The Nazarene church I attend has 6 core values. They are Biblical Faithfulness, Dependent Prayer, Authentic Worship, Creative Evangelism, Christ-Like Discipleship, and Loving Relationships. Although I will not connect all of my posts to these core values, I hope that you can see their threads in what I write.
I’ve spent a lot of time sitting with Matthew 25:31-46.
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (NIV)
The sheep and goats are separated by how they treat others. By how well they were “neighbors”. What does God desire of us? To provide food, water, shelter, clothing, healing and medicine, and company to those in need. This is a Christian in action. How are we currently treating those in need? I guarantee most churches are ministering in at least one of these areas. But, are we treating symptoms or the root? Are we prepared to handle an increase in those needs?
The way we treat our environment affects our ability to meet those needs. Drought and floods damage important food crops. In August, 2020 a derecho, long-lived severe wind storm, destroyed corn and soybean crops across the Midwest US. Also causing, billions in damage and wide-scale utility disruptions. Here in Kansas, drought is leading to decreased corn production and the overpumping of groundwater. In addition, current food systems result in excessive waste while still leaving many hungry. We saw many examples of this during the COVID lockdowns. Farmers plowed under edible crops and poured milk down the drain. Even today, there are online marketplaces trying to sell off “imperfect” produce that would otherwise go to waste.
Floods impact access to clean water, requiring some to rely on bottled water or risk illness. Flooding from hurricanes is becoming worse as warm oceans fuel larger storms. Tornadoes, hurricanes, and fires destroy homes sending more in need of shelter. Creating or exacerbating the refugee crisis and ripping communities apart. The wildfires that swept through Maui this year decimated the community of Lahaina. The town is in ruins. Who will rebuild? Who will relocate? A community full of relationships, supports, and networks has been shattered. In the midst of all that grief, shelter is a basic need.
What about clothing? Fast fashion creates clothes that don’t last and aren’t useful to those truly in need. Worn out by only a few wears? Or tossed before they are worn out. Most ends up in landfills.
Healthcare systems are strained by weather extremes, requiring more and expensive backup systems to keep running. Trying to prepare for extreme heat and/or flooding. Anytime an extreme weather event occurs healthcare needs increase.
How, we as Christians, address climate change affects how we are able to care for the least of these. It affects our ability to be in Loving Relationship with our neighbors around the world.
We can absolutely attempt to provide for these needs (and many already do) without addressing climate change and rising carbon dioxide levels. There are so many amazing resources out there working to meet these needs. But should we treat only symptoms or seek a deeper solution? This is a both/and situation. Serve and provide now while also working towards slowing climate change.
Radically loving the other human beings on this planet will require us to change our mindsets and lifestyles. This can be very difficult and so I encourage small steps.
The very first steps require learning and sharing. Learning about what is going on and sharing how climate change is impacting you, your family, and your community. One helpful resource is Katharine Hayhoe. Every week her newsletter includes The Good, The Not so Good, and What You Can Do. It gives you talking points and action steps. You can sign up for her newsletter on her website: https://www.katharinehayhoe.com/
If you are ready for a more comprehensive source, check out Project Drawdown at https://drawdown.org/ or read their book. They breakdown the 93 solutions and roadmap on how to achieve balance in the climate equation.
Creation Care Mom 
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