Living in the Spirit

May 30, 2023

Scripture Reading: Genesis 1:1-2:4a

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.’
So God created humankind in his image,
   in the image of God he created them;
   male and female he created them.
God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. –Genesis 1:26-31

How do we interpret the meaning of the phrase to have dominion over it? Is that a license to do whatever fits our fancy, or does it mean taking responsibility for the well-being over which we have been given dominion? We, humans, are often drawn to the short-term immediate pleasures without regard for long-term ramifications. It seems we may finally understand that whoever created this earth knew what they were doing. For example, I am hearing more and more concerns being expressed about the ramifications of the loss of bees on our environment. Much of the dust from the Dust Bowl was the result of straight-row planting and harvesting of crops designed to maximize the amount harvested. Those straight rows produced more crops but made it easier for the strong winds to whisk the topsoil away in the flat lands of the Great Plains. Planting trees to block the winds from scalping the plains helped, as did contour planting.

We are experiencing grave outcomes from climate change. We need to decide how we care for the earth for the benefit of all.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the wisdom to discern the right actions to take to care for the earth and all that depends on it for life. 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.