关爱受造物（Creation Care)
Sis. Ko Siew Wan
由新加坡信义会姐妹团契<在教会与社会中的女性>(WICAS）所举办的“关爱受造物”讲座活动于2024年4月13日假义順基督教会信义会举行，参加此活动人数约150人。活动中除了有诗歌颂赞、敬拜、祷告，还有关爱受造物（Creation Care）专题演讲及转废料成有用物品的手工工作坊。
Bishop Lu (Center), Preacher Allen Ng (Host church, Left) and the WICAS Committee
专题演讲是由《新加坡关爱受造物组织》(Creation Care SG)的教育总监Kezia(永恩小姐）以圣经作为基础讲述“关爱受造物”及身为基督徒应如何对此做出反应，把关怀受造物的原因和方式清楚阐明。
From L-R Bishop Lu, Kezia Khoo (Speaker), Grace Lu (Advisor of WICAS), Lanny (Chair of WICAS)
以下是内容摘要：
当今世界所面临的紧迫挑战如气候危机，不同种类生物的灭绝，森林砍伐和环境污染等种种问题，引发人们不同的关心及看法。基督教以包罗万象及更广阔的视角，針对环境危机说出上帝祂自己对创造物的寄望。
通过圣经的叙述带来四个主题：从创造到堕落、到救赎，最后到新的创造或恢复；展示了上帝对世界的旨意和关注。
首先，上帝完美地创造了宇宙万物和人类，人类是被上帝赋予管辖地球和祂所创造一切的使命；而我们的治理是否有反映出上帝的公义和慈爱？还是充满贪婪和自私？我们須以上帝为中心来管理祂的世界。
论及第二主题堕落：当人类选择按照自己的方式生活时，罪就出现，造成与神永远分离，罪不只影响人类也影响其他受造物。例如人类开采金属造车，水源会受到有毒重金属污染；被扔进海洋的塑料，不只影响人类本身也影响野生海洋生物。
有关第三主题救赎：保罗在罗马书中写道，一切受造之物都在叹息，人类和受造物一起热切等待着救赎。这救赎是藉着基督的生、死和复活而实现的，祂也同时教导要爱人如己及如何生活在现今以及尚未到来的时代。气候变化问题极需重视及逆转，因它直接影响依赖土地或自然资源维持生计的农民，也影响那些因免疫系统受损而遭受伤害的老年人和病人。
第四个主题是关于新的创造或恢复：當基督到來统治时，我们看到万物焕然一新和生态更新的愿景。“狼将与羔羊同居，孩子将把手伸进毒蛇的巢穴”。由启示录22章描绘出一幅重建的伊甸园的图画，我们或许以为上帝已为当今世界的状况提供了解决方案，教会关心受造物还有什么意义？现实是我们永远找不到所有问题：如世界饥饿、儿童販卖、气候危机等等的解决方案，但至少充当路标，指出神对祂所创造的世界及天地万物的愿景和救赎工作。
新加坡绿色计划是一项为在2050年实现近零排放的全国性运动，目标是通过五个重点去实现，可喜的是我们的教会及基督徒都有依据这些重点为基础，去对关爱受造物做出实际行动。
这五个重点是：
1）创建自然之城，注重大自然的恢复（新加坡教会于成立60周年纪念时植树60棵，响应新加坡十年种植一百万棵树的计划）。
2）能源重置，使用可再生能源（救主堂于2022年安装了太阳能电池板）。
3）通過绿色经济鼓励绿色融资和向低碳经济转型（基督徒Alex Teo 是Beneficial Returns投资管理公司经理，致力于支持拉丁美洲和东南亚减少贫困和保护自然环境的社会企业）。
4）強调鼓励本地生产农产品，目标是于2030年达到供应30%的食物营养需求（基督徒Brandon Yeo 致力于帮助他人种植自己的农产品并体验种植的乐趣）。
5）倡导“減用、再利用、和回收”成为常态的生活方式（加东长老会教堂翻新项目中，利用旧木材和教堂长椅改造成家具和办公桌）。
关爱受造物的一种表达是走向环保（ go green），可由个人或家庭做起：如节省能源、减少使用塑料用品、重复使用物品、购买二手貨或多吃蔬菜和当地所种植农产品，务求达到“減用、再利用、回收”的目标。
Recycling workshop – from thrash to treasure
基于圣经所给的啟示，关爱创造（Creation Care）关乎和上帝修复已经破裂的关系；凭着圣灵赋予我们的力量，作为上帝的手和脚，充当路标去关爱受造物，使上帝所创一切世界万物更接近祂完美的国度，这就是为什么我们说关爱创造，不单是只关爱受造物，也更能热爱我们伟大的造物主。
Bought books on Creation Care by Speaker Kezia Khoo (2nd from left).
