Earth Day
Psalm 148 is one of the Psalms of Creation. In it, we hear the voices of all created things glorifying God. Humanity has often seen itself as the only one capable of praising God. Yet the scriptures are full of passages that reveal that God’s spirit dwells within all. For all things that were created came into being through Christ. And the Spirit dwells within all.
Earth Day takes place on April 22nd and is a day for us to celebrate God’s gift of all creation of the interconnectedness of all living things. It is especially a time for us to head our responsibility to all creation and one another. “Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, to be like us. Let them be stewards of the fish in the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, the wild animals, and everything that crawls on the ground.”
We are responsible for our place in the ecosystem, for the oversight and care of creation's wellbeing. We must take responsibility for the ways we’ve ravaged and misused Earth's resources. The many ways we take creation for granted. So many species are extinct due to our carelessness. The trees and forests that clean our air continue to be cleared due to greed and personal gain.
If each of us educates ourselves in the ways we can change our behaviors and practices that are harming Earth. As well as the ways we can encourage others to do so. And when we elect leaders to do so mindful of the ways they can affect positive change. The ripple effects continue to spread throughout the world to help heal our sacred planet.
As Christians, there is much wisdom we can reclaim from the scriptures that grounds us in the love and care of creation. As well as the writings of Celtic and Creation Spirituality. There is the wisdom that the First Nation peoples in the US and indigenous peoples throughout the world can teach us as well.
We can no longer see ourselves as separate from any part of creation or any others in all humanity. For we are all one and dependent upon one another.
Many Blessings,
Pastor Stephen
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