Nov 19 - Stewards of Order
In creation we are reminded that God brought order in the chaos of the earth. Then God tasked humanity with stewarding the order of creation
Psalm 8 (Inclusive Bible)
YHWH, our Sovereign, how majestic is your Name in all the earth! You have placed your glory above the heavens! From the lips of infants and children you bring forth words of power and praise to answer your adversaries and to silence the hostile and vengeful. When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars which you set in place—what is humanity that you should be mindful of us? Who are we that you should care for us? You have made us barely less than God, and crowned us with glory and honor. You have made us responsible for the works of your hands, putting all things at our feet—all sheep and oxen, yes, even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fish of the sea and whatever swims the paths of the seas. YHWH, our Sovereign, how majestic is your Name in all the earth!
Genesis 1:1-2, Genesis 1:24-2:4 (Inclusive Bible)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
But the earth became chaos and emptiness, and darkness came over the face of the Deep—yet the Spirit of God was brooding over the surface of the waters.
Then God said, “Earth: bring forth all kinds of living soul—cattle, things that crawl, and wild animals of all kinds!” So it was: God made all kinds of wild animals, and cattle, and everything that crawls on the ground, and God saw that this was good.
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.”
Humankind was created as God’s reflection: in the divine image God created them; female and male, God made them.
God blessed them and said, “Bear fruit, increase your numbers, and fill the earth—and be responsible for it! Watch over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things on the earth!” God then told them, “Look! I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the earth, and every tree whose fruit carries its seed inside itself: they will be your food; and to all the animals of the earth and the birds of the air and things that crawl on the ground—everything that has a living soul in it—I give all the green plants for food.” So it was. God looked at all of this creation, and proclaimed that this was good—very good. Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed. On the seventh day God had finished all the work of creation, and so, on that seventh day, God rested. God blessed the seventh day and called it sacred, because on it God rested from all the work of creation. These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
Reflection Notes:
God created all the earth and all that is in the earth. On the 6th day, humans were created, male and female, in the image of God. Then they were tasked to care for creation. In the image of God, we as humans are created to care, to help steward the order of creation. How are we continuing to care and assist in the order of creation by the power and beauty of God. How do we help heal the harm we have done.
