Sunday Spotlight - October 4th 2009

Climate Change Sunday

Roman Catholic/Methodist/URC - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Anglican - Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost, Proper 22

Job 1:1, 2:1-10 or Genesis 2:18-24 * Psalm 26 or Psalm 8 * Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12 * Mark 10:2-16

Today's Gospel ( and indeed the other readings ) might be seen as solely seen as a teaching on marriage and the Christian attitude towards it. However, here we are again presented with a set of readings which have passages in them which point to something different.

Indeed, I am preaching today and I have chosen to come at it from a different angle entirely, linked with the fact that today is Climate Change Sunday. Of course this date is chosen because it is the 4th October, Feast of St Francis of Assisi, patron of the environment. However this year it fits beautifully, I think with the readings and its a lovely "God-incidence"

We are presented in the Old Testament reading with the creation story and Adam being given charge of the animals ( through his naming of them ). We are charged with this too, this planet and all its God given creatures and environments are ours to protect. If God's own people aren't going to do this then who else will. In a way it is a marriage situation. When those of us who are married made our vows, we promised to care for our spouse, in the good times and the bad. This means that we will take care of them, even when they cannot take care of themselves. We love our spouse, they are part of what makes us who we are.

Its the same therefore with ourselves and the planet. It cannot take care of itself, we have been given charge of it and we must look after it and care for its needs. Its a God given task and one in which we must as Christians take the lead. At the last exec meeting we talked about developing the eco-congregations model in our churches in Frome. If we don't take this responsibility seriously, then there will literally be no future generations of children to bring to Jesus.