates, and saves fallen humanity, who had become the enemies of God (Romans 5:10). Without God’s sovereign intervention, no sinner could ever be saved (John 6:65).

History of Creation.

As recorded in the Bible, God created the heavens and the earth in the beginning (Genesis 1:1), by His word and with the breath of His mouth (Psalm 33:6). The first two chapters of the Book of Genesis provides a beautiful chronological account of creation, signifying the greatness and majesty of the LORD: (i) Day 1—Day and Night (1: 2-5); (ii) Day 2—Heavens. Oceans (1:6-9); (ii) Day 3—Land, Vegetation (1:10-13); (iv) Day 4—Sun, Moon, Stars (1:14-19); (v) Day 5—Sea creatures. Birds (1:20-23); (vi) Day 6—Land animals, Humanity (1:24-31); and (vii) Day 7—Rest (2:2-3). Unlike the rest of creation, God created Humanity in His own image, male and female (1:27), out of the dust of the ground, albeit into a living being with the breath of life (2:7). Overall, God was pleased with His creation, characterizing it as “very good” (1:31). Likewise, in Psalm 8, King David presents a magnificent portrait of the glory of the LORD in creation and the wonder of humanity’s position in the cosmos (Psalm 8:1-9).

Stewardship Mandate.

A defining feature of Creation was God granting humanity dominion over all created things (Genesis 1:26, Psalm 8:6-8). With the LORD God as the fountainhead of all things, the “dominion” role of humanity is best understood as a “stewardship” role, taking care of God’s creation. As noted in Richter (2020) xxvi, at the creation of humanity in the image of God on the sixth day, humanity was granted stewardship—appointed as God’s custodians, as loyal representatives—over a complex and magnificent universe, as the embodiment of God’s sovereignty on earth. The stewardship mandate granted to humanity also provides the biblical basis for

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Sustainable Development. The stewardship mandate may also be elucidated in economic, social and environmental terms, similar to the economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainability.

King David provides a powerful illustration of humanity’s stewardship mandate, while blessing the LORD before the assembly of Israel, as they made generous and willing offerings, with a loyal heart, to build the temple for the LORD God (1 Chronicles 29:9-20). David stated unequivocally that everything comes from the LORD; that their offerings to God was only what they had received from Him; and emphasized their own unworthiness in being able to give generously (1 Chronicles 29:14-16).

The stewardship mandate also comes with accountability for humanityxxvii, given the associated responsibility of representing God in the world. Humanity can exercise dominion only under the delegated authority of God, where all authority rests (Romans 13:1-5). As caretakers of the earth and created in the image of God, humanity has to bring the material world into the service of God and its own good as God’s blessing on humanity. Bible also teaches that as stewards, humanity must shepherd and care for the governed (Titus 1:7-8).

Rest. In addition, God’s provision for rest—including sabbath rest—supplements the biblical basis for sustainable development. Beginning with creation (Genesis 2:2-3), rest is a repeated, desirable theme in the Bible. God rested on the seventh day, setting the standard and pattern for humanity to follow. God also built into humanity the need for sleep, like the rest of creationxxviii.

God established a pattern of regular rest through the ten commandments, when He made resting on the Sabbath a requirement of the Law for all God’s people, their servants and the animals (Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy 5:12-15). Upon entering the Promised land, the children of Israel were also commanded to give a sabbath of solemn rest to the LORD in the seventh year, without any sowing or reaping (Leviticus 25:1-17). As Christians, our ultimate rest is in Jesus, who invites all who are weary and burdened to come to Him and cast their cares on Him (Matthew 11:28; 1 Peter 5:7). Just as Sabbath rest was instituted to relieve humanity from labor, Jesus has come to save humanity from the futile effort to achieve salvation by works.

Economic Stewardship.

Walter Brueggemann—the pre-eminent Old Testament theologian—has suggested that the cancellation of debts mandated for the children of Israel every seven years and in the Jubilee year—the sabbatical 50th year after seven cycles of seven years (49 years)–is the most explicit teaching on economic stewardship in the Biblexxix

(Leviticus 25:8-17, Deuteronomy 15:1-18). The regulation protects the wellbeing of the land from unrestrained predation, as well as those who become impoverished and indebted. The Bible teaches Christians to help the poor and the afflicted, the orphans and widows, and people unable to support themselves (Isaiah 1:17; James 1:27).

