God Is God spoke to me today In the beauty of the hills towering before me Through the colors of the dawn painting the morning sky With the music of the wind whispering through the trees In the movement of the grasses waving to and fro At the sight of the flowers opening to greet the light In the flight of the birds soaring high and higher With the dance of the dewdrops glistening like diamonds In the awe of the rainbow giving us the promise of hope. All of creation speaks of His love I know that God is. - Helen Billings - I watched a documentary on caribou one night when nothing else seemed to interest me. It discussed the declining population because of human expansion and the continued challenges they face each year. One interesting fact they stated was that each year the caribou migrate back to the same area on the Arctic refuge's coastal plain to give birth to their young. This migration is reported to have been happening for over 27,000 years. These caribou, some thousands of miles away somehow instinctively know exactly when to head back and where to go. The migration is not without challenges as wolves and bears hunt the caribou along the way. The caribou stay together and protect one another but ultimately they will lose some of their own. After making the long journey the caribou aggregate together and bring new life to their herds. After a set time the caribou migrate back to the places from where they came. Why not stay in the same place where it is safe? I'm not for sure however I find the communal act of migrating together just as their ancestors did to be fascinating. Maybe its the journey together which is the beauty of their life. Just like the caribou we also our on journey's. When we are aware and open to witnessing God's spirit we can see the incredible ways God is speaking to us through his creation. It's all around us. I think about the shallow root system of redwoods and how these gigantic trees need to intertwine their roots with others trees and plant life to stand. Or how fungi generate partnerships with trees and other plant life creating healthy growth for both of them. All throughout creation God speaks! Community of Christ upholds sacredness of creation as an enduring principle. What does sacredness of creation mean? How does it impact my discipleship? How do we live this principle out with the choices we make in a world driven by consumerism? What does it actually mean to hold to this ideal? Let's explore this idea a little more. Sacredness of Creation Defined Sacredness of creation is highlighted in five parts of this principle. 1. In the beginning, God created and called it good - Nature holds the spirit of God within it. Upholding all of creation as good and sacred helps us understand everything is spiritual. It's not just about us but about everything around us. 2. Spirit and material, seen and unseen, are related - Everything is intertwined together. Creation is a divinely interconnected web throughout the world. How it works is a beautiful mystery. I like to think of Newton's third law "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." How does this apply, or does it to the interconnectedness of creation? 3. Creations power to create and destroy reminds us of our vulnerability in this life - God is much bigger than what we know and see in our world. The power of creation humbles us to understand and see the world with a wider and different viewpoint outside of just our own eyes. Knowing we are vulnerable allows us to be vulnerable to others. 4. God is still creating to fulfill divine purpose - Through creation, God is continuing to be actively involved. How awesome is it to think about God continuing to bring about divine purpose in our lives by creating? 5. We join with God as stewards of care and hope for all creation - We have a responsibility to take care of this world and the environment around us. Creation is a gift which should be honored and upheld. As stewards over this creation we work with the divine in continuing to bring hope for future inhabitants. The Beauty of Creation Look outside, really look! Look at the trees, the sky, the birds, the grass. Take in the integral parts of our world that we so often take for granted. Creation is beautiful. This video produced by Lake Cities Community Church brings incredible views of creation together with scripture. Take time to watch the short video to remember the greatness around us in this world and what your role is to make it continue. Living Sacredness of Creation What does it mean to live this principle in our discipleship? Should being good stewards of the earth be a part of Christianity? Ecotheology is a theology focused on the relationship between Christian faith and the environment. It connects our response as individuals to ecological crises to our discipleship. An article by the Student Christian Movement titled "Loving the earth means being good stewards of creation" discusses the connection between love and stewardship of the environment. It seems there is much thought given to how upholding creation in our daily lives can become acts of connecting and following the divine. The blog No-Fuss Healthy Living discusses this very idea with "3 Ways to Exercise Creation Stewardship from a Gospel Perspective." It also provides some simple ways to get started at the bottom of it. You can also check out this article by Devon Baynes titled "Being Good Environmental Stewards No Matter Where You Live" which discusses the importance of doing what you can for the environment. We have a responsibility to take action and respond to the things in this world that create injustice with creation. I encourage you to google or youtube ways in which products are hurting the environment. I will never forget a video I watched of scientists pulling a straw out of a sea turtles nose. Simple things we do make a difference to the sacredness around us. What will you do about it? I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! Please follow us on instagram or twitter if you haven't already.
This week do something good for the environment. Plant some flowers, make a garden, or just celebrate life in the creation around you.
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Please Note The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Community of Christ. We believe individuals should be allowed to have their own opinions and be at different places in their faith journey.
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June 2021
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