Session five concentrates on the brokenness of the world today.

Watch

How do you feel about the state of the world? How safe or unsafe does the world seem?

Bible Verse – Genesis 3:17

Cursed is the ground

Reflection

Many of our global systems operate on a linear trajectory which progresses from extraction, to consumption, to waste.

Such systems are dishonouring to God – both in their own right but also in the inequity they promote.

Victor Mughogho talks about infant mortality and malnutrition in Malawi. Our food systems use processes which are unsustainable and wasteful to produce 2.5 times the amount of global food calories needed to feed the world’s population . And yet the distribution of this food is so unequal that at the same time as the West is wasting food, others are dying from malnutrition.

Stephen Mbogo issues a powerful challenge in this video, ‘the message we are carrying to people is that we are all responsible’. This is a challenge for two reasons:  accepting responsibility means simultaneously accepting our limitations and our mal-intent which contribute to problems, and our agency and ability to act with courage to care for creation.

Discussion

• What issues facing creation do you see around you?
• This video has two different perspectives on responsibility. What are they and what do you think about them? Who do you think holds responsibility for the brokenness creation is facing?
• The best predictor of a person’s environmental impact is their level of wealth.   What bearing does this have on your thoughts about creation care?

Prayer

Pray for the healing of brokenness in the creation you see around you, and for those suffering as a consequence.