A crisis for God's creation

That was the central message in Bishop Nicholas's Ash Wednesday Sermon that focussed on what he called "a crisis for God's creation".

Read the text here

Bishop Nicholas began his sermon by quoting a Roman Catholic nun who told him “Don’t you know that the Rabbis teach that when we meet God face to face God will ask us whether we enjoyed this wonderful creation?”

He went on to tell those gathered for the Ash Wednesday service at Salisbury Cathedral:

"Last night at Poole and North Bournemouth Deanery Synod 120 people gathered to consider ‘Why Christians care about creation’. They could have been at home eating pancakes or out on the town at some sort of Mardi Gras, but the care of creation brought them to a church hall for 2 hours.

"Lydia Reese from A’Rocha said that we will not care well for the environment out of fear – the world’s getting warmer, sea levels are rising and we’re terrified. We will do it best out of love. She suggested we think about how we enjoy, nurture and defend God’s creation because they are what will motivate us best to care for God’s creation."

Bishop Nicholas said the climate emergency was a fundamental injustice that "has raised big questions from young people about whether we really care and about intergenerational fairness."

He added:

"It raises big questions about climate justice because the poorest of the earth, who have had least benefit from the industrial revolution, are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. That is why the development agencies like Christian Aid, CAFOD and TearFund, have climate justice as a top priority."

He said:

"Lent is an opportunity to renew our relationships with God and one another and the planet; less about what we give up and more about what we take on, renewed by the disciplines and joys of Christian life."

To read the full text of the Bishop's Ash Wednesday sermon, click here.