Flower through asphalt
Photo courtesy of Resource UMC
“In the midst of suffering and death— be it individual, social, or ecological— the promise given to the Earth community is that life in God will reign. So speaks the resurrection.”
— Cynthia Moe- Lobeda, “A Theology of the Cross for the Uncreators”
Special to United Methodist Insight | April 13, 2026
The past weeks have been alarming. President Trump's threats to inflict apocalyptic attacks on Iran, followed by a backing off and claims of a ceasefire, have had a whiplash effect on all people everywhere who care about justice, peace, and the wellbeing of creation. See some good articles analyzing this situation below.
Amid today’s threats to democracy, rule by corporations and plutocrats, escalating violence, economic suffering, environmental devastation, masked agents on our streets, wars for oil and global domination being waged in our name, how can we preach the gospel in a way that motivates action for the good? How can we as followers of Jesus contribute to the growing movement for resistance and transformation that we saw with the recent No Kings rallies?
What is the good news for us today, in the midst of the passion of the earth and the suffering of Christ in creation? Paul writes, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17). This hopeful text speaks of atonement as reconciliation that extends to all creation. What does the concept of new creation mean in light of our suffering and dying earth?
The concept of new creation has been used to illustrate a hopeful vision of a renewed earth that may motivate people to take seriously our call to care for creation. One way that Christians have interpreted this concept is to relate it to the afterlife, as an assurance that no matter how bad it gets here on earth, no matter how many ecosystems are destroyed or how many species go extinct, God will ultimately reconstitute creation in a renewed and even better way. But such ideas bring little comfort to those of us who love life here on earth as we witness the escalating speed and efficiency of the institutional engines of death that are destroying it.
Of course, there are biblical texts that support the idea of all things ultimately being summed up in God at the end of time. For instance, Ephesians 1:10 refers to God’s plan for reconciliation in “the fullness of time,” to gather up all things in heaven and on earth in Christ. Acts 3:21 speaks of a time of “universal restoration.” These are reassuring passages about the promise of resurrection and the renewal of creation at the end of time. Such passages offer us freedom from the fear of death and courage to face life’s challenges.
But the biblical concept of new creation does not just symbolize hope that at the end of the world, God will reconstitute it in a new form. Rather, it symbolizes hope for the future of this world. Jürgen Moltmann wrote, “The new creation is not a different creation. It is the new creation of this deranged world. Eternal life is not a different life. It is the resurrection of this life into the life of God. . . . So the kingdom of God means that this world will be different and will be born anew out of violence and injustice to justice, righteousness and peace.”(Jesus Christ for Today’s World, 1994, pages 22–23). These ideas of reconciliation and new creation reflect Jesus’s vision of the reign of God.
As extinctions become more numerous, climate change accelerates, and the powers assert themselves in ever more ecologically and socially destructive ways, the biblical concept of new creation illustrates a spiritual reality that can be experienced and lived into. As followers of Jesus, we are already part of the new creation here and now, as is made clear in the text above. We are already part of a new creation because we are in Christ.
As reconciled people who are empowered as participants in God’s saving work in our time, we are called to reach out with the message of reconciliation not only for individuals but for creation as well. This path is costly. Carrying the message of reconciliation must include challenging dehumanizing institutional idols that are undoing creation, and working for systemic change in ways that enable human beings and the rest of creation to flourish. In this process, we are given a new orientation toward life and courage to rise even when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds.
Following Jesus enables us to recognize the glory of God in creation, to live in reconciled relationships, to comfort those who suffer, to stand in solidarity against oppressive powers, to allow the love that we have received to flow through us, to acknowledge that all creation exists within the circle of God’s care, and to take actions that embody hope for the future and are proportional to the challenges we face. This is atonement. This is salvation: to live into the reality of the new creation.
This article includes excerpts from “Creation Crucified: The Passion of the Earth,” which is Chapter 4 of Sharon’s book, The Cross in the Midst of Creation. Her newly revised book, Love in a Time of Climate Change: Honoring Creation, Establishing Justice, is also now available.
Climate Advocate
The Rev. Sharon Delgado, convener of the grassroots caucus Fossil Free UMC. (Photo courtesy of Sharon Delgado.)
The Rev.Sharon Delgado is the Convener of Fossil Free UMC, which advocates for the United Methodist Church to divest from fossil fuels, and is on the Coordinating Committee of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement.