Stewards Of Creation
Psalm 24:1 –
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
As Christians we are called to steward the earth. So, what does this mean?
Stewardship is the belief that as human beings we are created by the God who created the universe and as such have God-given responsibility A steward is one who has a responsibility to the owner (God) to manage property with care and respect. To look after the earth, God’s dominion, is the responsibility of the ‘Christian steward.’
I’ll be honest, for years I’ve been doing my bit with the recycling. Making sure each piece is put into the correct bin. Yelling at the kids when they put the empty loo roll in the normal bin instead of the recycling. And I’ve quietly patted myself on the back, thinking that was enough. But it’s really not, is it? How can I better. steward God’s beautiful earth making sure that it’s here in all its glory for future generations?
Recently I’ve been thinking about Environmental Stewardship and what that means for me and my family as Christians. It originates with the first of the creation stories, in which God gives humans dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the animals of the land (Genesis 1:1–2:4). Genesis 2.15 says “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
The Hebrew word for “dominion” means to “take responsibility for”. In the creation story we see that humans are created last in order to exercise responsibility for the well-being of the garden (Earth). Therefore, being stewards of creation is foundational to what it means to be human.
Throughout the Bible we are invited to delight in Creation and to delight in something means that we take proper care of it.
In practical terms, we are called to act urgently on our responsibilities on a local, regional, national and global level. We need to support laws, policies and systems that promote the health of the environment. Add to that each of us has a small piece of creation for which we are directly responsible, namely our living space. We can make changes with the food in our fridge, the amount of electricity that we use, the water that goes in and out of our houses, the products we buy that are shipped from a distance, the type of fuel in our cars etc. The choices that we make about these everyday matters have a direct impact on the well-being of Earth.
As Christians shouldn’t we be much more vocal and proactive about environmental issues than anyone else?
Lord, thank you for your incredible creation. For the birds in the air, the fish in the oceans - all your perfect design. We recognise that you have asked us to steward your creation and we ask for your forgiveness for not doing as much as we could. Father, would you guide us and show us how we can be better managers of your Earth and would your Holy Spirit whisper gently to us about where we need to make changes.