Care of the Earth

Christmas
January 2, 2018

Scripture Reading: Genesis 1:1-8

And God said, ‘Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. –Genesis 1:6-8

The Psalmist says what I want to say far better than I:

O Lord, our Sovereign,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
   to silence the enemy and the avenger.

 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
   the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
   mortals that you care for them? 

Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
   and crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
   you have put all things under their feet,all sheep and oxen,
  and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
   whatever passes along the paths of the seas. –Psalm 8:1-8

Dominion means responsibility not license to do whatever we want. Dominion means we must care for the earth God provided as a resource for us. If we take care of nature, it will take care of us. When we ravish its resources, they may support us for a while, and then they are gone or become a danger to us.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in caring for the earth and all that is on it. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.