Christian Aid: Talking Climate Justice Lent Devotional April 2 - 8
Week 6
The world as it should be
Hope and challenge
God of hope,
you sent Jesus so that all may have life,
life in all its fullness.
We see the thief of injustice kill, steal and destroy –
the loss and damage of the climate crisis,
the scandal of poverty.
Help us be part of your vision for all creation,
set your hope deep in our hearts,
that we may keep steady in solidarity,
remembering always our global neighbours.
May all live life in all its fullness.
Amen.
This final week of gathering is an opportunity to reflect on all we have heard and talked about.
Spend some time looking back using these two questions:
• What has been the biggest challenge to you in considering the climate crisis?
• What has given you the most hope as you have journeyed through the last five weeks?
The world as it is and the world as it should be
Exercise: take a large piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. Entitle the two halves: ‘The
world as it is’ and ‘The world as it should be’. As a group, write down all the words, phrases and ideas
that come to mind when you think of these two phrases. Think particularly about the reality of the
climate crisis and your hopes for the future.
Take some time to reflect on the differences and similarities between these two pictures of
the world.
As Christians, we live in the constant tension of living in the world as it is, whilst longing for God’s
Kingdom to come. It’s good for us to remember that the Kingdom isn’t a far-off cosmic utopia. Jesus
regularly reminded people that the Kingdom of God is near, and we often pray the words of the
Lord’s Prayer ‘on earth as it is in heaven’. We’re not called simply to dream of a different world, and
a different way of being – we are invited to be part of building it in the here and now.
The insights, dreams and ideas that have come out of your discussions in the last few weeks are part
of working out how we can be part of bringing God’s Kingdom right now, by addressing the injustice
of the climate crisis, and finding practical ways we and our churches can seek climate justice.
Building the Kingdom
Spend some time together as a group looking through your climate justice action log.
• Decide as a group how you will progress each of the actions you’ve listed.
• What will you need to make these happen?
• Who will you need to talk to or build relationships with?
• When will you aim to complete each action?
• How will you keep accountable to each other?
Remaining hopeful
When we walk in the ways of God, we are likely to face opposition. Jesus was not always
warmly welcomed – even the religious leaders of the day were often hostile to his message.
When we decide to put faith into action and pursue justice, we must be clear that we are
entering a struggle. The challenges are real. Governments, big corporations and sometimes
our own churches have a long history of inaction.
As we move forward and take action, let’s keep returning to our greatest source of faith and
hope – God our redeemer and restorer of all things.
Read these Bible passages
Hebrews 11:1-13
Isaiah 40:30-31
Romans 15:13
Share what has struck you about faith and hope in the context of the struggle for justice from
these passages and verses.
Closing prayer
Have an open time of prayer:
• Pray for communities who are experiencing loss and damage because of the climate crisis.
• Pray for governments around the world to be bold and make decisions and policies that
care for creation.
• Pray for your church and churches in Britain and Ireland, for climate courage.
• Pray for your group as you step out in faith and fulfil your climate justice actions.