Social Stewardship.

Bible teaches that God is a God of justice (Deuteronomy 32:4), with concern and care shown to the poor and afflicted (Deuteronomy 10:18). Israel was commanded to care for the fatherless, the widow and the sojourner, people who were not able to fend for themselves or had no support system. In His Olivet Discourse, Jesus speaks about caring for the least (Matthew 25:40), underpinned by the second of the greatest commandments, love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39). Jesus also showed deep compassion for the poor, the sick, the dispossessed, and the outcasts of society (Matthew xxx 11:5), albeit with a focus on spiritual needs .

Environmental Stewardship. As discussed earlier, the Bible states clearly that the earth and everything in it belongs to God, with God granting humanity a stewardship over role at Creation. Stewardship implies caretaking—intelligently managing God-given resources—in order to preserve and protect. A good example of environmental stewardship comes from the Old Testament, where God commands the fields and vineyards to be sown and harvested for six years, then left fallow for the seventh year in order to replenish the soil’s nutrients, both to rest the land and ensure continued provision for His people in the future (Exodus 23:10-11; Leviticus 25:1-7).

Given our collective carbon emissions as humanity, Climate Change presents an unprecedented ethical problem to Christians, impinging on Jesus’s foundational command to Love One Another, across time and space.

Humanity is called to care for the neighbors of the future and the present. The relationship between the ethical considerations of climate change—the knowledge that our actions directly or indirectly cause harm to others— and the practice of the Christian faith has been challenging.

SDGs and the Church.

At its core, SDGs reflect the interrelatedness of creation and the interdependence of human needs. By His grace, the Church has been invited to be a part of God’s work for humanity, even as perfect justice and perfect peace remains a vision for the future. Faith demands the people of God to be ambassadors for change, striving for justice and peace in the world, with the SDGs serving as progress markers.

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Almost all of the 17 SDGs are connected to the work of the Church and related organizations at some level, with a direct connection to five SDGs : (i) SDG 3 - Good health and wellbeing; Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages (“I am the Lord who heals you.” Exodus 15:26); (ii) SDG 4 - Quality education; Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (“How much better to get wisdom than gold.”

Proverbs 16:16); (iii) SDG 5 - Gender equality; Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls (“There is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28); (iv) SDG 10 - Reduced inequalities; Reduce inequality within and among countries (“… do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor …”

Zechariah 7:10); and (v) SDG 16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions; Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels (“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:19) xxxi

Sustainability and the Mission of the Church.

Based on the considerations outlined in this essay, sustainable development—based on economic, social and environmental sustainability—is fully consistent with the Church’s mission to share the good news of the Gospel in the world. The stewardship mandate—economic, social and environmental stewardship—granted to humanity at Creation provides the biblical basis for sustainable development and the related SDGs. Meeting the physical and spiritual needs of humanity has been central to the mission of the Church from the very beginning. The Early Church shared all they had (Acts 2:4445, Acts 4:32-37), taking special care of widows (Acts 6:1-7), and working together to meet specific needs. For example, when the church in Jerusalem was suffering persecution and a famine, the church in Antioch sent relief (Acts 11:29–30).

Likewise, local churches have been a tremendous blessing to communities during the peak of the recent COVID-19 pandemic . There are also ongoing initiatives to identify and serve most urgent spiritual and physical needs globally . xxxii

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Conclusions.

Sustainable development—based on economic, social and environmental sustainability aspects—is fully consistent with the mission of the Church to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples. Stewardship mandate—covering economic, social and environmental stewardship—granted to humanity at Creation by the LORD provides the biblical basis for sustainable development. Ultimately, stewardship is humanity’s obedient submission to God’s sovereignty.

Lastly, Climate change presents an existential threat to humanity, as well as a fundamental challenge to Jesus’s radical Love One Another command to Christians.

Sustainability considerations are also central to the ex-post development impact assessments of private sector projects that reduce poverty, meet people’s needs and contribute to the Church’s mission.

(The Carpenter’s Son - Continued from Page 21) He became poor so that we may become rich because of His grace. When we live in a market-oriented culture we often forget about the Christ. Christmas should be an experience of emptying ourselves. The birth of Jesus Christ was a painful experience for Joseph and Mary. But they listened and obeyed God so that their agony became our joy. Unless and until we experience the pain and agony of others we cannot celebrate the joy of Christmas in its true meaning.

