"Caretakers of Creation"
Sermon Presented May 22, 2005
Psalm 8
The summer before I moved to Milwaukee, I took my grandsons to the Galapagos Islands. This was my best vacation ever and I have the boys to thank for that. (It was their idea!) Before we began planning the trip, I knew nothing about these volcanic islands off the coast of Ecuador. The ecology is pristine and perfectly balanced, and new islands continue to form. