Sermon | The Goodness of Creation
A few weeks ago in Bible Study, we were studying a scripture in Matthew leading up to Easter and we asked those gathered: “where and how do you experience God?” And after a moment, every single person responded with some aspect of nature. The beach with toes sinking into the sand and the dull roar of the waves crashing onto land. In the blooms of spring and in the bird songs chirping and singing their delight at the changing seasons. Or in the those special camping trips that really allow you to escape light pollution and to see every tiny pin-prick of star. The promise of God’s love and commitment to us in the sign of the rainbow in the sky. God is revealed to us in the created world because God was and is the creator. God’s fingerprints are on it all and for many of us, when we touch nature we touch God.
The first creation story in Genesis is not meant to be a scientific explanation of the origins of our planet and universe, but a theological one. This scripture tells us about God and the character of God and that God’s fingerprints are indeed on every part of the created world. Through the creation of the world, we learn that our God is a God who creates. Our creative God made the complex systems necessary for our life on this planet.
Our creative God made the honey bees, which when they find a good source of nectar fly back to their hive and show their friends where the source is by doing a dance that positions the flower in relation to the sun and hive.
Our creative God made the spider, who has silk that is thinner than human hair, but also five times stronger than STEEL of the same width!
Our creative God made the trees, which themselves create air for us to breath by lifting up to 100 gallons of water out of the ground and transforming it into oxygen!
Our creative God made this planet, which is the only planet in our solar system able to sustain abundant and diverse LIFE.
God’s creation is incredible! The complexity and the creativity of the natural world around us is breathtaking and humbling to behold. It’s no wonder that when we look to nature, we find God there.
In the beginning, God spoke into being the lights in the sky, the waterways and oceans, and creatures of every kind. God made everything in perfect order--creating the systems necessary to sustain life on planet earth and then populating the earth with plants, animals and then humans. Along the way, every single thing that God did and created was named “good.” Each element of life and the elements necessary to sustain life are declared good. We are part of God’s creation and, male and female alike, share the unique blessing of being made in the image or images of God.
As God says to humanity after their creation, “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.” Some have exploited this, thinking that the earth is ours to exploit and use without thinking of the generations that will come after. That the earth is ours to use however we see fit without thought for brothers and sisters around the world who suffer from the greed of a few. Yet, if we are made in the image of God, we are blessed with a similar spirit of creativity and capability of love for the created world.
When we look to other parts of scripture, we can discern that an ethic of exploitation is not God’s intention for the “rule” of the land. Even from the perspective of the Old Testament, God desires a much different kind of dominion or rule than one based in exploitation alone. In Psalm 72, the psalmist shares a coronation Psalm for King Solomon, saying, (8) “May he have dominion [radah] from sea to sea…” Ruling and having dominion is what Kings did. Yet, later in the Psalm, the psalmist goes into specifics about what that dominion looks like: (12-14) “he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight.” The rule and dominion are to be focused on the poor and the needy and on delivering them from oppression and violence. “As a ruler accepts taxes and tributes from his subjects, so too we receive a bountiful sustenance from the fruits of creation.” And at the same time, we have an obligation to guard the natural beauty, preserve endangered species, and even work to restore those places which have been ruled with force and harshness.”
When we read the Bible from the perspective of Jesus, we are reminded of what kind of ruler and leader Jesus was on earth. He paid attention to the little ones, he spent time with the sick, he criticized systems of injustice. He spent more time preaching from mounts and hillsides than in buildings, he prayed and spent time alone in the wilderness and in gardens, he navigated the seas by boats and ate with his friends on the beach. In today’s second scripture, the Pharisees are attempting to test Jesus by asking him, “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” For one, there were ten basic commandments, but there were also rules about ritual purity and temple worship that Jesus would have to sift through, but instead he doesn’t hesitate. He responds with: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest. Meaning that Jesus had answered their question and could have left the conversation there, but he went on to name the second commandment, which is to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Everything can rest on these two.
When we are discerning how we are to live our lives as faithful disciples, we can ask ourselves, “Is this an example of me loving God with all of my heart, soul, and mind? And is this an action that demonstrates a love for my neighbor as I love myself?” These two commandments, Jesus states, are what all of the teachings of the Law and the Prophets are based on. So, as we think about “ruling” or caring for God’s created world--do our actions show a Love of God with heart, soul, and mind? Do these choices I’m making show a love for neighbor?
