Thursday, January 8, 2015

1/2015 Creation Corner Col. Covenant for Care of Creation

Covenant for Care of Creation
 If your resolve for a New Year's Resolution is to propose to your church council that your church become a Caring for Creation Center, here is a sample covenant to consider for adoption.
 
Covenant for Care of Creation
 
The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world and those who live in it. (Psalm 24:1)
 
The Church's concern for God's creation is shaped by the Creative Word of God, the Love of God hanging on a cross, the Spirit of God daily renewing the face of the earth.  Caring, serving, keeping, loving, and living by wisdom---these translate into justice in political, economic, social, and environmental relationships.
 
As a covenant congregation, Augustana Lutheran Church will
 
  • Study and Learn about God's marvelous creation and our responsibility to God and our place in it.
  • Pray, Preach, and Worship so that our environmental activities grow out of biblical faith, reverence, and love for God's creation.
  • Make Congregational and Individual Lifestyle Changes to better model our concern and care for creation.
  • Get involved in Our Communities, Our State, Our Nation, and the World to promote policies that foster justice and wholeness of God's creation.
Through this covenant, Augustana Lutheran Church
 
claims  the promise of "a new heaven and a new earth" (Rev. 21:1).  We dedicate our congregation's life to the care and redemption of all that God has made, for the sake of Jesus Christ who lived, died, and was raised for us to reconcile us and all creatures to God. (See Col 1:20)