Graham Road
United Methodist
Church

Creation care

Scriptural references

God loves creation:
Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

God owns creation:
Leviticus 25:23 The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. 24 Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land.

Creation has a relationship with God:
1 Chronicles 16:32 Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! 33 Then the trees of the forest will sing, they will sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.

John Wesley's Words

Sermon 51, "The Good Steward," II.3, Works 2:283-84.
"We are now God's stewards. We are indebted to him for all we have...A steward is not at liberty to use what is lodged in his hands as he pleases, but as his master pleases...He is not the owner of any of these things but barely entrusted with them by another...now this is exactly the case of everyone with relation to God. We are not at liberty to use what God has lodged in our hands as we please, but as God pleases, who alone is the possessor of heaven and earth and the Lord of every creature...[God] entrusts us with [this world's goods] on the express condition, that we use them only as our Master's goods, and according to the particular directions which he has given us in his Word."

A Survey of the Wisdom of God in the Creation, I:viii.
"By acquainting ourselves with subjects in natural philosophy, we enter into a kind of association with nature's words, and unite in the general concert of her extensive choir. By thus acquainting and familiarizing ourselves with the words of nature, we become as it were a member of her family, a participant in her felicities; but while we remain ignorant, we are like strangers and sojourners in a foreign land, unknowing and unknown."

Historical Voices on God's Creation

St. Augustine (354-430)
"Some people, in order to discover God, read books. But there is a great book; the very appearance of created things. Look about you! Look below you! Note it. Read it. God, whom you want to discover, never wrote that book with ink. Instead He set before your eyes the things He had made. Can you ask for a louder voice than that?"

St. John Damascene (675-749)
"The whole earth is a living icon of the race of God."

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
"Any error about creation also leads to an error about God."

Martin Luther (1483-1546)
"God writes the Gospel, not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars."

Fyodor Doestoyevski (1821-1881)
"Love all of God's creation, the whole of it and every grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of God's light! Love the animals. Love the plants; love everything. If you love everything, you will soon perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing love."

Practical solutions

Drive less (walk, bike, carpool)

Do not use chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides on your lawn

Recycle

Eat more locally grown foods

Make 2-sided copies instead of two sheets of paper copied on only one side

Be careful printing from web sites as it usually prints several pages more than what you want

No Styrofoam: It takes 10 times as much water to manufacture 1 Styrofoam cup as it does to wash 1 coffee cup

Buy a water filter and filter your own water instead of buying bottled water

Conduct an energy audit to discover ways to save energy and money: www.energystar.gov

Conserve energy at home

Open windows instead of turning on A/C

If you have storm windows, close them when heat or A/C is on

Turn down the temperature of your water heater

Add an insulation blanket to your water heater

Use compact fluorescent light bulbs

Keep thermostat in low to mid 60's in winter; mid to upper 70's in summer

Wear lots of clothes in winter; few in summer

Install watersaving showerheads; take shorter "navy" showers

Add insulation to your attic

Caulk around windows

Add storm windows and doors if you don't have them

Install programmable thermostat

Update heating/coolins system

Replace appliances with Energy-Star appliances

Install a "solar" clothes dryer (clothesline)

Turn the heated dry cycle off on your dishwasher

Turn lights off then not needed

Conserve water at home

Turn off water when brushing teeth and shaving

Take showers instead of baths

Install low-flow showerheads

Take "navy" showers; turn water off when soaping up

Plant native plant species that require less water

Buy a water-conserving toilet

Saving Energy at Home

Locate Air Leaks:
First, make a list of obvious air leaks. The energy savings from reducing drafts in a home may range from 5% to 30% per year, and the home is generally much more comfortable afterwards. Check for indoor air leaks, such as gaps around baseboards or edge of the flooring and at the junction of the walls and ceiling. Check to see if air can flow through these places:

Electrical outlets

Switch plates

Window frames

Baseboards

Weather stripping around doors

Fireplace dampers

Attic hatches or doors

Wall- or window-mounted air conditioners

Check also for leaks around all exterior corners, where siding and chimneys meet, areas where the foundation and the bottom of exterior brick or siding meet.

Plug and caulk holes or penetrations for faucets, pipes, electric outlets and wiring. Look for cracks and holes in the mortar, foundation and siding, and seal them with appropriate material. Check caulking around windows or doors and make sure exterior storm doors and primary doors seal tightly.

Heating and Cooling Equipment:
Inspect heating and cooling equipment annually, or as recommended by the manufacturer. If you have a forced-air furnace, check your filters and replace them as needed. Generally, you should change them about once every month or two, especially during periods of high use. Have a professional check and clean your equipment once a year. If the unit is more than 15 years old, you should consider replacing your system with one of the newer, energy-efficient units. A new unit would greatly reduce your energy consumption. Check your ductwork for dirt streaks, especially near seams. These indicate air leaks and should be sealed with duct tape. Insulate ducts and pipes that go through unheated spaces. Recommended insulation R-factor is at least 6.

Lighting:
Energy for lighting is about 10% of your electric bill. Examine the wattage size of the light bulbs in your house. You may have 100-watt or larger bulbs where 60 or 75 watts would do. You should also consider compact fluorescent lamps for areas where lights are on for hours at a time.