CHAPTER 1: CREATOR CREATION

Transcription

1 CHAPTER 1: CREATOR CREATION God covenants relationship with an inherently good Creation that reveals and glorifies its Creator. God intended Creation to be a land of abundance, with all parts working together in harmony to provide fruitfully for every need. Like the women who are no longer able to walk beneath the dense canopy of a lush tropical forest to collect water from clean flowing rivers near their homes, all of Creation groans to be restored back to the design of its maker. INTRODUCTION In the beginning God created These are very familiar words to most Christians, and they are very important words to open the biblical narrative in Genesis 1:1. They are important, also, to open our study, because there are two key things embedded in this first biblical phrase that together form the foundational element for a proper understanding of Christian environmental stewardship. The first three words, In the beginning, are important because they start something. Like a theater curtain dramatically drawn aside, they draw our attention to a story a story we know well, a story we believe is true, and a story we wish to share with others. We are talking here about Christianity. Sometimes we are so familiar with our own story we forget how it begins, and so it is important we go back to its very first scene and imagine ourselves as viewers. As humans, we will have an important role to play, but we have not appeared yet in the Genesis account of creation. Before we can understand our role, we must become familiar with the bigger picture we must know our context. Once we have taken our seats and the curtain has been drawn, we can focus on 12

2 the action unfolding onstage. The second part of this opening phrase God created tells us what this story is about. It is about a relationship a relationship between God and what God creates. From the action here in the first words of Genesis, we see that the Christian story begins with a relationship between Creator and Creation. This is the central relationship to an ethic of environmental stewardship, and thus an understanding of this Creator-Creation relationship is essential for Christians seeking to understand how best to care for the earth. At the heart of stewardship is a relationship between Creator and Creation, and an understanding that this relationship has existed, indeed, from the beginning. CREATION IN RELATION God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. (Genesis 1:31) What exactly is a relationship? To begin our study of stewardship relationships, we should start by asking this question. Usually we think about relationship in terms of human community. Our most obvious relationships are those with whom we live, work, and worship: our families, co-workers, and fellow church members. Christians believe that the individual must be spirituality healthy, and thus we seek relationship with Jesus Christ. Finally, we believe that the Bible calls Christians to help others enter and experience relationship with God, and so we place great value on nurturing relationships with those outside of our immediate community of family and friends. Be it with a spouse, a parent, a co-worker, a friend, or God, relationship always involves two: oneself and another. Although we usually think about relationship from a human standpoint, we see in the first chapter of Genesis a different kind of relationship. In this relationship, which opens the biblical story, the self is God and the other is Creation. This relationship exists before humans are given life and can experience relationship with each other and with God. Before we can begin to think about how we as humans should relate to the natural world, we must understand how God relates to Creation. Read Genesis 1:1-2:3. How does the earth participate in cre- 13

3 ation? Does our human society value the earth as good or simply good for? How does that compare to how God feels? Read Isaiah 40:12, What stands out to you in these verses? Read John 1:1-3, 3:16. What is the role of Christ in creation? What does God love? What does Christ s incarnation mean for the physical, material universe? Supplemental readings: Nehemiah 9:6, Psalm 24:1, Psalm 104; How does this Psalm reflect Creation as God s home? What does God do to sustain Creation and provide for His creatures? GOD S OTHER BOOK The heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1) As its Creator, God is revealed through Creation. Christians refer to the person of Jesus Christ and the written text of the Bible as special revelation. Nature is traditionally considered a complementary form of revelation, part of what is often termed general revelation. In medieval Christianity, the natural world was sometimes called God s other book. Indeed, scientists in the early modern era believed that exploration of the natural world was an important way to learn about God. The idea that Creation communicates God is found throughout the Bible, in passages that use imagery from the natural world to express characteristics of God or incorporate elements of Creation in worship. In the Psalms, Creation is frequently portrayed as worshipping God through its natural elements. In the New Testament, Jesus makes references to the natural world in order to communicate truth. In Mark 4:30-32, for example, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed. In John 15:1-8, Jesus metaphorically uses the image of a vine and branches that bear fruit to illustrate healthy spiritual relationship with God. In these and other instances, Creation serves to reveal truth about God and glorify Him as Creator. Read Romans 1:20. What does Creation reveal about God? What invisible attributes of God can we identify in the natural world? Read Psalm 19:1-4 and 96: What verbs does the Psalmist use in these passages when referring to the natural world? 14

4 What does this language tell us about Creation s purpose? Read Psalm 148. Who or what participates in praising God? A COVENANT WITH CREATION I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind (Genesis 9:15) Christians serve a God of commitment. God does not create and then abandon Creation to suffering. We will explore the effects of human sin on the created world at a later point in this study, but it is important to have an understanding of God s committed relationship with Creation. This beginning relationship between Creator and Creation will continue throughout the Bible and history, even when sin and destruction enter the story. Literally translated, the Hebrew word shalom means peace, but has deeper meaning in its implications for relationships. Shalom is a vision of the world characterized by healthy relationships in all areas of life. This vision of shalom offers the hope that Creation can be restored to its intended state that it can once again achieve that harmony God intended despite immense suffering. Christians can hope for this restoration of Creation because we believe that God is sovereign over Creation, that the world and everything in it belongs to God, and that God will remain faithful to His relationship with Creation. This emphasis on hope is one distinguishing characteristic of the Christian ethic of environmental stewardship. Indeed, if God has a relationship with Creation apart from humans, then Christians who are concerned for the natural world maintain hope that God will remember His covenant and will not allow His beloved Creation to perish. Read Genesis 9:8-17. With whom does God establish covenant in this passage? What does God promise? Read Isaiah 11:6-9. This passage is a vision of the kind of shalom that God intends for Creation to experience. What relationships are being restored in this vision? Does God s promise have relevance for us today? Supplemental readings: Read Psalm 65. How does God sustain Creation in this passage? How does this influence a Christian response to environmental crisis? 15

5 IN ACTION Start a Creation Journal for either your family or your group. Keep a record of what you observe around the places you live and worship. Having some basic field guides to animals, birds, and plants in your local habitat might be helpful in identifying and learning more about God s world. How does what you observe communicate God? Compile a songbook to be used in worship. Whether your church uses traditional hymns or contemporary worship songs, your worship most likely incorporates images of Creation. Meditating on these images helps us better understand Creation in its relationship to God the Creator. Suggest that your church participate in Creation Care Sunday each spring. Visit Evangelical Environmental Network at for ideas on how to involve your church community in intentionally celebrating the wonder of God s Creation. 16