Groundskeepers for God

Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”  So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.  God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.  Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”  Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.  They will be yours for food.  And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.”  And it was so.  God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.  And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.  Genesis 1:26-31

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.  Genesis 2:15

Reflection

My father has always been into landscaping.  When I was growing up, he was continually at work in the yard–building rock walls along the stream that ran though our property, planting bushes, and shoveling tons of decorative stone.  He loved doing this and took great pride in the results.  Unfortunately, I didn’t experience it as such a joy.  Being the only child, I often got dragged into whatever project he had going.  It would be an understatement to say that I grew up disliking yard work.  Even so, as an adult, I have done my share of it.  When you have property, you’ve got to take care of it.  You can’t let the lawn grow to be two feet high or allow the bushes to grow wildly out of control.  Not only will it cause problems with the neighbors and the town, but also it will negatively impact your property value and ultimately your own happiness.  You’ve got to take care of the place where you live, even if it takes some hard work.  This is a lesson we find in today’s reading, as we begin the path of stewardship.  As God’s people, we are given the responsibility of caring for God’s creation.

It’s strange that, out of all the things written about our mission as Christians, relatively few of them have addressed our role in caring for the environment.  For many years, Christians assumed that the Biblical task of “ruling” over creation meant we could do whatever we wanted with the planet and its creatures.  There are still those who believe this.   Just recently I read about a man who ran what is called a “puppy mill” on which dogs were bred for sale.  The animals were kept in tiny cages in conditions that could only be described as inhumane.  But the owner felt no guilt over this because he felt that the Bible gives humans authority to do with animals as we like.  This is not a proper understanding of Scripture.

In the story of creation, God places humans in the garden to work it and take care of it.  This is a symbolic description of humanity’s role on the planet.  We are to work for its well being and productivity.  We are to guard the other creatures from harm and provide for their care as best we are able.  You would not want a gardener who neglected your garden or acted so as to destroy it.  While a gardener may be given a certain amount of authority to work in the garden, it is never authority to destroy, only to exercise proper care.   Nobody would hire a gardener to kill their garden.  So when the Bible talks about our having authority over creation, it is an authority that carries responsibility.  We are to take care of the environment, not destroy it.

Before the Bible describes any other path for our growth or well-being, it gives us this job:  to tend the garden of God’s creation.  Any approach to a purposeful life that ignores this fundamental fact is inadequate.  We might not like the responsibility this places on our shoulders or the hard work it calls for.  But we live in God’s world, and we have to take care of it. 

Activity

Take a garbage bag and some gloves.  Go on a walk in your neighborhood and pick up any litter you encounter.  When you finish, note how much garbage you found.  What would it take to rid your neighborhood of all litter?  Consider ways you might be a better steward of the environment.

Prayer

God of Creation, You are the giver of every good gift:  My possessions, my abilities, and my life itself come from You and will return to You.  Forgive me when I fail to be grateful or refuse to share.  Open my eyes to Your amazing generosity, and return me to the path of faithful stewardship.  Help me to take good care of this planet and its creatures.  Thank You for the beauty and goodness of all You have made; in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Key Thought: God has created us to be stewards of this planet and its creatures.