Scripture: Genesis 1:26-27, 2:15
We are called not only to be a people who enjoy, appreciate and learn from nature, but also a people who care for it. Scripture tells us that when God created humankind, they were given dominion over all other creatures. This text, when read at its best, suggests that human beings, created in God’s image, are to watch over and rule creation in the way that God would rule creation. When paired with Genesis 2:15, which speaks of cultivation, we can say that humanity is called to partner with creation to bring out its best, to help all things reach their potential.
Unfortunately, if we look around our world, we can see that this hasn’t usually been the choice humans have made. Too often, we have chosen domination instead of dominion, cutting down rainforests, polluting air and water, strangling ecosystems, and creating vast, unmanageable amounts of garbage and waste. With each year that passes, the damage we have done and continue to do becomes more apparent.
As a community of nature-adorers, gathered in God’s love, our faith compels us to resist the desecration of God’s sacred creation happening all around us. Perhaps our church will find a big way to do this. Perhaps you, oh reader, are the one with a great idea and the energy to lead it! If so, come and talk to us! Until we find that big idea, though, we can take small steps. We can recycle. We can stop using styrofoam and cut down on our plastic use. Try bringing your own coffee mug on Sunday mornings, and your own dishes and utensils from home for potlucks! We can be mindful of how much electricity and water we are using, both at church and at home. By making these simple changes, we can begin to return to God’s call for us: to bring out the best in this beautiful gift of creation!
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors;
we borrow it from our children.”
-Native American Prover