We might not think about the environment and its connection to our faith very often, because as a society we are more disconnected from the natural world. Most of us don’t live the majority of our lives in the elements or know the names of the people who are growing our food and their unique struggles. When I was in the camping world, we would talk about whole generations of children being diagnosed with “Nature Deficit Disorder.” Or a lack of time spent outdoors leading to depression, anxiety, a disregard for life, and attention problems. We as a culture are separated from the natural world and as a result our faith is disconnected from the natural world.
The authors of Genesis would have lived close to the elements and in a much more intentionally connected natural system. When a drought struck California, they couldn’t rely on Mexico or Brazil to provide produce in the way that we can. When disaster struck, they might be forced to migrate to a completely new region in search of better conditions, the way that Naomi’s family must migrate for food in the book of Ruth. We have the privilege of turning a tap for water, instead of drawing it from a well or walking to collect it. It’s this kind of disconnect from the natural world that has led to the transformation of our culture into throw-away culture and one ruled by bottom lines and not sustainability for the future.
This throw away culture has led to the creation of products that are made with the sole intent of being used one time and then being discarded. Things like to-go containers, plastic straws and silverware, Starbucks or gas station cups, ziploc bags, and plastic bottles are all items that had to have resources extracted from the ground, created, shipped, are used for a very short time some as little as 30 minutes, and then live forever in a landfill. Is that really the most creative thing that we could come up with? Our creating God endowed us with the similar qualities of creativity and love of creation and we have allowed ourselves to settle with a throw-away culture.
Our trash lives forever in landfills, instead of being part of natural processes of decomposition that return nutrients and minerals back to the ground. And these landfills are becoming bigger, and bigger and are built in the backyards of our poorer neighbors, who are predominantly black and brown brothers and sisters. The poor and the disenfranchised don’t have the social capital to stop landfills from being built in their backyards. And sometimes these landfills malfunction and break. A local landfill, which is really so large it’s known as a megafill, broke resulting in mercury leaks into the surrounding waters, a trash-slide, and uncontrollable fires. This megafill is located outside of Cinncinati and is the highest point in the area dubbing it Mount Rumpke. Many of us probably have our trash picked up by Rumpke.
We don’t have to think about our trash, because we don’t have to see our trash. We have tucked it away into the backyards of our neighbors and down the road a bit where we can’t see it. If we had to keep track of the trash we created and see it piling up--we’d become completely overwhelmed by it. What if every water bottle, pop bottle, paper plate, plastic silverware, coffee cups, paper towels--what if every piece of trash we made as a church was placed in our beautiful green yard by the East parking lot. Every week another bag or two would be added. Every time we had a potluck heaps of bags would be added from lunch plates and leftover food dumped out. We would take notice and we would look for a solution. We would look for a way to limit the amount of trash that we made if we truly had to reckon with it.
As Christians, what impacts one vein of creation ultimately affects us all. And in the midst of an imperfect, broken system, we have to ask: is this what God really intended? Is this how God wanted us to use our creativity? Does God look at what we have done with this beautiful, plentiful intricate creation and say, “it is good. It is very good”?
What would God say about…
The steady collapse of bee colonies with beekeepers losing 30-90% of their honey bees every winter from an extensive use of pesticides.
What would God say about…
A world that was plentiful and rich with natural, lush rainforest, but within 100 years there may be no rainforests due to clear-cutting for agricultural grazing land.
What would God say about…
People fleeing their countries because of violence caused by lack of food and basic resources from changing climates.
What would God say about…
A whole colony of penguins disappearing overnight because of the collapse of sea ice from warming water temperatures.
What would God say about…
The way we pull precious resources from the ground for a plastic fork we use for 30 minutes and then toss into a landfill for eternity.
Would God say, “Yeah, this is all very good?”
One of the greatest problems with our throw-away culture is that it has convinced us that there will always be more. There will be more plastic bottles to drink from, there will be more places to put our trash, there will be always be access to green space and there will always be every kind of produce at the grocery store. Yet, as Christians, God is calling us to look around and take heed that at our current pace and current practices aren’t ones that promote the life-cycle of the world--one of rejuvenation and reusing--but instead are ones that promote depletion and destruction. As caretakers, how are we making choices now that will impact our children and grandchildren?
When I was a young girl, I lived next door to my great-grandfather. He was in his 80s, when I was born and I just adored him. He was a rural Virginian man wearing a uniform of a worn white t-shirt and weathered blue jeans with a baseball cap. He kept a huge produce garden between his house and his field of beef cattle. He grew corn, green beans, lima beans, tomatoes, beets, and on and on. I loved running through the corn when it grew tall, but my favorite part of the garden was the sunflowers. He grew sunflowers that towered over my elementary school frame with blooms bigger than my head. Bees and butterflies would fly in and around the sunflowers--drawn to their beauty and their pollen.
