"Now the Lord God has planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed… The Lord took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." Genesis 2: 8, 15
I did something the other day that I would have never dreamed about doing a couple of years ago. Jenn and I had hosted a picnic for local clergy the previous night. Upon cleaning up the picnic, I had taken a big bag of trash and placed it out back next to the trash bins. The next day, I proceeded to go out back, open up the bag of trash, and start rooting through it. I was looking for plastic plates and plastic cups from the night before - everything that I could find that I could either wash and use again or that could be recycled. It was gross and disgusting - it was one of the hot and sticky days of the summer... the bag was sitting the sun all morning... the food inside was starting to rot. However, I managed to salvage about 20 plastic plates that I washed and can use again, and threw numerous plastic cups into the recycling bin.
One of the things that I have been learning about recently is how much God cares for his creation. After each day of the first week, God proclaims his creation to be good. In Genesis two, God plants a garden and spends time in it. In the New Testament we see that Jesus came to earth to redeem creation (Colossians 1: 20) When it comes to humanity, God has given us the job as caretakers of this earth that he deeply adores. It is a high calling.
Yet, many times we live as if we do not recognize or remember this calling. As Americans, we generate huge amounts of waste every day and every year. We consume more than our share of natural resources and energy to the detriment of the earth, of other species, and of other people groups in the world. Statistics are staggering as to the ways that we pollute the lands, seas and the skies. As I look at these statistics, I start to question - what role do I play? How much unnecessary waste do I generate? How much am I personally affecting the environment? What steps can I take to do better?
I know that reusing a couple of plastic plates and recycling a couple of cups really doesn’t make that big of a difference, in the grand scheme of things. However, I believe that part of being a Christian is to be a steward of God’s creation - to fulfill the calling in Genesis 2 to take care of the earth. Therefore, I want to do whatever I can, whether it be big or small, to tend to God’s earth. I have come to realize that one of the steps that can take to better tend for God’s earth is become a better recycler - to recycle and reuse as much as I possibly can. So, we are going to reuse plastic disposable things. We recycle newspaper, magazines, junk mail, scrap paper and cardboard boxes - like the ones that cereal and pasta come in. We don’t take as many plastic bags from the grocery store, and when we do, we take them back and recycle them at the store.
To use a current buzz word, God is green He loves his creation. Join me in becoming a better steward of this earth!
Pastor Tim,
Updated September 3, 2007.
