Our new worship series the Seasons of Creation,
begins with Forest Sunday.
Over the next four weeks we are going to focus on how God has blessed us through His creation and what it means for us to live as His disciples in this creation.
Throughout history Christians have had a mixed reaction to how they relate to creation.
Some Christians have reacted against caring for the environment,
They have not wanted to be green.
partly because the environmental movement, the green movement has been hijacked at times by some radicals,
and partly because some other ancient religions focus on worshipping the creation,
rather than the creator.
Now that is a problem.
It is always a problem when a person loves the creation more than God.
Have you ever met a person who is so much in love with something that they don’t care about loving God and then other people?
In reaction to this some Christians have adopted the unhealthy scare tactics of saying if you care for the environment then you are following the ways of pagan gods, of Satan.
But that does not have to be the case.
In fact one of the first things God says to humans is to care for the garden he has provided.
To care for nature.
In Genesis chapter 2 verse 15 we heard the following;
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Now even this verse has been misunderstood,
especially if people do no research on this verse or what lies behind the word work.
What do you here when you hear the word ‘work’.
That you need to plow it?
Work it?
Farm it?
Something we do to benefit ourselves.
Even change it for how it suits us.
How we view work will determine how we see this passage.
Many people will only do work if it benefits them.
Well the Hebrew understanding of work is not so selfish.
Not so self centred.
In the Hebrew the word God uses here is, awbad.
This gives a broader understanding of how God sees us at work.
It involves taking responsible, leading and directing.
But it also involves something else
work is not something we do only for ourselves.
It is something we do in order to care for, to serve, to look after
whatever we are working.
And so when God says to us to awbad the garden, nature,
He is not saying work it to its bone.
Or to get whatever we can out of it.
Or only to work at it when you can profit from it.
Take advantage of it.
But rather we are to care for it, serve it, take care of it and some English translations even say care and maintain it.
Like a caring gardener cares for their prize rose bushes.
God’s intention for us is that we care for his garden, his forest, his creation by taking responsibility to work it carefully.
And why?
Well listen to what God has given us through His creation;
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens— 5 and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth a and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth b and there was no man to work the ground, 6 but streams c came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground— 7 the LORD God formed the man d from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.
God’s creation is a gift to us.
A gift of life.
Isn’t that a wonderful gift God has given us?
Every aspect of creation is from God.
God has given life to everything in creation,
something reinforced by our reading from Acts 17
God creates life and has given us everything we need for life.
Some of which is beautiful for the eyes,
Other parts of creation make life possible.
Some of which do both.
Consider the trees.
What looks better?
A forest of trees and plants, or barren land?
And without trees many of our buildings and furniture wouldn’t exist.
And during a hot day trees offer a natural shade.
Some trees also produce food.
Today when you go home consider how much God has benefited your life through trees.
But remember trees also have another purpose.
They are not just here to look good or to give you some comforts
They actually act as God’s agent in sustaining life.
Without trees we would have a huge problem.
Remember trees through their leaves take in polluted air
and transform it into life giving oxygen.
Without trees each one of us would have a major problem.
We would not have enough oxygen to survive.
Isn’t that a marvellous design by God?
Something natural that transforms something bad into something good.
So that we can continue enjoying his creation.
So we continue living.
And we would need to be living as hermits to not know that there is a potential problem in the world when it comes to the environment.
Over the last few years we have been bombarded by bull dozer loads of information
and suggestions saying the world is facing an environmental crisis.
Some of this is just plain hysteria.
But much of it is grounded in fact and highlights a problem.
That as humans we have not looked after God’s creation as he has called us to do.
That we have used and abused it for our own good
Thinking too much of our immediate needs rather than the long term future and others.
And so we have failed to use and care for it so that it could continue to have life and provide life.
And so our need for Jesus is essential.
Without Jesus we would be destined to a failing creation.
However in John 3 we heard that familiar verse
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Our failure to care for God’s creation is a reminder that we need Jesus.
To forgive us for our failure to care for creation and to help us live differently.
As followers of Jesus accepting his forgiveness,
also means seeking and accepting his help to change.
So what are your sins against God and His creation?
Confess them and seek his help to change.
Seek his help to discover a different way to live,
to be more caring to the environment
not so we can live on this planet forever but so others can enjoy it.
Because in doing so you are loving God and loving others.
And also trust Jesus that He forgives you and saves you
and is working on saving the entire world.
This week take a walk in the forest the bush or a garden.
Listen to the sounds of creation, and remember all this is possible because of God.
God has given it to you and the entire world.
And ask yourself how can I continue to care for God’s creation so others may benefit.
And how can I share it so others can know His love.
Amen
