Creation Care - Humanity’s Role in the World Genesis 1:27-31
Forward to the sermon This past Sunday, May 3rd, 2015, was The Blessing of the Seeds Sunday. First, thanks to Tom Dodge and all who participated in leading us in worship while I was at my God-daughter’s Confirmation. The Blessing of the Seeds Sunday is a special day here, in our farming and gardening community, on which we stop to pray for God’s blessing on the year’s planting and future harvest. One of the texts selected for this day is Genesis 1:27-31:
27 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” 29 God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
In the beginning, when God beginning creating, God saw to it that everything God created gave support to the next created part in line. He created light and dark. Next, was the waters one the earth and the atmosphere in the sky and formed the dry land. These supported the vegetation. Then God said let there be the sun and moon to “be for signs and for seasons and for days and years”(Gen. 1:14), in order to set limits and give time for rest and peace. Then there was the bringing forth of the creatures of the seas and land, and the birds of the air. Everything meant to be supported by the previous and supportive of each other. They were blessed and called to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. God saw it all and said it was good.
Then, came God’s image stamped upon the part of creation known as humans. God personally put hands to the dirt, God gets dirty in the formation of this creature. For God, it was personal, because God was to have a personal investment in this creature. “Let us make man in our own image, in our own likeness.” This creature even had God’s rūach, God’s own breath, God’s very life, within it. This creature, like its maker, was to be personally invested in everything else created. This creature was given “dominion” (New Revised Standard Version translation) over the rest of creation. Not “dominion” as in “domination,” but as in “ruler” or “lordship.” As one appointed to look out for and care for all under one’s care. A steward.
As steward, humanity was given the responsibility to make sure that life of all of the creation received care and attendance and was watched over. While each level of creation gave support and food to the succeeding level including humanity (Gen. 1:29-30), and humanity thus receives support from the preceding parts, humanity is given the role from God to be the overseer of everything. This would be a simple task because God’s creation, which God saw as very good (Gen. 1:31), was arranged in good order.
I imagine that when everything in creation had begun, it was in sync. Seasons came and went in balance. Creation lived in harmony with itself, included humans with all of creation. Even human with human. Even humans with God.
Then, a moment came when trust in God, in all that God had given and promised. What had begun as good and organized, equal and balanced, became discombobulated. This task of caring for the land would have been a simple task, if not for the entrance of sin. The spoiling of God’s creation which God saw as very good (Gen. 1:31).
The trust that birds and creatures of the sea and land showed was now a broken trust. As it would prove to be, even trust between humans would be disrupted. Even before Cain killed Able, Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the snake. No one was willing to shoulder their responsibility and culpability in the matter of sin, inequity and imbalance in the world.
Now the task was actually work. The land was not cooperative in producing the food that humans required. It took the sweat of the brow and resourcefulness to get the soil to give up produce. Subduing and having lordship, caring for the land now meant using the rational mind God had given to humans.
Today we look at what it takes to be good stewards of the world God has given us. For today, it is about ecology, environmental sciences, and creation care. All we do as agronomists, agriculturalists, farmers, hunters and gardeners, even as inhabitants of this planet, must be done with an eye to the future. How will “what we do” affect our environment not only for today, but for the years and for the sake of the future generations to come? We are not to be bullies of our environment, wasteful and abusive lords of the land, but compassionate and loving stewards. It is about stewardship which is not about dollars and cents, but about benevolence and common sense. How will we redeem the situation so that the future of our time here has as much hope as we have by faith? Will our faith and trust in God empower us and be reflected in our love in action towards God’s creation?
In putting humans in charge of lordship, God is making humanity partners in creation and re-creation. God has made humanity a part of the process of loving and caring for the world. God has entrusted us with the world and with how we will love creation as God does, and live in the best stewardship possible. Our role in the world, in as far as the environment is concerned, is to be partners with God in caring for land, water, and air. God strengthen us for the task.
Next week, we look at stewardship of our relationships with each other.
