Where Do You Come From? What Do You Own?
Genesis and our heritage
Genesis says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” God then asked us to "take care of the earth.” Psalms 24 puts it this way, “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” In effect, God is saying, “I still own it; I’m just asking you to take care of it.” We are stewards and not owners.
The oceans, forests, plains, rivers, lakes — it all belongs to God. Then God gives instructions as to how we’re supposed to take care of God's planet. There are four key instructions that were delivered: Subdue it, rule over it, work it, and take care of it.
There’s been a lot of confusion about these directions, and humanity has often misinterpreted them to mean that we can do whatever we wantwith God’s creation. We have paid a steep price for that, and future generations are going to pay an even steeper price for our lack of understanding. This past Sunday, Pastor John explored those instructions in his message and helped explain what they mean for our own stewardship of creation.
In-line with Genesis, our service also focused on heritage.
Specifically, we celebrated Native American Heritage Month with special musical offerings. The children learned a traditional Native American chant, and also learned the Lakota Sioux phrase "Mitakuye Oyasin," which translates to "all my relations." Relations, in this case, doesn't just refer to our human families, but to all Creation, recognizing that we must take care of the planet and all creatures as if they were our own family. As Stephen Schwartz wrote in the lyrics for Sunday's Prelude "Colors of the Wind,""The rainstorm and the river are my brothers, The heron and the eagle are my friends,And we are all connected to each other, In a circle, in a hoop that never ends." Flautist Kim Trolier played beautifully on the prelude as well as on the choral anthem "Creation Will Be At Peace," based on the Isaiah text that states, "in the Holy Mountain of the Lord, all war and strife will cease." Other musical selections of the day were "Share the Land" by The Guess Who, "I Want to Live" by John Denver, and "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong.
