We often speak about the cross in two directions.
There is the vertical direction. Through Jesus, our broken relationship with God is restored.
Then there is the horizontal direction. Because of Christ, we can also seek reconciliation with one another.
Both are vital.
But Colossians 1 invites us to see something even larger.
Paul says that through Christ, God is reconciling everything to himself.
Not simply individuals.
Not simply churches.
Everything.
Jesus is not standing outside creation looking in. Paul says that everything was created through him and for him. Christ is at the centre of the world God made.
That makes Christian care for creation much more than an optional interest.
It becomes part of discipleship.
Sunday Rewind - each week I share a sermon from the Battle Ready Sermons archive. My role has shifted to training the next generation of Salvation Army officers at William Booth College, so I'm no longer preaching every Sunday, but God's word doesn't go out of date. These messages are here to encourage, challenge, and point you to Jesus, whenever you need them.
This week's sermon was originally preached 19 September 2021.
This can feel uncomfortable because environmental questions often become wrapped up in arguments, policies and competing opinions. But Christians do not need to begin there.
We begin with Jesus.
If Jesus loves what he has made, then those who follow him learn to love it too.
That may affect what we buy. What we throw away. What we repair. What we share. How much we consume. How grateful we are for things that cost nothing at all.
The sermon mentions reducing, reusing, repairing, borrowing, sharing and resisting the message that happiness always requires owning something new.
None of those actions will earn God’s favour.
They are responses to grace.
We care because God cares.
We protect because the world belongs to him.
We choose gratitude because creation is gift, not possession.
Perhaps the most helpful question, then, is not:
“Am I doing enough?”
It is:
“What would loving God’s world look like for me this week?”
Start small.
One purchase not made.
One item repaired.
One journey changed.
One moment spent noticing the beauty God has already given.
Christian stewardship begins when our love for Jesus starts shaping the ordinary choices of everyday life.
Watch the full sermon: