How? Cleaning up and Caring for God’s Creation

Weekly Devotion – January 8, 2012 – How? Cleaning up and Caring for God’s Creation

Scripture:   Genesis 1:1 – 2:4 & Mark 13: 32-37;

Media:  YouTube video “The Crying Indian – Keep America Beautiful” 

Reflection:

I remember seeing the commercial of a Native American paddling a canoe and finding pollution everywhere.  The commercial ends with a bag of garbage landing at his feet and a tear running down his cheek.  Powerful!  It is one of the iconic images of my youth and still causes me to pause and reflection on what it is we are doing to planet earth. 

There is a saying, “Live simply so that others can simply live.”  And it is a statement of truth, justice and challenge for us all.  Gone are the days when we could just pretend that what we did to the environment didn’t impact us or others.  We all know how something we buy here is a product of manufacturing and mining and transportation and how all these steps contribute to the health or lack of it for our environment.  We know that the metaphor of the butterfly flapping its wings is true – the cutting of a tree in Brazil does affect the air quality and temperature in Texas. 

Recycling is an act of faith.  Community Supported Agriculture is a spiritual discipline.  Buying less and reusing more is a witness.  Energy efficiency is a testament of your beliefs.  What you buy shows what you believe.  Caring for this creation is an act of everyday justice it brings hope to others and shows acceptance of the basic fact that we all are in the same boat, we all are equal because the sun shines on us all, water is life to us all and what we do to the air and water we do to ourselves. 

To boldly shape partners of God for the transformation of the world we must do all we can to protect, restore and revitalize creation.  Our actions show others the way and bold actions are seen more clearly.  By partnering with God as co-creators we take our task of stewarding creation to heart and it deepens our relationship with God, ourselves and others.  When we practice what we preach and are a community that shows its care for creation we take steps to transform the world.

Meditation:

How do you participate in caring for creation?  How do you see yourself in the web, the circle of life?  When have you been a restorer of creation and how did it feel?  When have you witnessed the destruction of creation?  When have you participated in it?  Who has helped you claim your role as steward of God’s creation and how did they do that?

Prayer:

Thank God for the wonders of this creation.  Praise God for all that creations gives to you.  Hold up to God those who work to make this earth healthy and whole.  Ask God to help you be the steward, the partner, God needs to insure the health and vitality of earth.  Seek God’s forgiveness for those times and ways you have not cared for creation as you ought. Thank God for letting you be a witness to living simply.