Thursday, November 4th

“15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.”  Colossians 1:15-20

Around the world these weeks are filled with hope, promise and calls for action.   This is a time for all Christians to be inspired by their faith to live out God’s vision for creation and participate in Jesus’ on-going reconciliation of that vision. This week world leaders have been meeting in Glasgow working on saving, sustainable solutions to reduce greenhouse gas and to save our planet.  In the streets and around the world we watch, we pray, and we look for ways to be faithful stewards of God’s world.  Recently, Jo and I attended a full-day virtual gathering to advance For the Love of Creation’s action on climate justice.  During this gathering a Quaker sister poignantly reminded us that action flows out of our spiritual discipline,  grounded in  our theology.  Two weekends ago the 43rd General Council of our United Church met to discern how to live God’s vision, here and now, and created a new vision to lead us forward: “Called by God, as disciples of Jesus, the United Church of Canada seeks to be a bold, connected, evolving church of diverse, courageous, hope-filled communities united in deep spirituality, inspiring worship, and daring justice.”

 Hope abounds everywhere. With hope and courage in our hearts we will continue to find ways to support each other in working for justice and peace in God’s world.

Here is  a beautiful affirmation from “Living Faithfully in the Time of Creation” by Wild Goose Resource Group of the Iona Community:

We believe that this is God’s world and all that lives on it. We believe that living gratefully and giving generously are marks of faith.
We believe that all of humanity should have equal access to the earth’s resources, and that every individual must now act to preserve this world so that the children of tomorrow will not be burdened by the mistakes of today.
And so we commit ourselves to think globally, to trade fairly, to live responsibly, and to love this world as it is loved by God who in Christ became one with creation. Amen

And from the Iona community an evening prayer by John L. Bell:

Tonight, let us be grateful for changing things: for cloud patterns and seasonal landscapes, for the restless sea and multi-coloured earth, for branch and leaf and fruit and flower, for rocks, weather-carved like an old face which could tell stories, for wind and water and all that was never meant to stand still, for the lilies waving in the field. 
That is your economy, Lord. Teach us its value.
Set up your cross in the marketplaces of our world,
 to remind us of your love for the unproductive, the imperfect and the lost, and of the malice of human greed. Redeem our souls, redeem our peoples, redeem our times.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, through whose passion and death the treasure house of the kingdom was opened to all. Amen
                                                                       “Living Faithfully in the Time of Creation”