The Stewardship of the Environment Committee of the Diocese of Montreal, is launching a short film to articulate a message of urgency about climate change. View the trailer below and find some questions for theological reflection, including resources from the National Church and Green Churches.

Stay tuned for the launch of the Film on October 4th, 2020

Contact Richard Matthews for questions regarding The Seed.

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Questions for Theological Reflection

“The Seed” Video

Take a moment to reflect on the feelings you had as you watched the video; there were probably several different ones as the story unfolded.
1. How do those feelings compare to how you feel when you pray, listen to or read Scripture, share your concerns with God, or listen for God’s call?
2. Did you hear “calls to action”? Do those calls resonate with what God is saying to you? (Suggestion: This is a question that deserves time; talk about it today, but continue to listen for echoes in your spiritual listening over the next months).
When you watched this video, what Biblical and theological themes came to mind? What other themes could have been used to present the message of this video?
The video is titled “The Seed.” This is an important theme in the Bible. In the Creation story told in the first chapter of Genesis, God talks a lot about seeds (see Genesis 1:11 and 1:29). Jesus also had a lot to say about scattering seeds and letting things grow. Where do you see seeds of new life around you? Where are seeds important to you?
Near the beginning, the narrator says “we took all that we could, more than we should.” This recalls a story told in the Hebrew Scriptures. When the Hebrew people have fled slavery in Egypt and are wandering in the desert, God provides them with bread that they called manna. God said to take only enough for the day but many people took more than that to save for future days, only to find that it spoiled. (This story is told in Exodus 16:13-26.) What does it mean to have enough? Where do you sense that we are taking more than we can? How does this Biblical story challenge other messages we are taught?
How do you react to the mandate given by the old tree to the seed in the video, that “We are a sacrifice for paradise”?
As the narrator says, “We are each to do our part”; what is the part that you as an individual are called to do at this time?
Many Anglicans have structured their thinking about their role in the world around something called the Five Marks of Mission. (You can read them all online.) The fifth mark encourages Christians to “strive to safeguard the integrity of Creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth.” Where and how do you hear your Christian community called to respond to this call?

(Thanks to The Rev Dr. Jesse Zink for contributing to this document)

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