“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.” (Romans 8:20-25, NASB)
Growing up, I had the rare privilege of living in the woods on the shores of the broad Rainy River. Miles for the nearest town, I had a natural playground that was second to none. When I wasn’t exploring game trails, I would often spend my time combing the beach with my Grandmother and her sister, my Great-Aunt Rosemary. It was on these excursions that my discipleship in Creation was established- the pattern of migratory birds, the world of creatures large and small, the synchronicity of life and the earth that sustains it.
Naturally as I grew up, I found deep resonance with the growing environmental movement during my teen years. “Green” voices in the Evangelical world were rare, but the writing of Tony Campolo offered me great encouragement. However, even then, environmentalism seemed too shallow an approach to something of such deep significance as Creation itself. For years I lacked adequate terminology to gave name to what I believe to be an increasingly important element of faith. After some time in trying to come up with a name, one suddenly came to me (which I later learned has been used in Orthodox circles for some time): Sacramental Ecology.
In the Orthodox tradition, sacramental ecology denotes how Creation itself can serve as an icon, venerating (though never worshipping) it for the window it opens to the divine. In my definition of the Gospel, I intentionally place “harmony with Creation” as a core element for this very reason. Far too often, Creation has been treated as merely a stage upon which the story of God in Humanity is played out. However, this represents a false and dangerous dichotomy that undermines God’s intentions.
When Jesus defeated death in the Resurrection, He did not abandon His earthly body for an etheral spiritual being. His Resurrection was true, Jesus emerging from the tomb with a glorified, but decidedly physical body. He sits forever at the right hand of the Father, a Man, bearing the marks of the Cross forever. In “Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship” N.T. Wright says:
“Resurrection, then, means what it says: not survival, not the immortality of the soul, not eternal disembodied bliss, but bodily resurrection. Jesus seems- and the New Testament writers are as aware as we are that they are at the edges of language at this point- Jesus seems to have gone through death and out the other side. His new life was not less than physical; but it seems to have had a new dimension to it as well, a kind of transphysicality, humanity with dimensions added.”
In the same way, the promise of the Resurrection stands true for us as well. God’s original and ultimate intention for us includes the physicality He created for us. Further, Scripture clearly tells us that this promise extends to all of Creation, with the emergence of a “new earth”. In fact, as we read the Creation story, we see that Humanity was given life by God through the dust of the earth. We are an inseperable part of Creation, our very physicality being dependant on the earth and all it produces. By acknowledging our own promised Resurrection, we must acknowledge that of Creation as well.
As I explored in Part 2, when God created us in His image, it was rooted in His Trinitarian nature, reflecting the relational dance of the divine- Perichoresis. This means that we best reflect God’s nature when our relationships with Him and with each other embody the mutuality of that perichoretic dance. If we recognize our place within Creation, we must recognize that all of Creation is part of that perichoresis. How, then, we relate to Creation must be driven by the very force that calls us to the embracing grace of God.
Some will argue that God clearly placed us seperate from and above Creation- in dominion over all of it. I am not arguing that the trees, animal and mountains are equally valued by God as we are, but rather that God’s love for His Creation isn’t an all or nothing spectrum. Jesus clearly defines dominion, turning the worlds view of power and authority on its head, in Matthew 20. Confronted with the question of who would sit at His right in His Kingdom, He said:
“It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant.” (Matthew 20:26, NASB)
In the same way, we are to practice our dominion over Creation by serving it. In the same way we seek to build God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven while knowing it cannot fully happen prior to the culmination of history, so too must we seek to move Creation towards that promised restoration, the Resurrection, even now. If we fail to allow this transformational practice of sacramental ecology to speak to the heart of our faith, we cut ourselves off from some of the most beautiful aspects of God’s nature and character. Further, our failure to live it out as a Church has already resulted in significant damage, not only to the environment, but to millions of people who are inseperably connected to it- ourselves included (though the worst seems to mostly impact the already suffering global poor).
Sadly, our failure has not resulted from a lack of adequate Scriptural evidence. However, so deeply has our view of the world been twisted by gnostic dualism, the dry rationalism of the Enlightenment and the mechanistic mindset of the Industrial Revolution, that we can longer see the forest for the trees. Without embracing this sacramental view of Creation (and the requisite praxis), we fumble between shallow environmentalism and aimless mysticism. We can no longer see these issues as well intentioned causes which can distract from the cause of “saving souls”. The Gospel we bring is Good News for all Creation, to be “preached” to every creature (Mark 16:15).
(NOTE: Last year, as I participated in a survey out forward by Robert Webber in regards to the Ancient/Future shift, I suggested “sacramental ecology” as an emphasis, which he seems to have added to the original list. I am pleased this has happened.)
Emerging Church
