Peace with Creation - A Sermon for Aug 24, 2025

Scripture: Isaiah 32:14-18 which inspired thus year’s theme for the Seasons of Creation: “Peace with Creation”

In our first reading from Isaiah, the prophet paints a very bleak picture. For the palace will be forsaken, the populous city deserted; the hill and the watchtower will become dens forever, the joy of wild asses, a pasture for flocks.

Cities are devastated, and wastelands reflect the destructive impact that human activities can have on the Earth. Animals readily move in and claim parts of what was once an exclusively human habitat, as if human settlement had deprived them of sufficient space. While the joy of a pasture for animals (Isaiah 32:14) is undoubtedly a good thing in itself, it comes at the cost of human displacement due to conflict. In Isaiah's day, the devastation would have been local. Isaiah gives several reasons for the devastation. Basically, he blames evil:

• Fools who are heroes

• Scoundrels who are respected

• People practicing ungodliness

• Depriving the hungry of food and water

In a word, they are breaking God's commandments.  This desolate creation is devoid of peace because of injustice and the broken relationship between God and God;s creation, human, animal, plany and inanimate creation.

Does any of this sound familiar?

One way of reading this text, but not the only way, is that God is punishing those who do evil by this devastation, by making bad things happen. That, as I'm sure you've heard before, was a common belief in Old Testament times. Most of us don't believe that now; Jesus didn't believe that either. He said that God sends his rain on the just and the unjust. And corrected the disciples when they suggested that Bartimaeus’s blindness was the result of sin.

To me, a better understanding of the devastation that Isaiah saw, and that we see, is that our actions have consequences. Isaiah lived in a time when the nations of Israel and Judah, along with all their neighbors, were in a constant state of war, particularly against the powerful Assyrian Empire. War, as we know, is one of the major contributors to the destruction of cities, animal habitat and similar devastation. Look at pictures of Gaza or Ukraine!

Throughout history, many human activities have contributed to the destruction of Creation.  We, now, are now seeing devastation on a global scale. Today, more than ever, some human activities take the form of a war against Creation. Our impact has expanded from local to global, manifesting in unsustainable lifestyles, excessive consumption, lasting pollution, and a throwaway culture.

Some systemic human actions hold greater responsibility and others for this crisis—

·      elite consumption - A 2012 report highlighted that the wealthiest 20% of the world's population consume 80% of resources. 

·      exploitative business models, and economic theories prioritizing profit over sustainability – focus on profits; exploiting labour; disregard of environmental limits, leading to pollution and resource depletion; consolidation of industries to gain monopolies, which gives them even power to increase prices and further concentrate wealth. Pollution, health crises, deforestation, and mining in conflict zones also worsen the situation.

We see or hear about the effects every day on radios and televisions, computer screens, and newspapers. We ask, "How will it end? What if anything can I do about it? Will my little efforts really make a difference?" I think what we're really asking is, "Is there any hope for a solution to this global problem?"

After all, global problems need global solutions, and we can't seem to see global leaders all working together on this.

Isaiah saw hope. “Then justice will dwell in the wilderness and righteousness abide in the fruitful field” (Isaiah 32:16).  What is the "then" that Isaiah talks about? The previous verse says: a spirit from on high is poured out on us. That’s when the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest.

Yes, there is hope for a peaceful Earth and an end to the climate crisis, although it may not take us back to where we were 50 years ago.  Perhaps things have gone too far for that, and we will find ourselves living in a new normal. But God has poured out His Spirit on us and through the strength of his spirit, we can turn things around. Biblically, hope is active—but it involves prayer, action, and reconciling with Creation and the Creator through repentance (remember, that's the word metanoia which means turning, changing one's outlook on life. Changing the way one lives) and solidarity.

Isaiah 32:14-18 envisions a peaceful Creation where God’s people live. but only when justice is achieved. Righteousness, says Isaiah, leads to peace and restores the land’s fertility: “The effect of righteousness will be peace; and the result of righteousness, quietness, and trust forever. My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places” (Isaiah 32:14-18).

Creation is God’s sacred gift, entrusted to our care. Christians are called to protect and nurture Creation in peace, working in partnership with others and passing this responsibility on to future generations. Its deep interconnectedness makes peace both essential and fragile.  God calls us to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). We are called to live in peace, worship the Creator, and work for a just and sustainable community that aligns with God’s eternal plans. As co-workers with the Creator, we must embody peace with all of Creation.

Action can include

·      advocacy, writing to politicians, holding their feet to the fire to live up to their election promises.

·      sustainability projects, these can be small or large, as small as planting a butterfly garden or washing and reusing plastic Ziploc bags.

·      cleaning campaigns, typically involving tasks like picking up litter, removing graffiti, planting trees, cleaning public spaces, or engaging in other beautification efforts. Join a Facebook group like Sustainable Milton, Milton Community clean up events or BurlingtonGreen" to find out about clean-up campaigns in Milton and Burlington.

·      education to show that caring for Creation is central to our faith.

During this Season of Creation, we are invited to take time to think about how we can contribute to Peace with Creation in our own small ways, whether as individuals, as a group of friends, or as the parishioners of St. George's.

Collaborating with others and building on diversity can achieve peace. Joining in community activities, such as planting trees or cleaning up litter can unite even divided groups. We cannot cure all creation's woes, but in these small ways we can help to make the wilderness a fruitful field. Pope Francis challenged us in his encyclical, Laudato Si’: “What is the goal of our work? What need does the Earth have of us? Leaving an inhabitable planet to future generations is up to us” Let us pray that the Spirit will continue to be poured upon us to inspire us to work together for Peace with Creation.    Amen.