A few weeks ago, I sat as an NGO observer on the balcony in the General Assembly Hall at the UN headquarters in New York and watched the opening event of the UN Summit of the Future with excitement. In view of the numerous challenges in the world – wars and conflicts, fear of further global pandemics, persistently high levels of poverty, widespread hunger, lack of prospects for the younger generation, challenges posed by new technologies and artificial intelligence – UN Secretary-General António Guterres had convened a special world summit in the hope of providing new impetus for better and deeper cooperation in the world. To achieve this, the Summit of the Future emphasised the importance of living up to existing international commitments and was supposed to accelerate efforts to achieve the goals that had already been jointly set before and have been discussed so much (such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda).

One week later, the summit was over and the Pact for the Future along with its two accompanying annexes – the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations – was adopted. We now find ourselves in the first days of this ‘future’ that the world’s most powerful and influential political leaders spoke about in their speeches in New York.

For followers of Christ, the future is not merely an abstract concept. It is both a divine promise and a call to action. We can have hope, because there is a future. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us, ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ This verse reassures us that God is actively involved in our lives, crafting a future that is imbued with hope. As we think about the future of our planet, we must remember that it is part of God’s creation – a canvas on which He paints His purpose.

But the future is not a fateful future that simply comes upon us. We are privileged to help shape the future coming alongside the Lord. Yes, God creates the future in this world through us and with us. When it comes to planning for the future of the planet, we are called to be stewards of the earth. This charge involves not just using the earth’s resources but doing so in a way that honours God’s creation. As stewards, we are entrusted with the responsibility to nurture and protect, ensuring that the entirety of creation flourishes as a testament to God’s glory.

Plans are good. God has created us with the amazing ability to conceptually think ahead from the present to the future, thereby leveraging on opportunities and reducing risks. But God should play a role in this. Proverbs 16:3 encourages us, ‘Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.’ This invitation is not merely about our personal endeavours; it challenges us to integrate our faith with our social, political, economic and ecological responsibilities and aspirations. Individually and collectively. And if you want, you can even discover a little warning in this verse: try it without God and you will see what failed plans look like.

In the first days of the future, we can therefore only wish Europe – well, the whole world! – more faith. Which also means to go out from the cosy armchairs in the United Nation’s General Assembly Hall in New York into this world and our spheres of influence being salt and light and a testimony to the One who makes plans succeed.

This newsletter, in which we unpack the fifth Mark of Mission (“To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth”), offers stories and ideas on how this can be done in terms of caring for creation – in word, prayer and deed.

May God richly bless us on this exciting journey!

By Matthias K. Boehning

EEA Operations Manager

(This editorial is a slightly modified version of the editorial by Matthias K. Boehning that was published a few weeks ago in the newsletter ‘The Pollinator: Creation Care Network News’. If you are interested in creation care and would like to get more involved in this field as an expression of your faith, we highly recommend subscribing to this free newsletter.)