Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

REVELATION 22:1–5

I asked an AI image generator to show me what heaven looked like. In a matter of seconds, my screen was filled with a staircase made from fluffy white clouds, set against a heavily airbrushed sky with stripy sunbeams. Worn down by a constant barrage of news alerts about the latest earthquake, terrorist threat, or political scandal, and exhausted by the rhythms of daily work, you might be tempted to think this people-free, landscape-free, and task-free picture seems pretty perfect.

But that’s not what the Bible says. We’re told our final home, the new creation, will be a perfect garden city with streets, crystal clear waters, and abundant fruit trees – and that we’ll work, too. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, there will ‘no longer be any curse’. And that means that there’ll be no global conflict, terminal diagnoses, manipulative bosses, devastating floods, or terrible tsunamis. Work will be all that it was designed to be: a fulfilling set of worshipful tasks that help all to flourish in a harmonious environment.

As his people, we’re to live and work now as we will in the garden city. And that includes looking after birds, animals, trees, plants, and the natural environment in every sphere of our lives. Because Jesus cares about every single part of his creation. To take one example, have you ever thought that he cares about rivers because they provide water which sustains life and reflects his beauty? His heart breaks when he sees floating pieces of litter in the waters. But he also cares about the elevated flood risk caused by debris – so often, these climate-change-fuelled disasters have a disproportionately large impact on the individuals and communities who’ve contributed least to the problem.

Put simply, caring about the climate is a way in which we can love our present and future neighbours and join in God’s work to restore what was broken by human sin and create something new and even more beautiful.

In the knowledge that Jesus will return and regenerate this world, we can be hope-filled activists. The question is, what aspect of creation care will you choose to champion? You could club together with other parents to create a carpool for school drop-offs and pick-ups, champion climate neutral products and green policies in your workplace, or suggest a clothes swap as an alternative to going shopping with friends. I’m ready and raring to go. Are you?

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Sophie Sanders
Marketing & Communications Lead

What will championing creation care look like in your daily life? Join the conversation below

Join us at LICC on 20 June for Wisdom Lab: Everyday Earthkeeping, where four expert speakers will give TED-style talks on how we can care for creation as part of our everyday discipleship. Leading up to the event, read the accompanying blog series by the speakers, on how we can respond wisely to the climate crisis as followers of Jesus.