Emergence and Perichoresis Ecologically, we call this emergence. Emergence is when distinct patterns and behaviors emerge out of complex parts. One example is starling murmurations, where thousands of individual birds move in synchrony, creating fluid, ever-changing patterns in the sky without a single leader directing them. Each bird responds to her neighbors, and together, they form something beautiful and dynamic—more than just the sum of individual movements. This emergent behavior reflects a deep truth about creation - that the interplay of relationships and interconnections creates new possibilities. Theologically, I can't help but think of perichoresis, the divine dance of mutual indwelling between the Persons of the Trinity. In perichoresis, the three persons of the Trinity exist in a relationship so deeply interconnected that their unity does not erase their distinction but rather enhances it. Just as starlings in murmuration create something greater than themselves through relationship, so too does creation find its fullest expression in the interweaving of all its elements—water, plants, sky, and creatures—held together by the breath of God. And, of course, the elements themselves are significant: the goodness of green life, the sanctity of water in our traditions, the cross over all in creation, and the dove, symbolizing creaturely life, unity and ecumenism. Christ Over All Overarching all these elements is the cross, reminding us that in Christ “all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). This cosmic Christ is not just the savior of human souls but the one through whom all creation finds its purpose and healing, the one through whom all things are reconciled. This isn’t just poetic metaphor - it’s a radical claim about our relationship with creation: that we are tasked with Jesus’ ministry of reconciliation, partnering with Christ in healing and restoration. Yet the cross also confronts us with the reality of suffering—human and ecological. Creation itself groans, as Paul writes in Romans 8, awaiting redemption. The cross stands at the intersection of that groaning, revealing both the depth of the world’s wounds and the depth of divine love. The suffering of Christ is not disconnected from the suffering of the earth. The same forces that exploit and crucify—the logic of domination, extraction, and violence—are the forces that desecrate creation, treating it as expendable rather than sacred. But the cross is not the end of the story. In Christ’s resurrection, we see that suffering and destruction do not have the final word. The empty tomb is a sign that new life is possible, that what is broken can be restored, that even in a world scarred by climate crisis, there is hope for renewal. The resurrection is not just about individual salvation; it is the first fruit of a new creation, the cosmic reconciliation through which heaven and earth are joined again.
The Dove I want to take a moment to share more about the dove in our logo. On one level, the dove represents unity and peace-- a fitting symbol for our ecumenical work bringing together Christians across communions and denominations to care for God's creation. But the dove's significance runs deeper through our scriptural tradition. I want to offer a triptych of scriptural stories about the importance of the dove to our work: Noah's Ark: We meet the dove in Genesis when it is sent out from Noah's ark into a world transformed by climate catastrophe. The dove returns with an olive branch, not just signaling the recession of waters, but bearing witness to life's resilience. In our climate-changed world, this dove reminds us that even in the midst of loss and transformation, hope may be found. Even in the midst of the destruction of the world, resilience and regeneration are possible. It reminds me, too, of these words from Timothy Gorringe: "I suggest that in the face of the present global emergency, ark building might be the task to which theological ethics leads us." Jesus' Words in Matthew 10: As Jesus sends his disciples out on their ministry into a hostile world, he says "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." Like those first disciples, today we face powerful opposition as we work for creation justice, particularly in our policy work. The dove's innocence is not naïveté but rather a gentle and pure-hearted commitment to truth and justice in the face of systemic challenges. When we advocate for creation, we must combine the strategic wisdom of the serpent with the dove's unwavering dedication to love and to seeking what is right - especially when confronting the "wolves" of injustice. Jesus' Baptism: Finally, at Jesus' baptism, the Spirit descends like a dove, joining heaven and earth in that sacred moment. The same waters that destroyed in Noah's flood now become waters of blessing and new life. The dove's presence reminds us that all of creation - water, air, land, creatures - participates in God's work of redemption. When we gather at the baptismal font or beside streams and rivers, we remember that these waters are both holy and ecological, sustaining both physical and spiritual life. The dove invites us to see all of creation as coursing through with divine presence. A Visual Theology of Creation Justice This work of creation justice rests on three pillars - protect, restore, and rightly share God’s creation. These are pillars we sometimes call the three "E's": Ecology, Eschatology, and Economy. We protect God's ecology, recognizing that every creature and ecosystem reflects divine love. We participate in God's eschatology by restoring creation, bringing heaven to earth. And we engage in God's economy by ensuring creation is rightly shared among all members of God's household. In this way, our logo becomes more than a simple representation of nature. It is a visual theology that reflects both the mystery of divine communion and the ecological truth that life flourishes through connection. Through Christ, who holds all things together, we are called to the work of creation justice - protecting, restoring, and rightly sharing God's good gift of creation. This is not just environmental activism with religious language; it's a fundamental expression of Christian faith and practice. When we work for creation justice, we participate in God's ongoing work of reconciliation, where heaven and earth are joined once again, and all creation flourishes as God intended. - Avery Davis Lamb is Executive Director of Creation Justice Ministries.
