Kia ora koutou, and warm greetings and Talofa lava!

From the Bin to the Garden: Our Calling to Care.

Think about the rubbish bins we have in our homes. We are provided with different bins: one for recycling, one for food scraps, one for rubbish that cannot be recycled, and other waste that needs to be disposed of appropriately.

Every time we stand at the kitchen bench holding something we no longer need, we have a decision to make:

Which bin does this belong in?

It may seem like a very ordinary decision. But it is also an opportunity to practise faithful stewardship.

If I put a food scrap into the recycling bin, I have made the wrong decision. If I put recyclable material into the general rubbish, I have missed an opportunity to reduce waste. If I take a moment to put each item into the appropriate bin, I am making a small contribution to caring for God’s creation.

And this reminds us of something important about decision-making.

Our decisions often have consequences beyond what we immediately see. We make a decision, and something happens as a result. Sometimes the consequence is what we expected. Sometimes there are