Liturgy 5
Facing grave ecological challenges we hope and act anticipating God’s restoration of heaven and earth vs.
We have damaged the earth beyond all repair
Reflection by Abby Gosselink

How does the counter liturgy appear in your own life or surroundings?

Because the Earth has so much brokenness, it is easy to say “oh well” and not take steps to reverse the damage. I also find it easy to put off creation care in my busyness and when my focus is on school and life-agenda things. I also feel like most of the people around me whom I do life and school with do not understand why and how Christians need to step up and do creation care which is discouraging. With the technological advances of this time, we have found ways to ‘ignore’ the ways we need to be taking care of the Earth because it is easy to cover up the pain with pesticides, GMOs, and the exploitation of resources. Much of the Earth is so different from the way it was when it was created, so it’s easy to think that restoration on the Earth isn’t even possible at this point, but the Bible calls us to have courage and hope in God, who will reverse all of the destruction on the Earth.

What habits or practices have most helped you to resist the counter-liturgy and live out the truth of the liturgy?

I make it a point to talk about the environment to my friends and family- pointing out the destruction while also describing the intricacy and beauty in the world that the Lord has created which instills a desire in most people to learn more about creation. Something else that I have done was helping organize a river clean-up event to remove trash from a river with people who aren’t environmental science majors or extremely passionate about creation care. This was so rewarding! It was encouraging to see people wanting to help pick up trash and work to restore even the smallest section of a stream. Mainly, I have begun to see changes in my closest friends with how they view the environment and have seen care in them to help clean up and work to restore the environment through the conversations I have had with them.

What is something you started doing at Au Sable that you’ve carried with you into your life back home? How is that shaping you?

While at Au Sable, I realized how beneficial it was to spend lots of time outside. I was more aware of the Lord’s presence and could worship Him for His creation, so I have continued to make myself go outside and purposefully wander. Slowly walking through the simplicity of creation while identifying plants and praising the Lord for who He is has continued to be a beneficial time where I can connect with God, and creation, and take a breath from the busyness of life.

How has your life of worship and understanding of God shifted as a result of practicing this liturgy? (Or, more generally, how has your life of worship and understanding of God shifted as a result of your time at Au Sable?)

My love for the Lord and what He has created grew significantly as I learned lots of new information at Au Sable. While a lot of it was about heartbreaking environmental issues, I also grew in more of a desire to do my part and think about what I can do to help the environment daily. I am more in awe of the Lord and His creativity after being in beautiful creation in northern Michigan. The times I take to slow down, look up and around, and notice the changing of seasons, no matter where I am in the world is something I started doing at Au Sable and continue to do now. Doing this has taught me so much about God and His power, increasing my love for Him as our Savior.