Christmas must be an embodiment of the sacrifice and obedience to God. Our celebrations should reflect the pain and sufferings of others, then only it would become a real celebration. God is the master carpenter who created the whole world. Are we still searching the Christ in the manger or the crucified Christ on the cross? His birth and death should challenge the way we live and should enable us to transform ourselves, and the life of others around us. The resurrected Christ’s presence in our lives should enable us to face the various challenges of the world.

In Fort Worth, a city on the west of Dallas, the City owned buses carry an advertisement by an atheist group, which reads – “Millions of Americans are good without God.” We should be blamed if millions of Americans are good without Jesus since they did not see the resurrected Christ in the lives of the so-called Christians. Becoming annoyed by the advertisement on the city buses, the Christians placed a counter advertisement, which reads like this – “Millions of people are good with God.” Is it just for being good for us that we are Christians? No, we should be able to be good for the people around us. They should see Jesus through our lives and taste that He is good.

It is comfortable to move with the crowd, but it is difficult to move with God. Christians need to move to the other side of the world in order to be with God. A true believer should live the Gospel and not of the materialistic world.

Christianity should be a way of life. It is not about wearing a cross but cross should be our way of life. Christ should be revealed through our lives. Time magazine had portrayed Mother Teresa as the most beautiful women in the world. It is not her outer beauty, but her inner beauty that Time magazine has recognized.

The message of Gospel should enable us to glorify God through our lives. The Gospel should enable us to be with God and to walk with God. Jesus wants us to have a personal encounter with Him in our daily lives. We need to step out of the nets that prevent us from being with God. When we encounter Jesus, His glory will be revealed through our lives. Our faith should outflow our emotions to have real encounter with Him. (Continued on Page 49)

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Sustainability of Nature and Mission of the Church: Towards an Integral Eco-Theology Revd George Abraham Kallooppara, Austin Ecology in general refers to the living animals and organisms that live on earth and their influence on each other. Ecology is the science of the symphony of life, and the science of survival. Ecology, economics and ecumenism comes from the same root word ‘oikos,’ they are inter connected but in real life this togetherness is missing. There is a terrible imbalance in ecology because of the imbalance in economics, which in turn affects the unity among the whole creation. The world is moving towards a culture of accumulation of wealth, which is against the natural law of eco-system. The result is an unwarranted and irresponsible exploitation of plants, animals and natural resources resulting in land conversion and habitat destruction, land degradation, resource conversion and wastes, hazards in means of production, pollution of air in the form of acid rain, ozone depletion, greenhouse effect, pollution of seas, rivers and lakes because of toxins, chemicals, pesticides, oil contamination, nuclear pollution, thermal pollution etc. It is not possible for the individual to live without being concerned about the environment as the individual lies with it and in it and by it. The role of religion is very interesting when seen in the light of ecology. Every religion holds nature in high esteem. Ecology from a theological perspective was not part of traditional theological schools as exploitation of natural resources was considered as a God given right justified by scripture. Modern theologians however use the same scripture to show how the Bible views ecology and its interpretation of creation.

Theological Task The word “theology” literally means simply “words about God.” A Cosmo centric theology must be theocentric: theology is about God and the world. The responsibility of theologians is to bring the perspectives of the Christian faith to bear on the current and pressing issues of our day. The distinctive voice of theology is the voice that speaks of God in relation to the pains and pleasures, the crisis and opportunities, the dilemmas and despairs of life on planet Earth.

Theology is an aspect of discerning God’s will, and hence cannot be done apart from ethics and spirituality: thinking, doing and praying belong together. One cannot think about God or act rightly in the world apart from being grounded in God. The important character of any theology is the context in which it occurs. A theology that begins with the statement that we live to give God glory by loving the world has two foci: a theocentric and a

Cosmo centric one. The cosmological context says that theology should be done from the perspective of the wellbeing of the entire planet and all its creatures in which each one of us are a subject in a community of subjects, both human and earth subjects, all of whom have value.

