Caring for all of creation as a pastor means being there for people. I believe in incarnational ministry. In John 1:14 the author states that “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” The word dwelling can also be translated into the word “tented”. The author by using this particular word is drawing illusions back to the book of Exodus when the Israelites would travel with the Tabernacle, which was the portable earthly dwelling place of Yahweh. But now in the Book of John, God is not confined to just a tent because the Creator of the universe has made a permanent dwelling place among the people. In the same way, pastors are to care for their parishioners by dwelling amongst them and being there to support them during the joyous times and the worst of times. Parishioners will rarely remember every detail of the sermons that a pastor preaches, but what they will remember is when their pastor showed up in their life to care and support them. Serving as a Resident Chaplain at Tampa General Hospital has taught me about the importance of coming alongside people amid their grief and pain. There are many times as a chaplain where I have walked into patient rooms when their world has been turned upside down. Last year, I got called on the chaplain’s phone to a room to provide care to a grieving mother who had just experienced a fetal demise. When I walked into the room and saw the woman holding her baby I lost all my words and just wept with her. The woman opened up to me and expressed her deep sadness and wished that her baby would just open her eyes. It was at this moment where I fully realized that ministry and caring for people aren’t about words because there were no words that I could say to this woman to take her pain away. Providing care to this woman help me to understand that ministry is about providing comfort and being a non-anxious presence.
The image that comes to my mind as I think of my pastoral role and caring for all of creation is a lighthouse. The purpose of a lighthouse is to guide boats to safety through the dense fog or a bad storm. I think often about the storms that members of a congregation go through. One may have just gotten a bad health diagnosis, another may have just lost their job, or someone is struggling to see that God loves them for who they are. The storms of this life often come unannounced and suddenly. To me, the pastor should be a lighthouse for people going through a storm. The pastor shines the light of God on people and reminds them that God is right there with them through their storm. Caring for all of creation means comforting people and guiding them through their storms.
Overall, caring for creation means being a good steward. I believe that being a good steward means also caring for the earth that God has blessed us with. It is important for pastors today to help parishioners become more aware of the global consequences of climate change. God has called us to be stewards of the earth and to tend and to take care of it as best we can. Caring for creation must include caring for the earth because without it there would not be humans to be cared for.
Our time, treasure, and talents are all important to God. I believe that a pastor should be in good financial standing and seek to support the financial mission of the church and other causes that he or she believes in. Caring for creation is not easy work but as a pastor, I commit to doing this work and relying on the strength of the Lord to help me care and comfort all I may encounter.