One time we were walking in the garden together and a butterfly was fluttering by and my grandfather stuck out his hand and the butterfly landed right on him. He just held so still as that butterfly rested in his hand. I remember thinking that moment was so magical. That was over 20 years ago and in that time the Monarch Butterfly population has declined by 80%. Butterflies and little honey bees aren’t just cute, but are necessary pollinators for the produce that we eat. And the use of intense herbicides for soy and corn crops, especially, impact the pollinator populations. Does God call this good?
The choices we make about truly caring for creation extend beyond honoring resources and making less trash, but include daily choices like shorter showers, and planning our commutes and car usage. It might mean that we keep those pesky bright yellow dandelions in our yard for the pollinators, instead of using herbicides which kill pollinator populations. Or intentionally plant some milkweed, which gives a place for butterflies to lay their eggs and sustenance. It might mean stopping your use of single use plastics and disposables and swapping them for things which can be reused over and over again. Perhaps, you take a walk or a bike for short trips instead of driving your car. Maybe you think about the impacts of industrial agricultural production on waterways, forests, and neighbors and limit the amount of red meat you have in the week. These are all individual actions that can be taken in the midst of a system that has been created imperfectly, and that is broken in relation to our environment. They’re not perfect actions, but they are movements toward a type of rule that God describes.
Remembering our Bible Study, and the way that every single person had experience God’s love, God’s goodness, God’s promises in creation...I think about our brothers and sisters around the world who are not privileged with access to green spaces the way that we might be. I wonder if it is hard for them to experience God in the created world, too? Do they feel God’s presence when their water is polluted and undrinkable? Do they see God’s hands in the lack of food caused by changing climates? Do they experience God as their local Amazon forests are bulldozed for more grazing land? We are privileged to have places like State and National Parks and Dayton’s amazing metro parks, which preserve so much green space and allow for a place set apart to see God in the created world. Yet, there are ways that humans are “ruling” that do not promote the care of creation in a way for God’s children to find God within. If I have the privilege of becoming a great-grandparent will I be able to stand in a garden with my great-grandchildren and teach them about the importance of butterflies and wait patiently for one to land on my outstretched hand? Will I be able, in my old age, to point to rainbows and clean beaches and the return of spring as signs of God’s goodness?
My prayer is that we will live in God-honoring and earth-honoring ways that connect us to the goodness of God found in creation. My prayer is that we connect with the natural world around us so that our understanding of God increases. My prayer is that your experiences of God in nature remind you that we are all connected through God’s beautiful web of creation and we have been called to love God and neighbor.
The first creation story in Genesis is not meant to be a scientific explanation of the origins of our planet and universe, but a theological one. This scripture tells us about God and the character of God and that God’s fingerprints are indeed on every part of the created world. Through the creation of the world, we learn that our God is a God who creates. Our creative God made the complex systems necessary for our life on this planet.
Our creative God made the honey bees, which when they find a good source of nectar fly back to their hive and show their friends where the source is by doing a dance that positions the flower in relation to the sun and hive.
Our creative God made the spider, who has silk that is thinner than human hair, but also five times stronger than STEEL of the same width!
Our creative God made the trees, which themselves create air for us to breath by lifting up to 100 gallons of water out of the ground and transforming it into oxygen!
Our creative God made this planet, which is the only planet in our solar system able to sustain abundant and diverse LIFE.
God’s creation is incredible! The complexity and the creativity of the natural world around us is breathtaking and humbling to behold. It’s no wonder that when we look to nature, we find God there.
In the beginning, God spoke into being the lights in the sky, the waterways and oceans, and creatures of every kind. God made everything in perfect order--creating the systems necessary to sustain life on planet earth and then populating the earth with plants, animals and then humans. Along the way, every single thing that God did and created was named “good.” Each element of life and the elements necessary to sustain life are declared good. We are part of God’s creation and, male and female alike, share the unique blessing of being made in the image or images of God.
As God says to humanity after their creation, “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.” Some have exploited this, thinking that the earth is ours to exploit and use without thinking of the generations that will come after. That the earth is ours to use however we see fit without thought for brothers and sisters around the world who suffer from the greed of a few. Yet, if we are made in the image of God, we are blessed with a similar spirit of creativity and capability of love for the created world.
When we look to other parts of scripture, we can discern that an ethic of exploitation is not God’s intention for the “rule” of the land. Even from the perspective of the Old Testament, God desires a much different kind of dominion or rule than one based in exploitation alone. In Psalm 72, the psalmist shares a coronation Psalm for King Solomon, saying, (8) “May he have dominion [radah] from sea to sea…” Ruling and having dominion is what Kings did. Yet, later in the Psalm, the psalmist goes into specifics about what that dominion looks like: (12-14) “he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight.” The rule and dominion are to be focused on the poor and the needy and on delivering them from oppression and violence. “As a ruler accepts taxes and tributes from his subjects, so too we receive a bountiful sustenance from the fruits of creation.” And at the same time, we have an obligation to guard the natural beauty, preserve endangered species, and even work to restore those places which have been ruled with force and harshness.”
When we read the Bible from the perspective of Jesus, we are reminded of what kind of ruler and leader Jesus was on earth. He paid attention to the little ones, he spent time with the sick, he criticized systems of injustice. He spent more time preaching from mounts and hillsides than in buildings, he prayed and spent time alone in the wilderness and in gardens, he navigated the seas by boats and ate with his friends on the beach. In today’s second scripture, the Pharisees are attempting to test Jesus by asking him, “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” For one, there were ten basic commandments, but there were also rules about ritual purity and temple worship that Jesus would have to sift through, but instead he doesn’t hesitate. He responds with: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest. Meaning that Jesus had answered their question and could have left the conversation there, but he went on to name the second commandment, which is to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Everything can rest on these two.
When we are discerning how we are to live our lives as faithful disciples, we can ask ourselves, “Is this an example of me loving God with all of my heart, soul, and mind? And is this an action that demonstrates a love for my neighbor as I love myself?” These two commandments, Jesus states, are what all of the teachings of the Law and the Prophets are based on. So, as we think about “ruling” or caring for God’s created world--do our actions show a Love of God with heart, soul, and mind? Do these choices I’m making show a love for neighbor?
We might not think about the environment and its connection to our faith very often, because as a society we are more disconnected from the natural world. Most of us don’t live the majority of our lives in the elements or know the names of the people who are growing our food and their unique struggles. When I was in the camping world, we would talk about whole generations of children being diagnosed with “Nature Deficit Disorder.” Or a lack of time spent outdoors leading to depression, anxiety, a disregard for life, and attention problems. We as a culture are separated from the natural world and as a result our faith is disconnected from the natural world.
The authors of Genesis would have lived close to the elements and in a much more intentionally connected natural system. When a drought struck California, they couldn’t rely on Mexico or Brazil to provide produce in the way that we can. When disaster struck, they might be forced to migrate to a completely new region in search of better conditions, the way that Naomi’s family must migrate for food in the book of Ruth. We have the privilege of turning a tap for water, instead of drawing it from a well or walking to collect it. It’s this kind of disconnect from the natural world that has led to the transformation of our culture into throw-away culture and one ruled by bottom lines and not sustainability for the future.
This throw away culture has led to the creation of products that are made with the sole intent of being used one time and then being discarded. Things like to-go containers, plastic straws and silverware, Starbucks or gas station cups, ziploc bags, and plastic bottles are all items that had to have resources extracted from the ground, created, shipped, are used for a very short time some as little as 30 minutes, and then live forever in a landfill. Is that really the most creative thing that we could come up with? Our creating God endowed us with the similar qualities of creativity and love of creation and we have allowed ourselves to settle with a throw-away culture.
Our trash lives forever in landfills, instead of being part of natural processes of decomposition that return nutrients and minerals back to the ground. And these landfills are becoming bigger, and bigger and are built in the backyards of our poorer neighbors, who are predominantly black and brown brothers and sisters. The poor and the disenfranchised don’t have the social capital to stop landfills from being built in their backyards. And sometimes these landfills malfunction and break. A local landfill, which is really so large it’s known as a megafill, broke resulting in mercury leaks into the surrounding waters, a trash-slide, and uncontrollable fires. This megafill is located outside of Cinncinati and is the highest point in the area dubbing it Mount Rumpke. Many of us probably have our trash picked up by Rumpke.
We don’t have to think about our trash, because we don’t have to see our trash. We have tucked it away into the backyards of our neighbors and down the road a bit where we can’t see it. If we had to keep track of the trash we created and see it piling up--we’d become completely overwhelmed by it. What if every water bottle, pop bottle, paper plate, plastic silverware, coffee cups, paper towels--what if every piece of trash we made as a church was placed in our beautiful green yard by the East parking lot. Every week another bag or two would be added. Every time we had a potluck heaps of bags would be added from lunch plates and leftover food dumped out. We would take notice and we would look for a solution. We would look for a way to limit the amount of trash that we made if we truly had to reckon with it.