CREATION CARE
Sis. Ko Siew Wan
The ” Creation Care ” seminar organized by the Lutheran Sisters Fellowship of Singapore < Women in Church and Society > (WICAS) was held at Yishun Christian Church (Lutheran) on April 13, 2024. About 150 people participated in this event. In addition to hymns, worship, and prayers, the event also included a special lecture on Creation Care and a handicraft workshop on turning waste into useful items.
Bishop Lu (Center), Preacher Allen Ng (Host church, Left) and the WICAS Committee
The keynote speech was given by Kezia (Ms. Yongen), the Education Director of Creation Care SG. She used the Bible as a basis to talk about ” Care for Creation ” and how Christians should respond to this, and clearly explained the reasons and methods for caring for creation.
From L-R Bishop Lu, Kezia Khoo (Speaker), Grace Lu (Advisor of WICAS), Lanny (Chair of WICAS)
The following is a summary of the content:
The world is facing urgent challenges such as climate crisis, loss of different species of biodiversity, deforestation and environmental pollution, which have aroused different concerns and views. Christianity has an all-encompassing and broader perspective, speaking to God’s own hope for creation in response to the environmental crisis.
Four themes are brought out through the biblical narrative: from creation to the fall, to redemption, and finally to the new creation or restoration; showing God’s purpose and concern for the world.
First, God created the universe and human beings perfectly. Human beings are given the mission of ruling the earth and everything He created. Does our rule reflect God’s justice and love? Or is it full of greed and selfishness? We must manage His world with God as the center.
On the second theme of the Fall: When humans chose to live their lives their own way, sin arose, resulting in eternal separation from God. Sin affects not only humans but also other creatures. For example, when humans mine metals to make cars, water sources are contaminated by toxic heavy metals; plastics thrown into the ocean affect not only humans themselves but also marine wildlife.
Regarding the third theme of redemption: Paul wrote in Romans that all creation groans and that humans, along with creation, eagerly await redemption. This redemption is achieved through the life, death and resurrection of Christ, who also taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves and how to live in the present and in the yet to come. Climate change is an issue that needs to be addressed and reversed because it directly affects farmers who rely on the land or natural resources for their livelihoods, as well as the elderly and the sick who suffer from compromised immune systems.
The fourth theme is about the new creation or restoration: the vision of a new and renewed ecology of creation when Christ comes to reign. “The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the child will put his hand into the serpent’s den. ” With the picture of a restored Garden of Eden painted in Revelation 22, we might think that God has provided solutions for the state of the world today, so what is the point of the church caring about creation? The reality is that we will never find solutions to all problems: world hunger, child trafficking, climate crisis, etc., but we may at least serve as signposts pointing to God’s vision and redemptive work for the world He created and for all creation.
The Singapore Green Plan is a national movement to achieve near-zero emissions by 2050, with the goal of achieving this through five key priorities. Fortunately, our churches and Christians are taking these priorities as a basis to take practical actions to care for creation.
The five key points are:
- Create a natural city and focus on the restoration of nature (the Singapore Church planted 60 trees on its 60th anniversary, in response to Singapore’s plan to plant one million trees in ten years).
- Energy reset, using renewable energy ( Solar panels were installed at the Church of the Saviour in 2022 ).
- Encourage green financing and transition to a low-carbon economy through a green economy (Christian Alex Teo is the manager of Beneficial Returns Investment Management, which is dedicated to supporting social enterprises in Latin America and Southeast Asia that reduce poverty and protect the natural environment).
- Emphasize the encouragement of local production of agricultural products, with the goal of supplying 30% of food nutrition needs by 2030 (Christian Brandon Yeo is committed to helping others grow their own agricultural products and experience the joy of planting).
- Promote ” reduce, reuse, and recycle ” as a normal lifestyle (in the renovation project of the Eastern Presbyterian Church of Canada, old wood and church pews were transformed into furniture and desks) .
One way to show our love for creation is to go green , which can be done by individuals or families : saving energy, reducing the use of plastic products, reusing items, buying second-hand goods, or eating more vegetables and locally grown produce, in order to achieve the goal of ” reduce, reuse, recycle “.
Recycling workshop – from thrash to treasure
Based on the revelation given by the Bible, creation care is about repairing the broken relationship with God. With the power given to us by the Holy Spirit, we serve as God’s hands and feet, acting as signposts to care for creation and bring all things created by God closer to His perfect kingdom. This is why we say that creation care is not only about caring for creation, but also about loving our great Creator more.
Bought books on Creation Care by Speaker Kezia Khoo (2nd from left).