being green
Just a few weeks ago, April 22, we celebrated Earth Day. In recognition of that, we at DCC stopped and spoke about our commitment to the environment, to being green. Many who are a part of this faith community embraced this idea. We encourage our faith community to find alternative forms of transportation, to recycle, to use less energy by simplifying, etc.
What has been fascinating to me about the angry response that caring for the very earth that God called good generates from some people. I really do not understand why there is such vehement disagreement and debate among some about this issue. Since I have been asked repeatedly about this, I thought I would simply take the time to talk a little about why I am green.
In Genesis 1, the writer tells us that God said, "' ... fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.' Then God said, 'I give you every seed bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.' And it was so." From the start the first thing God tells the man and the woman in the garden is to care for his earth.
In Genesis 2, the writer tells us, "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. " (Scholars refer to this as "The Creation Mandate"). The word for "work" in that in this verse is abad. The idea of working and caring in the garden carries with it the idea that we are called to continue to create alongside of God. Caring for the earth was not simply for practical reasons. It was God entrusting what he created to us - to humanity. He was giving us a way to interact with the earth - the dirt from which we were created - in worship to him. Humanity is made in God's image - so when we co-create - care for and work his creation we are identifying with him ...
In Genesis 3, the writer tells us, "To Adam he said, 'Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, "You must not eat of it," 'Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.'" One of the immediate results of sin is the cursing of the dirt. Which is interesting. God puts a barrier between man and the earth because of sin. At creation he gave humanity a charge to care for it and to work it. However, the work has now changed to toil. The word "toil" is atsav. It means more than work - it is sorrowful / anxiety devoid of joy. Suddenly the relationship God instituted between man and the earth is broken - The care which Adam once was given was work / care that was ultimately a vehicle for worship. That all changed and now has become joy-less labor.
However, in all of this there is a promise. It is interesting to note how many times God brings the land/earth (The Hebrew word for land eretz is translated both as land, ground, and earth) into the promises he makes to humanity. We often say that a rainbows are God's sign of his promise to us never to destroy the earth again by a flood - however Genesis 9.13 God says in the midst of his renewing the Creation Mandate with Noah and his family, " I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." Which raises the question - God made a covenant with the earth? In the midst of God making a covenant with Noah and his sons God includes the earth.
He also gives a promise to Abraham - central to that promise is a promise to give him land. He promises the same to Isaac, Jacob, and the people of Israel throughout Torah. He then gives a promise to David - promising him a throne/kingdom established forever. He points to a physical location - Jerusalem - at the center of it all. The beauty is when we get to the end of the book - John has a vision in Revelation of the new heaven and new earth. It seems that each time God reaches toward humanity he is redeeming an initial relationship he ordained from the beginning - our relationship with the earth.
It seems that there is something in the Bible about God caring for his creation too. The reality is that today we are no longer living in the garden, but we are headed for one (see Revelation 22). As a result we believe we are to live in light of that future hope now. In direct relation to the earth then, we have a responsibility to care for creation. We should have a deep concern for the environment and ask how can we be more earth friendly? God called this place good - and we should treat it as such. We recognize that one day he will restore/renovate it, however God never rescinded the creation mandate - he has just given us a way to have a relationship with the earth that brings him glory.
In all of this I still find some get angry about this. Someone recently said to me in an angry tone, “I thought you worshipped Jesus, not Al Gore.” (I did not take the time to tell him that if I worshipped Al Gore, I would not so much care for creation, rather I would make statues in Al Gore’s likeness and bow down to them, leave food around said statues and do other stuff to honor Al Gore.) This comment struck me as odd. Again, why the anger when it comes to caring for God's earth?
I paused for a moment and responded. My response was something like, “No, I just may worship the same God Al Gore does, maybe this is why we both care for the environment.”
What has been fascinating to me about the angry response that caring for the very earth that God called good generates from some people. I really do not understand why there is such vehement disagreement and debate among some about this issue. Since I have been asked repeatedly about this, I thought I would simply take the time to talk a little about why I am green.
In Genesis 1, the writer tells us that God said, "' ... fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.' Then God said, 'I give you every seed bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.' And it was so." From the start the first thing God tells the man and the woman in the garden is to care for his earth.
In Genesis 2, the writer tells us, "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. " (Scholars refer to this as "The Creation Mandate"). The word for "work" in that in this verse is abad. The idea of working and caring in the garden carries with it the idea that we are called to continue to create alongside of God. Caring for the earth was not simply for practical reasons. It was God entrusting what he created to us - to humanity. He was giving us a way to interact with the earth - the dirt from which we were created - in worship to him. Humanity is made in God's image - so when we co-create - care for and work his creation we are identifying with him ...
In Genesis 3, the writer tells us, "To Adam he said, 'Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, "You must not eat of it," 'Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.'" One of the immediate results of sin is the cursing of the dirt. Which is interesting. God puts a barrier between man and the earth because of sin. At creation he gave humanity a charge to care for it and to work it. However, the work has now changed to toil. The word "toil" is atsav. It means more than work - it is sorrowful / anxiety devoid of joy. Suddenly the relationship God instituted between man and the earth is broken - The care which Adam once was given was work / care that was ultimately a vehicle for worship. That all changed and now has become joy-less labor.
However, in all of this there is a promise. It is interesting to note how many times God brings the land/earth (The Hebrew word for land eretz is translated both as land, ground, and earth) into the promises he makes to humanity. We often say that a rainbows are God's sign of his promise to us never to destroy the earth again by a flood - however Genesis 9.13 God says in the midst of his renewing the Creation Mandate with Noah and his family, " I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." Which raises the question - God made a covenant with the earth? In the midst of God making a covenant with Noah and his sons God includes the earth.
He also gives a promise to Abraham - central to that promise is a promise to give him land. He promises the same to Isaac, Jacob, and the people of Israel throughout Torah. He then gives a promise to David - promising him a throne/kingdom established forever. He points to a physical location - Jerusalem - at the center of it all. The beauty is when we get to the end of the book - John has a vision in Revelation of the new heaven and new earth. It seems that each time God reaches toward humanity he is redeeming an initial relationship he ordained from the beginning - our relationship with the earth.
It seems that there is something in the Bible about God caring for his creation too. The reality is that today we are no longer living in the garden, but we are headed for one (see Revelation 22). As a result we believe we are to live in light of that future hope now. In direct relation to the earth then, we have a responsibility to care for creation. We should have a deep concern for the environment and ask how can we be more earth friendly? God called this place good - and we should treat it as such. We recognize that one day he will restore/renovate it, however God never rescinded the creation mandate - he has just given us a way to have a relationship with the earth that brings him glory.
In all of this I still find some get angry about this. Someone recently said to me in an angry tone, “I thought you worshipped Jesus, not Al Gore.” (I did not take the time to tell him that if I worshipped Al Gore, I would not so much care for creation, rather I would make statues in Al Gore’s likeness and bow down to them, leave food around said statues and do other stuff to honor Al Gore.) This comment struck me as odd. Again, why the anger when it comes to caring for God's earth?
I paused for a moment and responded. My response was something like, “No, I just may worship the same God Al Gore does, maybe this is why we both care for the environment.”