Part 1 – Hope for Creation – Guidebook

In this interactive companion to the Hope for Creation DVD, Dr. Matthew Sleeth provides personal questions, practical applications, and additional content to help Christ’s followers dig deeper into the creation care lessons of Sessions 1-6.

Part 1 – Hope for Creation – Film

In Part 1—Hope for Creation, Dr. Matthew Sleeth explores his personal salvation experience and desire to follow Jesus in the context of the love story God tells in Genesis 1. In these first six sessions, Dr. Sleeth guides us through each of the created elements—Light, Water, Soil, Heavens, Animals, and Man—and reminds us of our God-given commission to “tend and protect the planet.”

Session 1: Light
In the beginning, God speaks the first sentence of a love story that will include all creatures and all people…and it all begins with light. When God sends His Son, it’s no surprise He is called the “Light of the World.” When we follow Jesus, God changes our hearts and calls us to be children of light with new priorities that reflect the love story of God and His creation.

Session 2: Water
Water is an indispensable building block of life that makes up most of our bodies and covers the majority of the planet. But fresh water is relatively rare. Of all the water on earth, less than one half of one percent is drinkable and accessible to us. Water is precious, and necessary for survival. It’s no coincidence that Jesus calls himself the Living Water.

Session 3: Soil
God wants us to grow in our faith, like trees planted in good soil. Trees are mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible; each reference to a tree, branch, bush, or vine, reveals God at work. It’s God’s desire that we bear fruit in our lives. When our actions are filled with the fruit of the Spirit, we are in a right relationship with God, our neighbors, and His creation.

Session 4: Heavens
God created a universe of wonder for us to enjoy, giving us the sun for warmth and stars to help us find our way. While these heavenly bodies reassure us with the steady rhythm of time, they are full of incomprehensible mystery. These aspects of the night sky teach us about the face of God, calling us to trust that He is present in all of life’s mysteries.

Session 5: Animals
From the very beginning, God has entrusted mankind with the privilege and responsibility of caring for the animals and protecting the habitats they depend upon for survival. Jesus, our model for compassion, is called the Good Shepherd and “the firstborn of all creatures.” When we care about every bird in the sky as deeply as God does, we become partners in God’s redemptive plan.

Session 6: Man
In Genesis 2:15, God tells us to tend and protect the Garden—perhaps because we can’t live without it. But taking care of the planet is also a form of sacrificial giving. It’s about helping people who aren’t even born yet by planting seeds for the future. Until Jesus returns, we’re told to be the hands and feet of God here on earth.

Part 2 – Hope for Humanity – Guidebook

In this interactive companion to the Hope for Humanity DVD, Dr. Matthew Sleeth provides personal questions, practical applications, and additional content to help Christ’s followers dig deeper into the creation care actions highlighted in Sessions 7-12.

Part 2 – Hope for Humanity – Film

In Part 2—Hope for Humanity, Dr. Matthew Sleeth examines how God’s original command to “tend and protect the planet” extends into the actions and activities of our everyday lives. In these final six sessions, Dr. Sleeth advocates a spiritually and environmentally sustainable lifestyle, focusing on six key actions—Rest, Work, Give, Share, Teach, and Hope. As members of the body of Christ, we serve as the hands and feet of God on the earth.

Session 7: Rest
On the seventh day God created rest and called it holy. Rest is a gift of God. The fourth commandment tells us to rest, to stop everything. Sounds nice, but how do we find rest in a 24/7 world? Sabbath is about restraint, about intentionally not doing everything all the time just because we can. The Sabbath is about letting go of the controls one day a week and letting God be God.

Session 8: Work
A majority of our life is spent at work. Work itself is a good thing; God created us to work and called us to be gardeners. But what does it mean to be stewards of the earth at the office? God is calling all of us to take better care of the planet. We must examine our work in light of the gifts we’ve been given and the biblical call to care for the earth.

Session 9: Give
When God gave His only son to die for us, He gave extravagantly. When we work hard for what we earn, we’re faced with a choice: store up treasure for ourselves here on earth…or give it away. From the first stories of the Bible, it is clear God is not satisfied with mere leftovers. He wants our eager and generous hearts—it’s good for us, for our neighbors, and for God’s green earth.

Session 10: Share
In the early church, believers were meeting together for meals, sharing, worshipping, and providing for one another generously. And each day new members were added to their gatherings. It’s quite a picture—people who see church not as a building but as a way of life. As a society we long for community, so how did we get from that early church to today’s status quo?

Session 11: Teach
Teaching what the Bible says about caring for the earth and all living things is both a responsibility and a privilege, but how do we do it? Jesus taught primarily by his example, even to the point of death on a cross for our sins. In doing so, he taught us something profound about time: what we do now—even the sacrifices we make—matter for generations to come.

Session 12: Hope
When Christians talk about “going green,” they bring something unique to the discussion: hope. Not just hope for a better future in heaven, but hope for today through the power of God’s Holy Spirit at work in His Church. As believers in Christ, we are in the life business—life today, life tomorrow, and life the next day. Combine faith, hope, and love, and things get done. Change happens.