Eastertide
June 5, 2019
Scripture Reading: Psalm 104:24-35
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
creeping things innumerable are there,
living things both small and great.
There go the ships,
and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
These all look to you
to give them their food in due season;
when you give to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created;
and you renew the face of the ground. –Psalm 104:24-30
The cycle of life applies to all things. The spirit is breath at the command of God as it comes and goes among all living creatures. It is fun to read the first segment of the Psalm above and imagine fish and porpoises and seals playing in the ocean. The earth God created contains sustenance enough for all with one caveat, we are charged with having dominion over all the animals that dwell on the earth.
Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ (Genesis 1:26)
Having dominion or rule over the animals of the earth means we are responsible for them. We can choose to destroy them or save them. We can hoard them for our own use or assure that all God’s children have access to their bounty. Such an arrangement also means that we must live with the outcomes of our choices.
Something as simple as bees are not as simple as they may seem. It is my understanding that chemicals we use are markedly reducing the number of bees available to pollinate the development and growth of plants. We are putting our food supply at risk because we have not cared for bees.
When greed and its resulting recklessness drives our care of all God’s creatures, all God’s creation, including humans, suffer the consequences.
Prayer: Lord, guide us in being responsible tenders of the earth and all that is on and in 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.