A reading from the book of Genesis.
Then God said, “And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals, domestic and wild, large and small.” So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female, blessed them, and said, “Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals. I have provided all kinds of grain and all kinds of fruit for you to eat; but for all the wild animals and for all the birds I have provided grass and leafy plants for food”—and it was done. God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased. Evening passed and morning came—that was the sixth day.
In this piece of scripture we hear that God put man in charge of the Earth and all of the creatures and plants upon it. It is our job to look after it. This is echoed in the Pope’s prayer intention for September which is for us to have a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. This year, as a school, we will be looking at how we can be more environmentally-friendly, so this week, your mission is to do something to help look after the Earth.
What could you do?
Ideas include:
- Making sure they put litter in the bin
- Not eating as much meat (choosing the green option for school dinners)
- Walking or scooting to school instead of coming by car
- Using recycling bins where available
- Turning lights off when not needed
- Not leaving taps running whilst brushing their teeth
Dear Lord,
Creator of our common home,
You fill the earth and sea and sky with life
Forgive us our neglect of your creation
The choking waste of our pollution
The damage done by careless habits
And our indifference to future generations.
Help us to amend our lives
To refuse more plastic if we can’t reuse it
To lift our voice for lasting change
And to live well and gently on the earth
To the glory of your Son, the Living Word
Through whom you made this fragile world.
Amen.
What did you do to achieve this week’s mission? Let us know in the comments below.
5 comments
In year 5, we had many ideas about how we could look after God’s creation. Alot of us mentioned that we recycle in our homes and also pick up litter that has been left in the street. We also discussed how the travel tracker that we complete in school encourages us to walk to school instead of taking the car. As a class, we have also noticed what other people are doing to try and protect the world such as food shops have started providing paper straws instaed of plastic ones.
In Year 4 there are lots of things that we do to help look after God’s earth. Adam and his mum collect litter when they are out in the park and woods to put in the bin. Isaac P litter picks on his street. As a class we always put litter in the bin and pick up any we see. As a world we should chop less trees down and replace those that we do. We could grow our own fruit and vegetables and look after the tees and plants around us. We should not litter in the ocean and keep them clean to protect the animals including turtles. As a class we are trying to use less plastic and make changes to prevent climate change.
In Year 3 a child planted a tree by using Ecosa. Another child walked to school instead of driving, to prevent pollution. Another child and her sister went to the park and picked up litter so that the animals didn’t eat it. Another child has been growing fruit and sharing it with her neighbours. Another family stopped on the road and helped a hedgehog to safety so that it didn’t get run over.
In Year 6 this week we have been thinking about the mission of keeping our world clean and protected. We echoed this mission in our class liturgy this week where we went outside to appreciate the natural world and come up with ways we can protect it. We decided we would recycle our papers in class as scrap paper or double sided printing, help to stop littering in the playground, make sure all our friends use reusable water bottles and use our position as oldest in the school to set a good example to the other children.
In year 1, we have been thinking and discussing about the beautiful world God created for us. We promised to take care of God’s creations. The children came up with lovely ideas, a child mentioned that we could do more recycling to save the planet while another child talked about taking care of animals. We echoed the mission statement in our class liturgy and sang the hymn- he’s got the whole world in his hands.