Eastertide
April 20, 2016

Scripture Reading: Psalm 148

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
   for he commanded and they were created.
He established them for ever and ever;
   he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed. –Psalm 148:5-6

What are the bounds, which cannot be passed? The Psalmist is speaking here of the whole of creation, describing an order that was hardwired into the earth’s existence. I can see this on two levels. The first is the one that warns us about messing with mother nature, misusing the precious resources for which God provides our very source of living. I think of the American Indian practice upon killing an animal for use as food, clothing, and shelter of first blessing the dead animal for giving its life for us and then being very careful not to waste any part of the gift. We have not done a good job in following God’s instructions to have dominion over the earth. True dominion is not a license for waste and misuse driven by greed. True dominion carries the weight of the world in responsibility.

The second level relates to the role of the parent. I attended a seminar once on nurturing children. The speaker described a young child sent to play in the front yard at a home located on the crossroads of two very busy intersections. The young child is told to stay out of the street and given a ball with which the play and left alone. He or she will most likely either be so afraid he or she barely moves or, if the ball roles into the street, the child will most likely follow it. What if that same preschooler were allowed to play in a well fenced yard with a well-cared for lawn surrounded by beautiful, safe flowers and a watchful parent at attention. The bounds of love have encased this child in a place of wonder and exploration where the child can learn and grow even noticing and learning about the cars rushing by on the street.

Our care of the earth is like caring for a child working toward helping both become all that they were created to be.

Prayer: Lord, as we celebrate the earth this week and rekindle our responsibility to care for it, forgive us when we have failed and guide us toward creating a more stable environment for all your creatures. 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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.