Restoring Harmony Through Stewardship of Creation

This weekend we focus on our Stewardship of Creation. This has nothing to do with political agendas or scientific theories. It’s as simple as this: God created a beautiful world and placed human beings within it to cultivate and take care of it (see Genesis 1:15). Stewardship of Creation invites us to do two things. 1) Be thankful to God for the gift of creation, which includes ourselves. And 2) Express our gratitude to God by doing what we can to cultivate and take care of creation. I pray that this reflection will inspire us to grow as good stewards of creation.

Divine love overflowed from the Holy Trinity creating the entire universe, including our planet with all its living creatures, and the pinnacle of creation: human beings. (Genesis 1). God created a beautiful Garden and placed human beings there with two instructions: a “Do” and a “Don’t.” “Do” cultivate and take care of the garden, and “Don’t” eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 1: 15 & 17). The first instruction was their stewardship. 

But their disobedience of the second instruction had many ramifications. Just as it disrupted the harmony between man and woman, and between them and God, it also disrupted the harmony between them and creation (Genesis 3:15 – 19). The effects of this disruption have spread like a virus through the ages, which can explain the negative ways we sometimes treat creation, including human beings. It can also explain our sense of apathy or cynicism regarding our responsibility for the Garden and its creatures. 

As Christians, we believe that Jesus came to restore our relationship with God, with each other and with creation. He revealed God’s profound love for us and called us into that loving embrace. He revealed a profound love for neighbors and enemies, and called us to love one another as He loves us. This harmony of love among us, and with God, overflows into the rest of creation, advancing the Kingdom of God. Notice how this harmony is finally re-established at the culmination of salvation history:         
 
“I John, saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away… I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.’ The one who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’” (Revelation 21: 1-5) 

“Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22: 1-2).

If taking care of creation has any political agenda, it is the King of Kings’ agenda to take care of His kingdom. As we all share in His Garden, he calls us each to do our part to take care of it. What can you do to make a difference? Write it down on a pledge card this weekend and offer it to the Lord. Then, may the Master Gardener work through all of us to restore harmony to creation (see John 20: 15).