Our devotional today is provided by Josh Seifert, a member of our church and our pastoral intern.
Scripture: Genesis 2:15
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.
Reflection
I have touched on this scripture several times in multiple classes at Nebraska Wesleyan. In those classes we talked about different perspectives and exegesis in attempts to gain a “true” meaning of the text. On one hand, we discussed how God gave man the garden, or rather the world, to till and keep. God entrusted man to take care of his creation and help it thrive. On the other hand, we discussed how some have used this passage to justify the continual decline of the globe’s wellbeing.
Some use this scripture to claim dominion over every living being, creating a hierarchy which cannot be toppled. I, however, denounce that interpretation as a product of human pride and greed. One could say that many who favor a so called “divinely ordained hierarchy” support the economic gains that come from big oil companies, deforestation, and other industries. Though, it is unfair to say that everyone who favors this theological view also supports economic exploitation of our environment.
As we celebrate Earth Day this week, I call all of us to reflect on this passage and ask ourselves: “Would God be pleased with our housekeeping?” After all, this world is and will forever be a gift from God. Moving forward will we continue to use this land for our gain, or will we better our habits to preserve this amazing gift?
Prayer:
O Creator God, I ask that you clear our minds of pride and greed. Help us to recognize the importance and beauty of your creation. You entrusted us to maintain the world that you crafted, and we have neglected our responsibilities. We have turned our backs on stewardship and, instead, turned towards convenience.
I pray that you help us to better inform our society about the destructive nature of our ways. Help us inform politicians and global leaders so that they might change legislation for the betterment of your creation. Help our local church communities to begin changing for the better. Allow them to see the importance of eco-friendly habits, so that we can all work together to be better stewards of your world. Amen.
Important Announcement
Worship Service this Sunday. Our worship service this Sunday (April 26) will be led by Richard Randolph, with Mary Logan, Colt Ballou, and Hannah Bell providing music leadership. Kim Garrison will also provide a Children’s Time moment. The service will live stream on April 26 at 11 am. This Sunday, we will be celebrating the “Festival of God’s Creation.” During the service we will reflect upon God’s awesome work as Creator and upon our responsibility to care for God’s Creation. In keeping with the themes of this Sunday, our worship service will be broadcast outdoors from our church’s gazebo.
You can access our worship service live by clicking on https://www.facebook.com/christumclinc/. If you miss the services live, you can access them later on Facebook as well as our church webpages, https://www.christumclinc.org for Christ United Methodist and https://www.connectionpointlnk.org/ for ConnectioN Point.
Our Facebook page is open to everyone, so we encourage you to invite friends, who may not have access to church services during this time of social isolation, to join us for worship. Of course, they can also access the recorded services online at our web sites listed above.
Would you like to write a devotional for this series? We need to receive a new supply of devotionals so that we can continue this series. If you’d like to submit a devotional, just as Josh Seifert did for today, please know that all devotionals are welcome. If you have a devotional—or, would like to write one—please contact Richard at richard.randolph@christumclinc.org. Just about every day, Richard receives an email from someone who deeply appreciated reading the devotion for that day. Contributing one of these devotionals is an important way we can strengthen the bonds that unite our faith community as we socially isolate during this pandemic.
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