Romans 8:18-25 (NIVUK)
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Resurrection is not our hope alone, but is a hope shared by the whole of creation. Not only will we be raised to new life, but so too will the heavens and earth as God makes all things new. This hope is a vital and distinct message in this age of climate change and anxiety. What can we do now to share this hope through our words and through our deeds? How can we be good stewards of the world God has given us?
Father, help us be good news for your planet and all that lives in it.
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