The early chapters of Genesis teach us not only that creation is good and humanity is good, but that the entire arrangement-humanity and creation in interdependent relationship-is good and part of God's design. One basic implication of this created arrangement is that we are affected and shaped by the form of the places we inhabit. Place always "speaks".

Take, for instance, the Springfield Road here in Belfast, which my wife I have walked most everyday to work for the past nine months. This road bears signs of urban despair, community disdain, and hostility: boarded up houses and shops; the ubiquitous presence of broken glass and rubbish; barbed wire and a formidable "peace" wall; and aimless or sectarian graffiti. But it also displays encouraging signs of hope and commitment: new construction; vacant lots recently cleared of rubbish and sewn with grass; remodelled and well-tended front gardens; recently painted fences; and small shops bustling with life. Recent improvements and activity give the place a hopeful, if uncertain, tone.

We are entrusted with being keepers of place. The physical landscape matters to God as a created good, a "conversation partner" with humanity, and a participant in redemption. In our care and design for the places we inhabit we have the opportunity to learn a new language of praise and blessing. Christopher Leerssen, an architect and city planner in Atlanta, Georgia, sees his work as a tangible means of offering praise to God and compassion to our neighbours whom we share particular places with. He believes well-designed urban landscapes can "push forward a hopeful future," and "give confidence and encouragement to the public." Leerssen reckons with the incarnational reality that body and place matter:

We do not put ultimate hope in cities or plans, but hope embodied in physical form is often better grasped. This is true of justice and mercy as well. It is simple mercy to provide a homeless man with a bench for rest and a water fountain from which to drink. We 'do justice' when we build sidewalks so pedestrians can travel safely and with self-respect. We're merciful when we provide public restrooms and shade for pedestrians. And what a beautiful way to look after widows and orphans (usually elderly and young) by providing them with safe, interesting communities in which they can contribute and move safely on their own.

Leerssen is working to live out the gospel within the social context that he finds himself. He will not establish the kingdom in north central Georgia, but he may humanise some of its landscape in significant ways, and in so doing "be kingdom", witnessing to God's concern for humanity and indeed for all of His creation. Here is a powerful way of embodying the good news in a world both weary and wary of hollow words. Here are whispers of God's goodness in physical form.

Derek Keefe

Watch http://www.contemporarychristianity.org/ in the coming weeks for our new resource on the book of Esther: Power & Providence.