Green Notes on Caring for Creation

LENS - Lutheran Earthkeeping Network of the Synods

Green Notes on Caring For Creation
The ELCA’s Social Statement on the Environment
For use in church bulletins or newsletters

1-9, 10-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-56

Green Note, 1:
We see the despoiling of the environment as nothing less than the degradation of God's gracious gift of creation.

What difference does it make to see the “environment” as creation?

Green Note, 2:
Scripture witnesses to God as creator of the earth and all that dwells therein (Ps. 24:1). The creeds, which guide our reading of Scripture, proclaim God the Father of Jesus Christ as “maker of heaven and earth,” Jesus Christ as the one “through [whom] all things were made,” and the Holy Spirit as “the Lord, the giver of life” (Nicene Creed).

How do you see the creative power of God around you?

Green Note, 3:
God blesses the world and sees it as “good,” even before humankind comes on the scene. All creation, not just humankind, is viewed as "very good" in God's eyes (Gen 1:31). God continues to bless the world: “When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground” (Pss 104:30). By faith we understand God to be deeply, mysteriously, and unceasingly involved in what happens in all creation. God showers care upon sparrows and lilies (Mat 6:26-30), and brings “rain on a land where no one lives, on the desert, which is empty of human life” (Job 38:26).

How do you see God continuing to bless the world?

Green Note, 4:
Central to our vision of God's profound involvement with the world is the Incarnation. In Christ, the Word is made flesh, with saving significance for an entire creation that longs for fulfillment (Rom 8:18-25). The Word still comes to us in the waters of baptism, and in, with, and under the bread and wine, fruits of the earth and the work of human hands. God consistently meets us where we live, through earthy matter.

How does the Incarnation shape how you live in the world?

Green Note, 5:
Humanity is intimately related to the rest of creation. We, like other creatures, are formed from the earth (Gen 2:7, 9, 19). Scripture speaks of humanity's kinship with other creatures (Job 38-39; Pss 104). God cares faithfully for us, and together we join in singing the "hymn of all creation" (Lutheran Book of Worship, page 61; Pss 148). We look forward to a redemption that includes all creation (Eph 1:10).

How do you experience yourself in kinship with all creation?

Green Note, 6:
Humans, in service to God, have special roles on behalf of the whole of creation. Made in the image of God, we are called to care for the earth as God cares for the earth. God's command to have dominion and subdue the earth is not a license to dominate and exploit. Human dominion (Gen 1:28; Pss 8), a special responsibility, should reflect God's way of ruling as a shepherd king who takes the form of a servant (Phil 2:7), wearing a crown of thorns.

How do you understand the special responsibility given to humanity in relationship to the earth?

Green Note, 7:
According to Gen 2:15, our role within creation is to serve and to keep God's garden, the earth. "To serve," often translated "to till," invites us again to envision ourselves as servants, while "to keep" invites us to take care of the earth as God keeps and cares for us (Num 6:24-26).

What would it look like for us to live as servants to earth?

Green Note, 8:
We are called to name the animals (Gen 2:19-20). As God names Israel and all creation (Pss 147:4; Isa 40:26, 43:1) and as the shepherd calls by name each sheep (John 10:3), naming unites us in a caring relationship. Further, we are to live within the covenant God makes with every living thing (Gen 9:12-17; Hos 2:18), and even with the day and night (Jer 33:20). We are to love the earth as God loves us.

What part of nature do you love? How do you show that love?

Green Note, 9:
We are called to live according to God's wisdom in creation (Prov 8), which brings together God's truth and goodness. Wisdom, God's way of governing creation, is discerned in every culture and era in various ways. In our time, science and technology can help us to discover how to live according to God's creative wisdom.

How might science and technology help us to live with wisdom in creation?

Green Note, 10:
Such caring, serving, keeping, loving, and living by wisdom sum up what is meant by acting as God's stewards of the earth. God's gift of responsibility for the earth dignifies humanity without debasing the rest of creation. We depend upon God, who places us in a web of life with one another and with all creation.

How have you experience humanity dignified at the expense of the debasing of creation?

Green Note, 11:
Not content to be made in the image of God (Gen 3:5; Ezek 28:1-10), we have rebelled and disrupted creation. As did the people of ancient Israel, we experience nature as an instrument of God's judgment (cf., Deut 11:13-17; Jer 4:23-28). A disrupted nature is a judgment on our unfaithfulness as stewards.

When have you experience nature as an instrument of God’s judgment?

Green Note, 12:
Alienated from God and from creation, and driven to make a name for ourselves (Gen 11:4), we become captives to demonic powers and unjust institutions (Gal 4:9; Eph 6:12; Rev 13:1-4). In our captivity, we treat the earth as a boundless warehouse and allow the powerful to exploit its bounties to their own ends (Amos 5:6-15). Our sin and captivity lie at the roots of the current crisis.

In what ways do you exploit creation?

Green Note, 13:
The earth is a planet of beauty and abundance; the earth system is wonderfully intricate and incredibly complex. But today living creatures, and the air, soil, and water that support them, face unprecedented threats. Many threats are global; most stem directly from human activity. Our current practices may so alter the living world that it will be unable to sustain life in the manner we know.

What practices that you participate in alter the living world around you?

Green Note, 14:
Twin problems--excessive consumption by industrialized nations, and relentless growth of human population worldwide--jeopardize efforts to achieve a sustainable future. These problems spring from and intensify social injustices. Global population growth, for example, relates to the lack of access by women to family planning and health care, quality education, fulfilling employment, and equal rights.

How do you understand global population growth to impact the sustainability of life on earth?

Green Note, 15:
Processes of environmental degradation feed on one another. Decisions affecting an immediate locale often affect the entire planet. The resulting damages to environmental systems are frightening: depletion of non-renewable resources, especially oil; loss of the variety of life through rapid destruction of habitats; erosion of topsoil through unsustainable agriculture and forestry practices; pollution of air by toxic emissions from industries and vehicles, and pollution of water by wastes; increasing volumes of wastes; and prevalence of acid rain, which damages forests, lakes, and streams.

In what ways have the environmental systems in your immediate neighborhood been damaged?

Green Note, 16:
Even more widespread and serious, according to the preponderance of evidence from scientists worldwide, are: the depletion of the protective ozone layer, resulting from the use of volatile compounds containing chlorine and bromine; and dangerous global warming, caused by the buildup of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. The idea of the earth as a boundless warehouse has proven both false and dangerous. Damage to the environment eventually will affect most people through increased conflict over scarce resources, decline in food security, and greater vulnerability to disease.

How do we live as a if the earth were a boundless warehouse?

Green Note, 17:
Indeed, our church already ministers with and to people: who know firsthand the effects of environmental deterioration because they work for polluting industries or live near incinerators or waste dumps; who make choices between preserving the environment and damaging it further in order to live wastefully or merely to survive; and who can no longer make their living from forests, seas, or soils that are either depleted or protected by law.

From the ELCA Statement “Caring for Creation.”

How have you experienced or hear of the ways in which environmental degradation impact people and communities?

Green Note, 18:
In our ministry, we learn about the extent of the environmental crisis, its complexities, and the suffering it entails. Meeting the needs of today's generations for food, clothing, and shelter requires a sound environment. Action to counter degradation, especially within this decade, is essential to the future of our children and our children's children. Time is very short.

How do you understand the urgency of the environmental crisis?

Green Note, 19:
Sin and captivity, manifest in threats to the environment, are not the last word. God addresses our predicament with gifts of "forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation" (Luther, Small Catechism). By the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God frees us from our sin and captivity, and empowers us to be loving servants to creation.

What sin do you seek forgiveness from in order to live freely as a servant to creation?

Green Note, 20:
Although we remain sinners, we are freed from our old captivity to sin. We are now driven to God's promise of blessings yet to come. Only by God's promise are we no longer captives of demonic powers or unjust institutions. We are captives of hope (Zech 9:11-12). Captured by hope, we proclaim that God has made peace with all things through the blood of the cross ( Col 1:15-20), and that the Spirit of God, "the giver of life," renews the face of the earth.

What do you hope for this earth?

Green Note, 21:
Captured by hope, we dream dreams and look forward to a new creation. God does not just heal this creation wounded by human sin. God will one day consummate all things in "new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home" (2Pet 3:13). Creation--now in captivity to disruption and death--will know the freedom it awaits.

What do you imagine it will look like when God will heal all creation?

