TOMORROW’S SUNDAY

Before I went into Ministry I was fortunate enough to be a teacher of science. I loved my time as a teacher, the children were amazing and eager to learn about the world around them. One of my favourite topics to teach was Evolution, and the pupils used to question, in their naivety, how a Christian could be so passionate about the topic that in their view contradicted the biblical six-day model of creation (not that it does, and I could spend hours talking about poems, myths and how Genesis is akin to the playground declaration of “my God is bigger than your God”). My passion for the subject of evolution was linked to the realisation that God does an amazing thing through the process, in that he ties us all back to one another, and not just in regards to humanity but to all life. We are by our very nature, by our very creation pathway linked eternally to one another. To love our neighbour is to respond or react to a part of ourselves. How then can we claim to love God, a God who by his very nature and essence is love, when we view our brothers and sisters who are part of God’s creation through eyes of hate. If in the words of Jesus the greatest command is to love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And to ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ Then this should be our only driving force, to seek to love God through our interaction with the world around us, to see in the face of each individual the image of God and work to demonstrate love, peace and hospitality to all who we come in contact with. Humanity is a strange and eclectic group of people and we cannot allow ourselves to be seduced by the lie that one group is better than another or to suggest that this group of people are bad and this group are good. So let us choose to love, to unite and sow words of love and hope, to see the best in people and strive for a world built on equality, love and inclusion.