We recognize creation as a gift of God entrusted to our care; acknowledging Jesus Christ as the redeemer of life; and celebrating the life of the Holy Spirit as our sustainer.
We seek to be motivated not by achievements or accolades but by the God’s grace and the love God has for creation.
Why Lutherans Care for all Creation
Theology: We affirm God as creator of all, with an incarnational theology that cherishes the continuing presence of God in, with, and under all reality. We see redemption as the restoration of creation, as “new creation.” We see the Spirit leading us toward the fulfillment of creation.
Cross and Resurrection: The gospel leads us to see God in solidarity with the human situation in all its pain and agony, especially the most vulnerable—humans and other life forms. A theology of the cross gives us solidarity with “creation groaning in travail” and stresses that God redeems all creation. Our affirmation of resurrection offers hope for new life in this world.
Worship and Sacraments: We affirm that the material is a vehicle of the divine and that Christ is present in such ordinary elements of life as grapes and grain—the basis for our delight in and reverence for creation. Our worship invites us into transforming encounters with God in the flesh and in the world. We are called to worship God with creation.
Ecclesiology: Our human vocation is “to serve and to preserve” Earth. We believe that the church exists for the sake of the world. We do not have an escapist theology. We are called to a vocation of continual reformation in response to the needs and crises of this life. A story: when Luther was asked what he would do if the world would end tomorrow, he replied, “Plant a tree.”
Ethics: We have an ethic of faith-active-in-love for neighbor and for all creation. Liberated from a legalism that enslaves, we are freed to address new situations, such as the ecological state of the world. We do so not to dominate but as servants to all of Earth community. We do so not out of fear or guilt or arrogance but joyfully out of grace, love, and gratitude.
Social Ministry: With a heritage back to the Reformation, Lutherans have a history of social ministry to the poor, the elderly, the sick, the oppressed, the marginalized—through hospitals, homes for the elderly, social ministry agencies, Lutheran Immigration Service, and Lutheran World Relief. We extend that service to healing Earth community (www.elca.org/careforcreation).
Covenant with Creation
We promise to reverence Your creation as a gracious gift entrusted to us by You, our God.
We pledge to make care for creation and human justice for the vulnerable an integral part of our life and mission as a congregation.
We promise anew to be good stewards of what You have entrusted to us. We offer our personal covenant with creation to pledge our commitment to care for Your good Earth.