Green Note, 22:
We testify to the hope that inspires and encourages us. We announce this hope to every people, and witness to the renewing work of the Spirit of God. We are to be a herald here and now to the new creation yet to come, a living model. Our tradition offers many glimpses of hope triumphant over despair. In ancient Israel, as Jerusalem was under siege and people were on the verge of exile, Jeremiah purchased a plot of land (Jer 32). When Martin Luther was asked what he would do if the world were to end tomorrow, he reportedly answered, "I would plant an apple tree today." When we face today's crisis, we do not despair. We act.

How do you act with hope in the face of the current crisis?

Green Note, 23:
Caring, serving, keeping, loving, and living by wisdom--these translate into justice in political, economic, social, and environmental relationships. Justice in these relationships means honoring the integrity of creation, and striving for fairness within the human family.

Where have you experienced people or communities living in just relationship with creation?

Green Note, 24:
It is in hope of God's promised fulfillment that we hear the call to justice; it is in hope that we take action. When we act interdependently and in solidarity with creation, we do justice. We serve and keep the earth, trusting its bounty can be sufficient for all, and sustainable.

How do you understand the relationship between faith and action?

Green Note, 25:
We live within the covenant God makes with all living things, and are in relationship with them. The principle of participation means they are entitled to be heard and to have their interests considered when decisions are made.

What does it mean for you to live in covenant with God and with the earth?

Green Notes, 26:
Creation must be given voice, present generations and those to come. We must listen to the people who fish the sea, harvest the forest, till the soil, and mine the earth, as well as to those who advance the conservation, protection, and preservation of the environment.

What might creation be telling you if you listened?

Green Note, 27:
We recognize numerous obstacles to participation. People often lack the political or economic power to participate fully. They are bombarded with manipulated information, and are prey to the pressures of special interests. The interests of the rest of creation are inadequately represented in human decisions. We pray, therefore, that our church may be a place where differing groups can be brought together, tough issues considered, and a common good pursued.

How could church act as a place for these conversations and actions?

Green Note, 28:
Creation depends on the Creator, and is interdependent within itself. The principle of solidarity means that we stand together as God's creation. We are called to acknowledge this interdependence with other creatures and to act locally and globally on behalf of all creation. Furthermore, solidarity also asks us to stand with the victims of fire, floods, earthquakes, storms, and other natural disasters.

In what ways have you experienced your interdependence with all creation?

Green Note, 29:
We recognize, however, the many ways we have broken ranks with creation. The land and its inhabitants are often disenfranchised by the rich and powerful. The degradation of the environment occurs where people have little or no voice in decisions -- because of racial, gender, or economic discrimination. This degradation aggravates their situation and swells the numbers of those trapped in urban or rural poverty.

How is the land its inhabitants disenfranchised in your local area?

Green Note, 30:
The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord. No person or group has absolute claim to the earth or its products. The principle of sufficiency means meeting the basic needs of all humanity and all creation.

How might your actions changed if you believed all things on earth to belong to the Lord?

Green Note, 31:
In a world of finite resources, for all to have enough means that those with more than enough will have to change their patterns of acquisition and consumption. Sufficiency charges us to work with each other and the environment to meet needs without causing undue burdens elsewhere.

What patterns of acquisition and consumption do you feel called to change?

Green Note, 32:
Sufficiency also urges us to care for arable land so that sufficient food and fiber continue to be available to meet human needs. We affirm, therefore, the many stewards of the land who have been and are conserving the good earth that the Lord has given us.

Who has taught you about stewardship of land?

Green Note, 33:
We recognize many forces that run counter to sufficiency. We often seek personal fulfillment in acquisition. We anchor our political and economic structures in greed and unequal distribution of goods and services. Predictably, many are left without resources for a decent and dignified life.

When have you sought fulfillment through acquisition?

Green Note, 34:
The Sabbath and jubilee laws of the Hebrew tradition remind us that we may not press creation relentlessly in an effort to maximize productivity (Exod 20:8-11; Lev 25). The principle of sustainability means providing an acceptable quality of life for present generations without compromising that of future generations.

How do you understand the Sabbath and Jubilee?

Green Note, 35:
Protection of species and their habitats, preservation of clean land and water, reduction of wastes, care of the land--these are priorities. But production of basic goods and services, equitable distribution, accessible markets, stabilization of population, quality education, full employment--these are priorities as well.