“To turn toward God (theocentrism) was simultaneously “to turn toward God’s beloved world (geocentrism)” (Larry. L. Rasmussen, Earth Community- Earth Ethics, New York: Orbis Books, 1996). The integrity of creation refers to the value of all creatures in themselves, for one another, and for God, and their interconnectedness in a diverse whole that has unique value for God. To forget the integrity of creation is to forget that the earth itself is a splendid whole.

The rising privatization of the land by the rich, the elite and by the ruling class for ‘development’ projects results in the victimization of the poor. The ecological movements today, noted that the poor masses are fighting for their survival and the right to homeland. ‘Land is life’. Hence a theology of creation should also be a theology of land. Claus Westermann refutes the traditional interpretation of ‘dominion’ as ‘right to exploitation.’ God expects human beings to act like viceroys, to be just and responsible and render real services to the created order. Viceroys are forbidden to exploit people on the earth. What is expected for God’s viceroy on earth is to: defend the cause of the poor and be concerned about the fertility of land (Psalms 72:4-6).

Christian love is not the kind of selfish possessiveness, which is lavished solely on our children and grandchildren, but is given to all household of God, all the children of the one and the same parent. It is the divine ‘agape’, which is applicable not just to people with whom we share values or our generation but also to all people in all time. By doing so we keep right relationship with nature and the whole creation of God as stewards and caretakers of everything that is given to us for our use.

There is a need for each one of us to live differently in order to love nature, and to live differently we need to think differently- especially about ourselves and who we

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are in the scheme of things. Market ideology has become our way of life; almost our religion, telling us who we are (consumers) and what the goal of life is.

Ecology to Global Consciousness The major problems we face today are pollution, nuclear and bacteriological threats, deforestation, desertification, famine, and the demographic explosion due to the industries, factories and multi-national companies. They all point to the essential importance of the ecological problem. This, in turn, leads to the development of a new culture based primarily on a revision of our technological, political, and social outlook. The new outlook of each of these aspects should link ecology to global consciousness. Only by doing this will we be able to avoid catastrophe and think in terms of a “new heaven and a new earth.”

COVID 19 has given the nature a ‘healing time’ with reduced human interference in natural environment. But when the epidemic finally subsides, then carbon and other pollutant emissions get back then it would be as if this clear sky view never happened and the changes, we see today will not have lasting impact. It is a known fact that anthropogenic activities are the major cause behind degraded environmental condition and disturbed ecology, but from the lock down times, it has become evident that still it can be restored significantly if sufficient restorative measure and strategic government policies are planned before removing all the restrictions. Human interaction with the ecosystem must remain balanced; otherwise, we will risk disrupting nature, which has consequences as we are seeing in the COVID-19 pandemic Environmental Ethics An environmental ethics is basically a human ethic based on social justice for all without discrimination of caste, creed, race, color, sex, ideology, religion or nation. They are our moral values and principles decide whether an action is environmentally positive or negative. In regard to environmental ethics, we need to know about frontier ethic and sustainable development ethic. Frontier ethic is the belief that the earth resources are meant for human consumption and hence they can be used without any regard to how their use affects the environment.

According to them, economic growth is more important than conservation of nature. Sustainable development ethics, on the other hand, believes that resources are limited, and hence we have to use them judiciously and carefully. They believe that humans are part of nature and do not have a right to control nature.

Ecology and Biblical Hermeneutics An area that requires urgent attention in the context of ecological crisis is our interpretation of the Bible. We

need to develop an ecological interpretation that takes God’s creation seriously and does not discriminate between humanity and rest of creation. We should move away from an androcentric and anthropocentric interpretation to a life centered emphasis. The new reading of the Bible should emerge from our commitment to the preservation of life. The concerns of Biblical authors were much different Environmental Ministry of the Church The churches need to play a prophetic role to pioneer awareness programmes. The roles of the churches are crucial since stewardship is an important ingredient of Christian faith and practice. Churches have adopted symbols and customs from our natural environment but seldom have these been integrated into mainstream thinking or practice. A conscious effort is needed today to express the Biblical insights on creation spirituality.

Materials for Bible study, worship and Christian education to help us celebrate and learn God’s design for creation and human responsibility should be made available.

Acting together globally and locally with environmentalists, scientists, social activists, young people, political leaders, economists and others from different backgrounds and religions who are searching for just forms of society, which help maintain the ecological balance of creation. By rejecting over consumption and promoting models, which encourage recycling, providing adequate shelter and appropriate transportation, providing sustainable for of agricultural and industrial production, and meet the basic needs of all people.

