Chaplain's Corner

Safeguard, sustain and renew 

This week in chapel we talked about how we can all live in ways that safeguard, sustain and renew our environment. The Fifth Mark of Anglican Mission says: “We strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.” We looked at these three words— safeguard, sustain and renew, to see what they invite us to do as an Anglican Christian school. 

Safeguarding is an invitation to take responsibility, to individually say to ourselves, “It is my responsibility to protect creation!” It involves thinking about the consequences of bad habits such as littering, dumping chemicals or throwing fishing nets in seas and oceans. Our daily acts must show concern for the environment. 

Sustainability is an invitation to practice habits that sustain creation, simples acts such as switching off our house lights, doing laundry during the day using solar energy, not letting the water tap run while brushing teeth, not taking long showers because the water is warm and nice, recycling as a family things like water and drink bottles, reusing what can be used more than once, avoiding driving where there is public transport. I like that big advert on the trains: “TAKE A BREAK FROM DRIVING - RIDE THE TRAIN!” 

Then, Renewing invites us take responsibility by not destroying what we cannot replace and replace what we can. Things like replanting trees, land fallowing, and protecting endangered species such as the koala, wombat, possum, cockatoo and quokka, are commendable. Romans 8:22 talks about how the whole creation is suffering and groaning because of human sin, and longs for God to liberate it. 

All of us must live in ways that show we are God’s agents who are here to safeguard, sustain and renew the environment. 

Fr Gift Makwasha

School Chaplain