Last night I saw some stunning views of the earth taken by the Apollo 11 astronauts, a blue and white glowing disc hanging in the deep darkness of space. It spoke of life, beauty and potential, belying the stories that are unfolding daily on its surface.
There are people who are anguished at being overweight when there are others who every day do not know if they will eat at all.
There are people who are being encouraged to take more exercise when there are others who daily have to walk miles to the nearest fresh water source.
There are people who complain of the effects of their governments policies on their bank balance when there are others who cannot be sure that their governments will uphold basic human rights.
Years ago there was a film entitled ‘It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad World.’ I cannot remember much about it but the title is forever fixed in my mind because in so many ways it is true. And yet this is a world that God not only cares about but has plans for. He did not place the earth in the universe and then abandon it. He has shown this to be true in the mission of His Son Jesus. He came to bring in a new era in the history of the earth when there would be an alternative to all those things that devalue human life and alienate people from God. His life, death and resurrection spoke of transformation. People being changed when they realised that sin need not dominate their lives. Communities being changed when those who possessed material and spiritual resources were moved to share. The earth itself being changed when Christ Himself would act decisively against the darkness and create a new Heaven and a new Earth.
Paul describes Jesus as the ‘firstfruits‘ of the New Creation, our Brother in His humanity and yet not touched by the things that limit our lives and bring pain. This is what God has planned for us. Transformed lives fit for a transformed Creation.
The challenge for us is to live these transformed lives now. Jesus spoke of a Kingdom which would be seen in all its fullness at some future time but he called on his followers to live as Kingdom people now. God cares for the earth and its people. He expects nothing less of us.
