Creation Care | The image is larger, the order more comprehensive
Our world suffers from the fact that we no longer honestly call a spade a spade. Trends, even if they have very good and noble motives at their core, are often only hypocritically pursued and implemented for the sake of a good image. The culture of shame is also becoming increasingly widespread in the western world. We should look this fact honestly in the eye. Creation care is about more than just a trend. It is time for us as sons of God to stand up and start representing God's kingdom in every way. We are divine "thought leaders" and set God's trends.
The answer to the challenge of our time is to create solutions that serve this world in a sustainable way.
Challenged to be more comprehensive stewards
In my parental home, I learned to be frugal with the goods entrusted to us. My father was born at the end of the Second World War and was deeply influenced by this time of scarcity. As we all know, necessity is the mother of invention. My father was a physicist and very inventive, especially when it came to optimizing things. So from an early age, I was a pro at making do with little. My father was a master at saving money and being a good steward. He saved money and resources wherever he could, reduced water consumption, kept electricity consumption as low as possible, he taught us not to throw away food unnecessarily, he always lovingly reminded me to be sustainable with what God had given me. My father created concepts for our family life that had a strong focus on the conscious use of resources in every respect. I learned many very useful tips at home and a conscious approach to the goods entrusted to us. As I got older, I became more aware of this treasure.
Two complementary properties in unity
Step by step, God has opened my eyes to another dimension. God wants us to be both his stewards on earth and also creators. This "both-and" is also called complementarity. Two complementary characteristics belong together and are not causally dependent on each other, but only together do they form a unit (one medal - two sides). One side is the stewardship mandate, the mandate that God gave Adam to rule over the earth (Genesis 1:28). The other side of the same coin is the mandate to be creatively active.
Creation Care is like hospitality, it should have no other nature than love!
Called to be creatively active
We have the task of upholding and enforcing God's claim to rule on earth. Where man lives, sows and reaps, works and acts, man himself is not the ultimate ruler. It is about God's reign. It is about God's creation. God entrusts it to man, and he wants it to continue. We are therefore not only stewards of creation, but above all ambassadors of heaven, God's representatives on earth. We do not represent our own opinion, nor do we represent the opinion of the masses, we represent the interests of heaven. We are allowed to manage what God, in his creative power, gives and allows to grow. What swims in the sea, what God has placed in the earth in terms of raw materials, what he gives in terms of energy in wind, river or solar power for life - God has entrusted all of this to us, his authorized representatives on earth. So it depends on our relationship with God as we "subdue" the earth and its goods. We are heavenly representatives and are called to be creatively active.
Everyone has the ability to be creative. Unfortunately, most people don't realize it.
Our words are creative
God created by speaking. God passed this divine ability on to us. He has given us the authority in Christ to reign in life through the words we speak.
"A man's body feeds on the fruit of his mouth, and he is satisfied with what his lips produce. Death and life are in the power of the tongue; he who loves it will eat of its fruit." Proverbs 18:20-21
Ecological sustainability starts at home
We can start being more honest and comprehensive about the 4 R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover):
- Reduce
- Reuse
- Recycle
- Recover
It starts at home. We need to be willing to question and change our habits. We need a divine "change" here too. We simply can no longer afford to naively leave the water running, use electricity unnecessarily and thoughtlessly leave the window open when the heating is on. We can also no longer throw away food unsuspectingly. We can learn to seek and live a divine (complementary) perspective on our everyday lives.
We have made it our mission to inspire people, companies and communities to protect creation.
We focus on the heart
With our guesthouse concept, we will enable every guest to experience nature up close with all their senses. We want to reach people's hearts and not their heads. We offer every guest the opportunity to experience the practical impact we have on the resources available. This makes it tangible and personal - ideally a matter close to the heart.
As arche+, we enable individuals, groups or companies to live with us for different lengths of time and thus create a connection to the Creator. Everyone finds peace for their soul and a place to be. We are convinced that this lived connection with nature and its appreciation enables people to better assess the impact of the environment on their own lives, companies and society.
The renewal of all creation
The goal of God is the renewal of all creation, that is the big picture that we must keep in mind in all our activities and priorities. Jesus came to restore - to die and rise again to fulfill God's project of creation and re-creation. Everyone, without exception, is affected by what Jesus came to earth to do. Every valley and every mountain, every sea and every lake, every bird and every tree, every nation and every person. All of us and everything around us is affected, thank God.
If environmental degradation is the thief that steals life, our goal is to work for the opposite, that all may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). We must recognize that the earth is not our property, but that we must steward it and be creative in order for life to succeed. Our top priority, therefore, is to seek God's glory through the flourishing of human life in a thriving creation.
The mandate to rule is a mandate to partner with God to bring all of creation into divine order.
The economy contributes to prosperity
We are convinced that the economy must also contribute to the prosperity of people and creation. Raw materials, air and water are gifts from God that enable people and all of creation to thrive. We as arche+ meet the need for robust environmental management tools that humanity needs. What sustains our businesses can sustain the planet, and what sustains the planet will sustain our businesses. We form an integral whole that cannot be separated.
Every area of society is called upon to restore God's order.
Creation is part of the holistic gospel
We as arche+ help us to use nature sustainably and appreciatively. We are convinced that the preservation of creation cannot be considered in isolation. It is part of the holistic gospel. The life created by God always seeks unity and functions in cycles. We as arche+ develop technologies to provide clean air, clean water, clean food and clean energy through our blueprints. We plant, we water, yet we are aware that God gives the yield. We are God's coworkers (1 Corinthians 3:7, 9). We only follow God's leading by taking on the responsibility of stewardship. He will bring restoration as He has promised.
It is not enough to value sustainability. It is about actively and sustainably introducing a "culture-changing" faith.
Creation and humanity praise God together
Our aim is for the arche+ companies to contribute to all of creation praising and glorifying our Lord together with humanity. Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad, and let it be said among the nations:
"The Lord is King!" Chronicles 16, 30-34
We are a group of companies loyal to the king of environmental excellence, we are divine environmental thinkers, we are honest and passionate about God's creation and we fulfill our roles in this creation.
It is time to restore our creation in unity according to God's will and to submit it to his rule.