As Christians, what impacts one vein of creation ultimately affects us all. And in the midst of an imperfect, broken system, we have to ask: is this what God really intended? Is this how God wanted us to use our creativity? Does God look at what we have done with this beautiful, plentiful intricate creation and say, “it is good. It is very good”?
What would God say about…
The steady collapse of bee colonies with beekeepers losing 30-90% of their honey bees every winter from an extensive use of pesticides.
What would God say about…
A world that was plentiful and rich with natural, lush rainforest, but within 100 years there may be no rainforests due to clear-cutting for agricultural grazing land.
What would God say about…
People fleeing their countries because of violence caused by lack of food and basic resources from changing climates.
What would God say about…
A whole colony of penguins disappearing overnight because of the collapse of sea ice from warming water temperatures.
What would God say about…
The way we pull precious resources from the ground for a plastic fork we use for 30 minutes and then toss into a landfill for eternity.
Would God say, “Yeah, this is all very good?”
One of the greatest problems with our throw-away culture is that it has convinced us that there will always be more. There will be more plastic bottles to drink from, there will be more places to put our trash, there will be always be access to green space and there will always be every kind of produce at the grocery store. Yet, as Christians, God is calling us to look around and take heed that at our current pace and current practices aren’t ones that promote the life-cycle of the world--one of rejuvenation and reusing--but instead are ones that promote depletion and destruction. As caretakers, how are we making choices now that will impact our children and grandchildren?
When I was a young girl, I lived next door to my great-grandfather. He was in his 80s, when I was born and I just adored him. He was a rural Virginian man wearing a uniform of a worn white t-shirt and weathered blue jeans with a baseball cap. He kept a huge produce garden between his house and his field of beef cattle. He grew corn, green beans, lima beans, tomatoes, beets, and on and on. I loved running through the corn when it grew tall, but my favorite part of the garden was the sunflowers. He grew sunflowers that towered over my elementary school frame with blooms bigger than my head. Bees and butterflies would fly in and around the sunflowers--drawn to their beauty and their pollen.
One time we were walking in the garden together and a butterfly was fluttering by and my grandfather stuck out his hand and the butterfly landed right on him. He just held so still as that butterfly rested in his hand. I remember thinking that moment was so magical. That was over 20 years ago and in that time the Monarch Butterfly population has declined by 80%. Butterflies and little honey bees aren’t just cute, but are necessary pollinators for the produce that we eat. And the use of intense herbicides for soy and corn crops, especially, impact the pollinator populations. Does God call this good?
The choices we make about truly caring for creation extend beyond honoring resources and making less trash, but include daily choices like shorter showers, and planning our commutes and car usage. It might mean that we keep those pesky bright yellow dandelions in our yard for the pollinators, instead of using herbicides which kill pollinator populations. Or intentionally plant some milkweed, which gives a place for butterflies to lay their eggs and sustenance. It might mean stopping your use of single use plastics and disposables and swapping them for things which can be reused over and over again. Perhaps, you take a walk or a bike for short trips instead of driving your car. Maybe you think about the impacts of industrial agricultural production on waterways, forests, and neighbors and limit the amount of red meat you have in the week. These are all individual actions that can be taken in the midst of a system that has been created imperfectly, and that is broken in relation to our environment. They’re not perfect actions, but they are movements toward a type of rule that God describes.
Remembering our Bible Study, and the way that every single person had experience God’s love, God’s goodness, God’s promises in creation...I think about our brothers and sisters around the world who are not privileged with access to green spaces the way that we might be. I wonder if it is hard for them to experience God in the created world, too? Do they feel God’s presence when their water is polluted and undrinkable? Do they see God’s hands in the lack of food caused by changing climates? Do they experience God as their local Amazon forests are bulldozed for more grazing land? We are privileged to have places like State and National Parks and Dayton’s amazing metro parks, which preserve so much green space and allow for a place set apart to see God in the created world. Yet, there are ways that humans are “ruling” that do not promote the care of creation in a way for God’s children to find God within. If I have the privilege of becoming a great-grandparent will I be able to stand in a garden with my great-grandchildren and teach them about the importance of butterflies and wait patiently for one to land on my outstretched hand? Will I be able, in my old age, to point to rainbows and clean beaches and the return of spring as signs of God’s goodness?
My prayer is that we will live in God-honoring and earth-honoring ways that connect us to the goodness of God found in creation. My prayer is that we connect with the natural world around us so that our understanding of God increases. My prayer is that your experiences of God in nature remind you that we are all connected through God’s beautiful web of creation and we have been called to love God and neighbor.
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