Be Green – Be Seen

In the last year I have taken part in a green give-away, travelled across the city in a dustcart, visited our paper recycling plant, launched a campaign for more fuel-free journeys, held a service at household recycling centre and hosted an art exhibition looking at the story of Noah’s Ark from the perspective of climate change.

I have two responses for those who claim that we in the Church of England are giving up on the Gospel of Christ in order to proclaim the Gospel of Climate Change and both lead me to the conclusion that the two, in our contemporary culture, are inter-dependent.

From greed to generosity and grace

The first is that seeking climate justice, challenging consumption and greed and developing sustainable lifestyles are at the heart of the contemporary proclamation and practice of the Gospel. Jesus is never slow to challenge sin while offering healing, redemption and wholeness. He calls us from a life of greed and dependency to a life of generosity and grace. He asks those who seek to worship him to stop colluding with injustice and by example he leads us to care for the vulnerable and needy. Caring about the impact of climate change on vulnerable communities is a central part of our discipleship – concern for the integrity of creation is one of the five marks of mission recognised by churches across the world.

My second response to those who feel we have given up on the ‘real’ Gospel is to say that, from my experience, getting involved in environmental campaigning and action is one of the most missional things a Bishop, a church or any Christian can do.

Not only do our Christian ethics have to be effective in thought, word and deed, but our practice in Birmingham of generosity and hospitality, especially around green issues are providing an open door for people to visit our cathedral or churches and to begin to ‘taste and see that the Lord is good.’

Giving stuff away

At last year’s Advent give-away 450 people came into Birmingham Cathedral and received a gift. Each person was touched in a different way by the generosity they were given that day. The process was simple. Christians from a few congregations and our diocesan office, were asked to look round their houses for gifts they had never wanted. We filled the cathedral with new bottles of perfume, nearly new books and CDs, bric-a-brac, clothes, toys and games.

People passing by were invited to come and choose a gift to take away. Homeless people came in for scarves, gloves and jumpers. Grandparents found gifts for their grandchildren, tourists chose a souvenir, students took books and children found a new toy. As well as being given a gift each of those people were welcomed into a building into which they can return to pray, had a conversation with someone who was able to listen to them for a few minutes and each one took away the impression of a loving and generous God whose greatest gift to them was not gift-wrapped but was born in humility at Christmas.

Noah’s Ark

Equally, this year during inter-faith week we have hosted an exhibition made by pupils at a Birmingham school looking at the story of Noah’s Ark. We invited the 30 children and their parents to the launch of the exhibition where they mingled with the city’s faith leaders, ate some canapés and were given a certificate and a small gift. Within a few minutes the parents and the children felt at home, many said they would come back to the Cathedral and several conversations about Christ took place in one evening. Throughout that week another 120 children from 6 schools came to the Cathedral, surrounded by iconography and imagery that is now rarely seen outside churches, they explored the story of Noah’s Ark and its relevance to 21st Century global issues. The positive feedback has been overwhelming.

Green issues are Gospel issues

Our faith is lived out in all spheres of life. We cannot put our Gospel in a neat box, marked spiritual, and only get it out when we are all sitting comfortably in church. Jesus’ parables and miracles engaged directly with contemporary issues and concerns. Green issues are Gospel issues. Poverty issues are Gospel issues. Immigration is a Gospel issue. These issues do not detract from the Gospel of Jesus Christ but help us to be alongside those who are questioning, struggling and campaigning and so share the life of Jesus in the real world in which we all live.

I am as excited as ever about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I want to live it, share it and nurture it in all its fullness. So let us all work and pray for a good deal at Copenhagen.

+David

First published at www.birmingham.anglican.org under the title Be Seen – Be Green. Faithandclimatechange.wordpress.com has some pictures of the Noah’s Ark exhibition. The sub-headings are mine – Chris Duggan.