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We are preparing for the launch of our 2025 annual resource and we are incredibly excited to get it out into the world. Before I tell you the theme, I want to give you a little behind the scenes look at some of what goes on as we start to pull this resource together. First off, you may have noticed that I said our “annual resource” and not our “Earth Day” resource. While we certainly hope that you’ll use what we develop for worship during Earth Day (the Sunday after Easter), we’re also aware that these resources have a shelf life that extends beyond that day and oftentimes we’re still promoting and teaching from the resource late into the year. So please, use the resource on Earth Day, but maybe hang out with it for a while after that. There’s a lot in it! The theme for the resource is narrowed down during our May board meeting. This year was my second time going through the process. In 2023, it felt like “Plastic Jesus” (the theme for 2024’s resource) came to us so easily. There was some discussion, maybe even a little debate, but consensus was reached pretty quickly. The process felt much harder this year. Our board is made up of passionate people, unified by their love for Creation, but in that unity is a myriad of perspectives of how we use our energy best. Some wanted to focus on conservation. Others wanted to focus on revisiting issues we hadn’t touched on as an organization in a while. There were ideas on trees and soil health. Some wanted a proper sequel to “Plastic Jesus” (I believe “Solar Jesus” and “Dirty Jesus” were mentioned at some point). We were also, of course, feeling the anxiety of the upcoming election. We knew that the bulk of the writing for the resource would be done before we knew who won in November and that the resource needed to speak to either eventuality. While we didn’t have the theme completely nailed down at the end of that meeting, one thing was clear; we needed to address both an issue and the theologies that have supported them. We needed to say something about extraction both as a practice and an idea. At the May meeting a few brave souls signed on to join the resource committee that would help the staff bring the resource to life. There was a phrase that came up at the board meeting that we revisited during the first resource committee meeting: The Power of God. I tried (and likely failed) to stay neutral in this conversation, but I can admit that I was not thrilled with the idea of using that phrase in our resource. It’s a phrase I’ve heard misused many times in my life. It evoked something that made me feel uncomfortable. I wasn’t alone. Other members of the committee shared that discomfort, but ultimately, we decided to lean into it. As we dove into creating the resource we found ourselves using “power” in several different contexts. There is the power we use to run our devices and warm our homes. There is the power that is used to decide whether or not to drill for oil and where. There is to seek alternatives ways of doing things that more align with what Creation itself is doing. What really changed things for me was looking into the ways that power is used in Scripture. We often see the misuses of power in scripture from humans like Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, or Pontius Pilate. But God’s power, more often than not, is shown through acts of creation, healing, and restoration. God’s power is relational and self sacrificial. God’s power transforms. It was after we had begun our research, consulted with an expert panel of theologians and scientists (a new thing we tried this year), and got deep into writing that we settled on the title: “The Power of God: From Extractive Theology to Renewable Faith”... … then a member of our expert review panel warned us that “renewable faith” might be getting “too cute”.... …so we landed on… The Power of God: From Extractive Theology to Transformative Faith We are so excited for you to have this resource in your hands! We are so excited for you to hear the seven original pieces of music created for this resource at our second annual songwriters’ retreat! We’re excited to hear how you use worship resources and how you are inspired by the stories!
In the last couple of weeks, as environmental protections have been rolled back, diversity initiatives have been undermined, and the very biblical notion of mercy has been mocked, we can see that we need a redefinition of what power is and how it should be used. We think power protects the vulnerable including God’s vulnerable Creation. We think power should renew hope and empower us to do just actions. We think power is best when it is harnessed by a community to serve needs and show love. We hope and pray that you will join us on this journey of redefining power and re-energizing our faith. |
About this BlogThis blog shares the activities of Creation Justice Ministries. We educate and equip Christians to protect, restore, and rightly share God's creation. Archives
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