What priorities do you hold in regards to the environment?

Green Note, 36:
We recognize the obstacles to sustainability. Neither economic growth that ignores environmental cost nor conservation of nature that ignores human cost is sustainable. Both will result in injustice and, eventually, environmental degradation. We know that a healthy economy can exist only within a healthy environment, but that it is difficult to promote both in our decisions.

In what ways have you experienced the intersection of environmental and economic issues?

Green Note, 37:
The principle of sustainability summons our church, in its global work with poor people, to pursue sustainable development strategies. It summons our church to support U.S. farmers who are turning to sustainable methods, and to encourage industries to produce sustainably. It summons each of us, in every aspect of our lives, to behave in ways that are consistent with the long-term sustainability of our planet. We pray, therefore, for the creativity and dedication to live more gently with the earth.

What are ways that you behave for the long-term sustainability of our planet?

Green Note, 38:
We of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America answer the call to justice and commit ourselves to its principles--participation, solidarity, sufficiency, and sustainability. In applying the principles to specific situations, we face decisions made difficult by human limitation and sin. We act, not because we are certain of the outcome but because we are confident of our salvation in Christ.

How does your faith in Christ give you confidence in living toward justice for the environment?

Green Note, 39:
Human behavior may change through economic incentive, guilt about the past, or fear about the future. But as people of biblical faith, who live together in trust and hope, our primary motivation is the call to be God's caregivers and to do justice. We celebrate the vision of hope and justice for creation, and dedicate ourselves anew. We will act out of the conviction that, as the Holy Spirit renews our minds and hearts, we also must reform our habits and social structures.

How are you motivated to be God’s caregiver and to do justice?

Green Note, 40:
As members of this church, we commit ourselves to personal life styles that contribute to the health of the environment. Many organizations provide materials to guide us in examining possibilities and making changes appropriate to our circumstances.

In what ways can you re-commit your personal lifestyle for the sake of creation?

Green Note, 41:
We challenge ourselves, particularly the economically secure, to tithe environmentally. Tithers would reduce their burden on the earth's bounty by producing ten percent less in waste, consuming ten percent less in non-renewable resources, and contributing the savings to earthcare efforts. Environmental tithing also entails giving time to learn about environmental problems and to work with others toward solutions.

What could you do to reduce your waste and use of resources by ten percent?

Green Note, 42:
Each congregation should see itself as a center for exploring scriptural and theological foundations for caring for creation. Awareness can be furthered by many already in our midst, for example: Native people, who often have a special understanding of human intimacy with the earth; scientists, engineers, and technicians, who help us to live by the wisdom of God in creation; experts in conservation and protection of the environment; and those who tend the land and sea. We also will learn from people suffering the severe impact of environmental degradation.

What gifts do you have to share in your congregation for earth care?

Green Note, 43:
Congregations have various opportunities during the year to focus on creation. Among these are Thanksgiving, harvest festivals, and blessings of fields, waters, and plants and animals. Many congregations observe Earth Day or Soil and Water Stewardship Week. As a church body, we designate the Second Sunday after Pentecost as Stewardship of Creation Sunday, with appropriate readings (as a development of the traditional Rogationtide).

Where could you see creation themes in the life of your congregation?

Green Note, 44:
This church will encourage those who develop liturgical, preaching, and educational materials that celebrate God's creation. Expanded curricula, for use in the many contexts of Christian education, will draw upon existing materials. We will promote reporting on the environment by church publications, and encourage coverage of this church's environmental concerns in public media.

When have creation themes been used in worship and education at your congregation?

Green Note, 45:
This church commends the environmental education taking place through synodical and regional efforts; camps and outdoor ministries; colleges, seminaries, and continuing education events; and the churchwide Hunger Program. We especially commend this church's Department for Environmental Stewardship in the Division for Church in Society, for its network of caregivers, its advice to church members and institutions on innovative caregiving, and its materials for use in environmental auditing.

What do you know of the ELCA’s environmental and justice programs?

Green Note, 46:
As congregations and other expressions of this church, we will seek to incorporate the principles of sufficiency and sustainability in our life. We will advocate the environmental tithe, and we will take other measures that work to limit consumption and reduce wastes. We will, in our budgeting and investment of church funds, demonstrate our care for creation. We will undertake environmental audits and follow through with checkups to ensure our continued commitment.

How might your congregation limit consumption and reduce waste?

Green Note, 47:
As congregations and other expressions of this church, we will model the principle of participation. We will welcome the interaction of differing views and experiences in our discussion of environmental issues such as: nuclear and toxic waste dumps; logging in ancient growth forests; personal habits in food consumption; farming practices; treatment of animals in livestock production, laboratory research, and hunting; land-use planning; and global food, development, and population questions.

What are the differing views in your communities around environmental issues?

Green Note, 48:
We will examine how environmental damage is influenced by racism, sexism, and classism, and how the environmental crisis in turn exacerbates racial, gender, and class discrimination. We will include in our deliberation people who feel and suffer with issues, whose economic security is at stake, or who have expertise in the natural and social sciences. We will play a role in bringing together parties in conflict, not only members of this church but also members of society at large. This church's widespread presence and credibility provide us a unique opportunity to mediate, to resolve conflict, and to move toward consensus.

How has your community been involved with communities outside of your own?

Green Note, 49:
Advocacy on behalf of creation is most compelling when done by informed individuals or local groups. We will encourage their communication with governments and private entities, attendance at public hearings, selective buying and investing, and voting. We will support those designated by this church to advocate at state, national, and international levels. We will stand with those among us whose personal struggles for justice put them in lonely and vulnerable positions.

When have you been an advocate for an issue, person, or community?

Green Note, 50:
This church will engage in dialogue with corporations on how to promote justice for creation. We will converse with business leadership regarding the health of workers, consumers, and the environment. We will invite the insights and concerns of business leadership regarding responsible environmental actions. We will urge businesses to implement comprehensive environmental principles. Government can use both regulations and market incentives to seek sustainability. We will foster genuine cooperation between the private and public sector in developing them.

What do you understand the Christian’s role in promoting justice?

Green Note, 51:
This church will favor proposals and actions that address environmental issues in a manner consistent with the principles of participation, solidarity, sufficiency, and sustainability. These proposals and actions will address: excessive consumption and human population pressures; international development, trade, and debt; ozone depletion; and climate change. They will seek: to protect species and their habitats; to protect and assure proper use of marine species; and to protect portions of the planet that are held in common, including the oceans and the atmosphere.

What environmental commitments do you think are most important for the church?

Green Note, 52:
This church will support proposals and actions to protect and restore, in the United States and Caribbean, the quality of: natural and human habitats, including seas, wetlands, forests, wilderness, and urban areas; air, with special concern for inhabitants of urban areas; water, especially drinking water, groundwater, polluted runoff, and industrial and municipal waste; and soil, with special attention to land use, toxic waste disposal, wind and water erosion, and preservation of farmland amid urban development.

Which one of these areas impacts the environment in your local region?

Green Note, 53:
This church will seek public policies that allow people to participate fully in decisions affecting their own health and livelihood. We will be in solidarity with people who directly face environmental hazards from toxic materials, whether in industry, agriculture, or the home. We will insist on an equitable sharing of the costs of maintaining a healthy environment.

How might your community live in solidarity with those who face environmental hazards?

Green Note, 54:
This church will advance international acceptance of the principles of participation, solidarity, sufficiency, and sustainability, and encourage the United Nations in its caregiving role. We will collaborate with partners in the global church community, and learn from them in our commitment to care for God's creation.

Who are the global partners with your congregation? How can you collaborate with them?

Green Note, 55:
Given the power of sin and evil in this world, as well as the complexity of environmental problems, we know we can find no "quick fix"--whether technological, economic, or spiritual. A sustainable environment requires a sustained effort from everyone. Th prospect of doing too little too late leads many people to despair. But as people of faith, captives of hope, and vehicles of God's promise, we face the crisis.

What are some of the “quick fix” myths that you have been told?

Green Note, 56:
We claim the promise of "a new heaven and a new earth" (Rev 21:1), and join in the offertory prayer (Lutheran Book of Worship, page 109): "Blessed are you, O Lord our God, maker of all things. Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts. With them we offer ourselves to your service and dedicate our lives to the care and redemption of all that you have made, for the sake of him who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

What might this prayer create anew in you and your community?