Happy Day, fellow earthlings!
Great joy that this Sunday we can celebrate the creation of our earth and its continued care having been entrusted to us. But if we look carefully, it seems we have fallen short of this commandment of stewardship. Some understandings of the first creation story in Genesis include calls for dominion and reign over the animals and the plants. This is problematic if our understanding of governing and reigning does not include protecting and conserving our precious resources.
It is clear from our scripture that God took great care in seeing that the earth was put together just so -- it is unlikely that God's intention was to let generations of humans systematically destroy it.
Certainly it is our anthropocentrism that informs this dominion understanding. That, clearly, our scripture, written by humans, might raise up humans as the controllers and consumers of all other things. This is no way to be good stewards of the earth.
It is, instead, our responsibility to extend the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit across the globe -- to extend new life in Christ to all creatures -- plants, animals, mountains, oceans, skies.
It is fitting that Earth day falls in the Easter season. Everything has been made new. How, with that knowledge, can we do anything other than promote good life and good health of all things?
Great joy that this Sunday we can celebrate the creation of our earth and its continued care having been entrusted to us. But if we look carefully, it seems we have fallen short of this commandment of stewardship. Some understandings of the first creation story in Genesis include calls for dominion and reign over the animals and the plants. This is problematic if our understanding of governing and reigning does not include protecting and conserving our precious resources.
It is clear from our scripture that God took great care in seeing that the earth was put together just so -- it is unlikely that God's intention was to let generations of humans systematically destroy it.
Certainly it is our anthropocentrism that informs this dominion understanding. That, clearly, our scripture, written by humans, might raise up humans as the controllers and consumers of all other things. This is no way to be good stewards of the earth.
It is, instead, our responsibility to extend the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit across the globe -- to extend new life in Christ to all creatures -- plants, animals, mountains, oceans, skies.
It is fitting that Earth day falls in the Easter season. Everything has been made new. How, with that knowledge, can we do anything other than promote good life and good health of all things?
Touch the earth lightly, use the earth gently,
nourish the life of the world in our care:
gift of great wonder, ours to surrender,
trust for the children tomorrow will bear.
We who endanger, who create hunger,
agents of death for all creatures that live;
we who would foster clouds of disaster--
God of our planet, forestall and forgive!
Let there be greening, birth from the burning,
water that blesses, and air that is sweet,
health in God's garden, hope in God's children,
regeneration that peace will complete.
God of all living, God of all loving,
God of the seedling, the snow, and the sun;
teach us, deflect us, Christ reconnect us,
using us gently, and making us one.
-Shirley Erena Murray-