Rejecting and fighting hierarchical thinking, which puts one race above another, men above women, or people above the natural environment, and accepting the responsibility of constant self-examination is needed for building a more harmonious world. Participating in networks with other churches, environmental organizations, popular movements, scientific associations and other groups committed to education and action to resist the causes of atmospheric destruction is the need of the hour.

As a church we need to form special study groups or task forces around specific environmental issues, Bible study and theological concerns. As we reflect together, we will realize how quickly the world scene is changing and new challenges are emerging. As a church we need to recognize that we have failed to do what God has called us to do. We have failed to be stewards of God’s, creation. Not only have we not defended the oppressed and exploited, but also have we often taken sides with the oppressors and exploiters. There is therefore the need to stay together in the process of mutual commitment to justice, peace and the integrity of creation, and to prepare for a new vision, commitments and actions.

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Ecology and Spirituality Dr. Zac Varghese, London John Philip Newell is a Celtic teacher and author of spirituality who calls the modern world to reawaken to the sacredness of the earth and every human being. In his poem, ‘Praying with the earth’, he wrote: “Whichever way we turn, O God, there is Your face in the light of the moon and patterns of stars, in sacred mountain rifts and ancient groves, in mighty seas and creatures of the deep.

Whichever way we turn, O God, there is Your face in the light of eyes we love, in the salt of tears we have tasted, in weathered countenances east and west, in the soft skin glow of the child everywhere.

Whichever way we turn, O God, there is Your face, there is Your face among us.”

light, shade and perspective will always make it beautiful.” The romantic poets such as Wordsworth were proponents of natural theology, understanding God through the observation of nature. Wordworth ends his poem ‘The Rainbow’ with the following lines: And I could wish my days to be / Bound each to each by natural piety.” The joy he felt at the sight of a rainbow for him was the truest worship of God. There are others who feel closer to God through their intimate relationship with nature and its beauty. In the creation story, at the end of the 6th day, God saw everything that he has made, and said it was very good (Ge 1: 31). St. Paul expresses this in Rom 1: 20, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities –his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” However, natural theology cannot teach us the love and mercy of God, for that we need to rely on the revelations through Jesus Christ.

There is a basic proposition that God has given us two books: one is the Bible and the second is nature, the physical world of earth, which is not created by human efforts such as animals and plants; nature is God’s green book. This idea is poetically expressed in Psalm 19:1-4: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech; they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.”

Dan Papworth (1) in his book, ‘The Lives Around Us’, highlights that human existence is a gift from God and stewardship entrusted to mankind of the created world is a privilege and hence it is important to respect the fact that all created things have their rightful place in maintaining bio-diversity and ecological balance.

Sometimes, a feeling of superiority over other creatures around us whether they are wildlife, pets, trees, or weeds can easily get out of control. Subjugation of others, power and control, may be deep within our psyche; a restless spirit needs self-control, but it is not easily attained when the surge of activity springs from within.

So, we learn about God from both the Bible and nature.

The non-human living world around us has the ability to express gratitude and a sense of profound respect for what God has done for this earth and all who live in it.

This idea reminds me of Charles Kingsley’s thoughts, which he expressed during his nature walks: “I am immersed in the infinite ocean of God.” Great artists remind us that the physical world and the spiritual are not separate, but overlap and are inter-mingled - the “veil” between them is thin. God’s coming to us as a human being reminds us that it is not helpful to try to draw lines between what is “sacred” and what is “secular”. Even more to the point, great artists like Turner, Constable, Van Gogh and such people teach us that we need to really use our eyes not only see but also to perceive the inner beauty. To do that, we need to focus so that we see through the veil. Maybe at times this will not be easy but it will always be worthwhile! John Constable, who saw and painted the beauty in ordinary country scenes and nature said: “There is nothing ugly; I never saw an ugly thing in my life. Let the form of an object be what it may –

‘Fragrance and Abundance’ (2) is another book, which I reviewed previously for this journal, helps us to understand our responsibilities to care for the ‘oikoumene’, the whole Inhabited world, and maintain a sustainable lifestyle. It is important to realize that the major religions own around seven percent of the habitable surface of this good God-given earth.

