Mar k of Mi ssi on 5
72
“W
e are mortal, formed of the earth,
and to earth shall we return,” we
pray in the Burial Rite (Book of
Common Prayer, p. 499), a reminder of our place in the wide sweep
of God’s creation, the destiny we share with the earth
itself, and God’s understanding of the sanctity of the dust
from which we are made in the divine image. The Fifth
Mark of Mission sharpens our awareness that missionary
service requires working for the right ordering not just of the
human family but also of the whole creation in which
humanity resides. Today, as climate change exacerbates deadly poverty around the world, and the poorest
communities even in the United States bear the brunt of
environmental degradation, it has never been more clear
that the future of “this fragile earth, our island home”
(Book of Common Prayer, p. 370) and the future of the
human race are one and the same.