Posted by Wendy ML Tan • Aug 09, 2022
Last week, I mentioned to my Ignite teammates, “Creation Care is not my forte.” The phrase still lingers on my mind one week on. It dawned on me that saying it propagates my ignorance to grow in awareness about Creation Care and limits my conviction to act upon it. It is both a complacency and a sin of omission on my part.
Realizing how callous I was, I turned to God in humble repentance. Long have I compartmentalized “Creation Care” as a box, as I would with politics or sports or other things I lack interest in. In this sermon series, I have been woken up with the fact that creation is a global issue that affects me, whether I like it or not. And I have voluntarily and involuntarily contributed towards the decline of the environment. Being on Ignite duty this weekend forces me to pay attention to the topic but with so little time on my hands to write this reflection piece, I asked God, “Where do I start?”
Through a short conversation on Sunday morning, I felt challenged to go for an evening walk even though I was feeling a little tired. The sky was blue and there were little clouds in the skies. I strolled through the lorong, hoping to catch sight of Mr Chung or aunty Angela, but neither of them were home. Mr Chung and his wife live just on the row behind mine. As they have reached the retirement age, they decided to shift back from Singapore recently. I noticed that they had harvested a batch of vegetables as the planter boxes were empty. They had started urban farming as a hobby to fill up their free time. Aunty Angela who lives several blocks away loves to do gardening too. Yesterday, many flowers were in bloom. I loved the little pink flowers at the corner. I have never noticed these before.
I continued walking. As I glanced at the ground, I saw an ice-cream wrapper hidden among some grass. In the small drain, I noticed a crushed soda can and an empty beer bottle. There were also worn-out face masks and torn cigarette packs. I thought about my dormant litter-picker that Pastor Moy How had given me over a year ago. Perhaps I should make good use of it again.
Then I came to the small park by the main road. There was a mother playing with her child by the swings. I stopped for a few minutes. I looked up at the trees and the green foliage. The evening wind blew by me. Far off on the horizon, the sun was beginning to set.
I would usually walk a loop around the inner section of USJ’s Taipan. My usual spots were the pharmacies and bakeries. Sometimes, I will browse at the stationery, grocery and DIY stores or stare at restaurant menus. It is nice to be greeted by familiar faces in a neighbourhood I have lived in for almost 30 years. Some of the shops have been there that long too, with the paint peeling off the walls. Some are new with bright shiny storefront signboards, while others have closed down. I remember a tong shui outlet which I would patronize with my friends occasionally. We would sit and listen to Pancy as she shared stories of her travels mainly in China and Singapore. Months ago, as the MCO regulations started to ease, I dropped by her shop to see how she was doing. She was all right but she was making the decision to return to Singapore for the sake of her teenage daughter who has special needs. I miss the friendship and fellowship with her and her family.
As I headed home, I walked into my favourite spot, Starbucks. I told myself I would need to drink coffee so I could work on this issue of Ignite. I took out my plastic tumbler so that I would save RM 2 on a frappuccino. Yes, I am aware that it is made of plastic, but at least it is reusable. As I waited for my drink to be ready, I took from the newsstand a copy of the community newsletter and the June issue of “The Petri Dish”. The headline reads, “NGO: Declare climate emergency now.” This can’t just be a coincidence.
The call to Creation Care is real. It is in our face. If only we would open our eyes and our hearts to take notice. For me, this sermon series challenged me to look at being Christlike in light of Creation Care. Every being matters to God. Every life, including the birds in the air and the flowers in the field (Matthew 6:26, 28). Every matter and every element. He created them all.
King David wrote in Psalms 8:3-4, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”
Father, your creation is inexplicably beautiful. Yet, it is being destroyed day by day. I could point my fingers at industrial giants and worldly marketing ploys that feed me with consumeristic untruths. I could stay ignorant of climate activists and global initiatives that push for sustainable efforts and policy implementation to better our environment. I could continue to wallow as the heat becomes unbearable and take for granted my easy access to air-conditioned facilities and a packet of cold cendol.
I may not be called to do the large-scaled things, but I could still start to live life with a more caring attitude with the little things. I could start to pick up litter in my neighbourhood, one street at a time. I could bring my own tiffin carriers (more regularly) when I order take-aways for my lunch or dinner or I could just eat out. I could carpool with my CG members to attend Celebrations at church considering that most of us live in close vicinity with one another.
As the song goes, “Teach me. Lead me. To live like you live. To give like you give. To love like you love.” May I grow into Christlikeness by taking notice, and taking care of Your creation.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.