Therefore, faith communities have a major responsibility as stewards of the whole inhabited earth. Various environmental activists have been telling us over the last several years that our living planet is slowly being diminished, polluted, over populated and built over or at the edge of total destruction. It is increasingly clear that human activity has assisted in global warming and other ecological issues. The authors of, ‘Fragrance and Abundance’, have also provided ideas and possibilities of tackling ecological issues with a Christian perspective.

Arundati Roy, the Booker Prize-winning author and social activist, recently wrote: “Oceans are rising, coasts and

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coastal cities are insecure, forests are burning, the fames licking at the edges of settled civilisation, devouring whole towns as they spread. Rivers are drying up.

Drought haunts lush valleys. Hurricanes and floods devastate cities. As groundwater is depleted, California is sinking. The reservoir of the iconic Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, which supplies fresh water to 40m people, is drying at an alarming rate. If empires and their outposts need to plunder the Earth to maintain their hegemony, it doesn’t matter if the plundering is driven by American, European, Chinese or Indian capital. These are not really the conversations that we should be having.

Because while we’re busy talking, the Earth is busy dying” (Arundhati Roy, Economist, 3rd September, 2021).

The secretary General of the United Nations at COP26 conference on 1st November this year said, “humanity is digging their graves.”

Many of these leaders spoke about the vital importance of charting a path to keep the prospect of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C within reach; including by closing the gap between the current nationally determined contributions to 2030 and requirements of science; revisiting and updating them as necessary. They issued clear calls to continue to scale up climate finance from all sources, including urgently delivering the $100bn per year goal and deepening work across the financial system to align financial flows with the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals. Additionally, they called for agreement on an inclusive approach for setting a new collective quantified goal beyond 2025, fit for purpose for delivering the Paris Agreement. There was a clear commitment to working together to achieve climate aims, including with the private sector, international organisations and civil society.

World’s Response to Ecological Crisis in 2021:

Leaders highlighted the need for all countries to urgently scale up action to adapt to climate change. A number of developed countries were clear about their commitment to achieve a balance between mitigation and adaptation in their climate finance, including through a new Champions Group on Adaptation Finance, and with some committing to 50% adaptation finance. Further support for adaptation was showcased through the African Adaptation Acceleration Programme and a new Infrastructure for Resilient Island States fund. Many leaders spoke about their national and locally-led plans, with 32 countries now having submitted Adaptation Communications or National Adaptation Plans, now representing more than 2 billion people, helping share best practice and mobilise action.

COP stands for ‘Conference of the Parties’, a United Nations climate summit where world leaders coordinate their actions to stop the rise in global temperatures. Originally planned for November 2020, COP26 was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions and finally took place from 1-12 November 2021 in Glasgow.

The Paris Agreement was first negotiated in 2015 at COP21 which committed countries to keeping the global temperature rise below 2°C and ideally below 1.5°C in order to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.

At Glasgow, Head of States, Prime Ministers, and political leaders from 194 countries were joined by civil society, international organisations, businesses and youth to mark the start of the COP-26. More than 30,000 people from diverse background were involved at Glasgow in one way or other. Over the first two days featuring national statements and a series of high-level meetings and events, 120 Heads of States and Governments were clear in their determination to take ambitious action to tackle climate change and seize the opportunities for a clean and resilient transition. These leaders made clear that climate change is a global problem. The world is welcoming in a new era of economic and political partnership with climate action at its heart. The task of the decade will be to deliver the finance, resources and tools to rapidly deliver climate action at scale. During the Summit, leaders outlined what must be achieved in Glasgow; sending a signal to negotiators to work together to accelerate climate action in this crucial decade, stressing the need to drive progress on all issues and write the rule book to support delivery of the Paris Agreement goals and building a net zero and resilient future.

The following are some memorable quotes from the leaders at the conference: "It is the hope of many that the legacy of this summit — written in history books yet to be printed — will describe you as the leaders who did not pass up the opportunity, and that you answered the call of those future generations. That you left this conference as a community of nations with a determination, a desire and a plan to address the impact of climate change and to recognize that the time for words has now moved to the time for action." — Queen Elizabeth "To the world's most vulnerable who need us to act, to Indigenous people who can show us the way, to young people marching in our streets in cities around the world. It's true, your leaders do need to do better. That's why we're here today." — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "There's no more time to hang back or sit on the fence or argue amongst ourselves. This is a challenge of our collective lifetimes. The existential threat, threat to human

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existence as we know it, and every day we delay the cost of inaction increases. So let this be the moment that we answer history's call here in Glasgow." — U.S. President Joe Biden "Our addiction to fossil fuels is pushing humanity to the brink. We face a stark choice: Either we stop it — or it stops us. It's time to say: enough, . . . Enough of treating nature like a toilet. Enough of burning and drilling and mining our way deeper. We are digging our own graves."

— UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres Climate activist Greta Thunberg said, “Real leadership on climate change will not come from politicians attending the COP26 gathering in Glasgow, Scotland, because they are only 'pretending to take our futures seriously.' Change e is not going to come from inside there — that is not leadership, this is leadership. We say no more 'blah blah blah,' no more exploitation of people and nature and the planet."

Sir David Attenborough, the naturalist and broadcaster, reminded: "We are, after all, the greatest problem solvers to have ever existed on Earth. If working apart, we are a force powerful enough to destabilize our planet. Surely working together, we are powerful enough to save it."

Chronological Unfairness and the Ecological Crisis: Chronological unfairness is destroying the future possibilities, hopes and aspirations of generations that would follow us because of our greed and throw-away consumeristic culture. In a historic Joint Statement on 1st September, 2021, Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said, “Today’s children and teenagers will face catastrophic consequences unless we take responsibility now, as ‘fellow workers with God’ (Gn 2.4–7), to sustain our world. We frequently hear from young people who understand that their futures are under threat. For their sake, we must choose to eat, travel, spend, invest and live differently, thinking not only of immediate interest and gains but also of future benefits. We repent of our generation’s sins. We stand alongside our younger sisters and brothers throughout the world in committed prayer and dedicated action for a future which corresponds ever more to the promises of God.” Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the UK, confessed at COP-26: "The people who will judge us are children not yet born and their children, and we are now coming centre stage before a vast and uncountable audience of posterity, and we must not fluff our lines or miss our cue, because if we fail, they will not forgive us." Greta Thunberg and other young leaders have highlighted this aspect through their Friday School protest movements

across Europe over the last three years. Pope Francis (3) in his encyclical, Laudato Si: On Care of Our Common Home, lays out for all people the ethical and moral implications of climate change and Eco-Justice. “. . . today’s problems call for a vision capable of taking into account every aspect of the global crisis.” . . . we are not faced with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather one complex crisis which is both social and environmental.” As a result, “Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature.” In such an “economic ecology,” the protection of the environment is then seen as “an integral part of the development process and cannot be considered in isolation from it.” As Mother Earth gasps for life, so do economically marginalized individuals, women, and children who experience lasting health and lifestyle effects of fossil fuel extraction. Implications of rising sea levels, increased heat waves, droughts, floods, storms and food insecurity. Women, children, and future generations are disproportionately affected. Life depends upon making the links between economic policy, trade, extractive industries, and energy, immigration, food and water security, war and peace, and climate change.

Borrowing again from Laudato Si, what is needed is an “integral ecology” as we address policies and laws.

Many leaders of churches continue to highlight the importance of the environmental justice (Eco-justice) for the survival of the ‘oikoumene’. Environmental justice addresses connections between the well-being of earth and the human community with special focus upon those who are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation because of economics, race, gender and age. Eco-Justice describes the relationship between the systemic problems facing individuals, communities and the natural world. OIKOS implies taking care of the household, which is made up of a variety of relationships, including people, creatures, eco-systems, economy, environment, food, water, air, and rules facilitating social, cultural, spiritual and emotional well-being of all in the home which is held in common. Increased implications of global climate change add to the complexity of EcoJustice. Humans and future generations cannot have quality of life without recognizing their place as part of the natural world and caring for, Mother Earth.

Let us return to Psalm 19, which reflects on the ways that God is revealed. Nature, especially the vast expanse of the sky, star-studded at night and filled with the sun’s light during the day, points to God’s glory (vs 1–6). Yet nature’s ‘speech’ is not heard; it is without sound or words (v 3). Like God’s work in human history, there is a hiddenness about nature’s revelation of God, which for many is incomprehensible. Worse still, sceptics point to the ‘cruelties’ of nature to discredit the belief that creation

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is God’s handiwork. As the psalmist is exposed to the beauty and flawlessness of God’s will, he also recognises how far removed he is from such perfection and cries out to God for help in prayer (vs 12–14). It is only through God’s revelation in his Word that we come to know him in a personal way and learn to call him our rock and redeemer.

It’s now time to say “enough”. Enough of brutalizing biodiversity. Enough of killing ourselves with carbon abundance. Enough of burning and drilling and mining our way deeper. Our planet is changing before our eyes — from the ocean depths to mountaintops; from melting glaciers to relentless extreme weather events. Sea-level rise is double the rate it was 30 years ago. Oceans are hotter than ever — and getting warmer faster. Parts of the Amazon rainforest now emit more carbon than they absorb. Recent climate action announcements at Glasgow might give the impression that we are on track to turn things around, but there is much more to do individually and collectively.

Jurgen Moltmann (4), in his Gifford Lectures of 1984-85, reminded us of an ‘ecological doctrine of creation’. He said, “If the creator is himself present in his creation by virtue of the Spirit, then his relationship to creation must rather be viewed as an intricate web of unilateral, reciprocal and many-sided relationships. In this network of relationships, ‘making’, ‘preserving’, ‘maintaining’, and ‘perfecting’ are certainly the great one-sided relationships; but ‘in-dwelling’, ‘sympathizing’, ‘participating’, ‘accompanying’, ‘enduring’, ‘delighting’ and glorifying are relationships of mutuality which describe a cosmic community of living between God the Spirit and all his created beings.” Therefore, we need to look at ecology with sacred sensitivity and understand its spiritual dimensions.

Let us thank God for his amazing gift of revelation in nature and in His Word that we can know him and call him our ‘creator, redeemer and Sustianer’(5), and the healer of this fractured world; that he does not leave us without guidance; he teaches us the right way to live. If we truly love God with all our heart, mind and soul, and love our neighbour as ourself, Mother Earth and all her creatures being included in that love, then we have no choice but to make the principled decisions and the actions for change we know so very well that are required, the science has clearly shown us what lies ahead, and human willpower and creativity can again pivot towards ecological justice and truth, and above all love. As human beings we are part of God’s whole creation and have a responsibility to love and care for what God has entrusted to us as stewards of his creation to love sustainably for the welfare of the future generations to remove all traces of chronological unfairness.

Reference: 1. Dan Papworth, Published by Christian Alternatives, (2015), ISBN 978 1 7835 256 0 2. Kanayathu C. Koshy and Elizabeth Koshy, ‘Fragrance and Abundance’, CSS Thiruvalla, 2021, ISBN 978-81- 7821- 678-8.

3. Pope Francis, Encyclical ‘Laudato, Si’, June 2015.

4. Jurgen Moltmann, ‘God in Creation, An Ecological Doctrine of creation, SCM Press Ltd., 1985; page, 14.

5. Zac Varghese, ‘God as the Creator, Redeemer and Sustianer, FOCUS, Vol.7 (3), July 2019, page 23-29.

The Carpenter’s Son – Continued from Page 43) God also answers to our prayers with His silence at certain times. This is the mysterious paradox of God’s grace. Spirituality should involve emptying ourselves or having the experience of nothingness. Strength creates competition and weakness makes community. We need to practice faith in our life. Good things can be done only with heavenly wisdom. Heavenly wisdom is revealed through our humble deeds. Humility is defined as strength under control. Worldly wisdom generates jealousy, anger and speaks against truth. Heavenly wisdom on the other hand creates purity, peace, yielding, submission and mercy. Worship should be breathing in and breathing out God’s love.

Doing things differently is what Jesus did in His public ministry. There is always a tendency to do things pleasing to others. This is called going with the crowd or flowing with the water. But Jesus took the opposite way, doing things differently. He gathered His disciples who were ordinary people and made them to do extra ordinary things. He associated with sinners, tax collectors and prostitutes, whom the so-called religion condemned. If we do not do things differently, there will be a famine in our lives. We need to have faith to do things differently.

The four leapers did something differently (2 Kings 7: 111), which changed their lives. Their way of doing things was God’s plan to save an entire nation. God expects us to do something differently, not just to fill the pews of the sanctuary and just soaking sermons week after week.

Believers are called to do things differently so that God’s glory may be revealed through our lives. Let us live the gospel and not living on the gospel.

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