I had the opportunity to give the Quaker Lecture at Western Yearly Meeting in July 2022. The topic was, “Better Together with the Community of Creation,” going along with their yearly meeting theme, “Better Together in Christ.”
In this lecture, I gave a bit of background on why climate justice is something Friends need to be intentional about working on, discussed prophetic critique and hope and the hope expressed in Romans 8 as we work with God and the rest of creation to birth the new creation, and discussed John Woolman’s early awareness of the connections between ecological issues, racial justice, and our complicity if we are benefiting from those injustices. I suggested some ways Friends could begin working on care for creation in our individual lives and our meetings. I attempted to give an introductory awareness of this concern for Friends who may not have thought much about climate change before, with some grounding in the Bible and some practical steps to take, as well as clear awareness of the reality we are facing. The work of hope includes seeing reality as it is, envisioning the world we want to see, and taking steps in that direction.
If you would like a copy of this lecture, you can send your request with your address to office at westernyearlymeeting dot org. You will be invited to offer a donation to cover the cost of postage.
Cherice Bock 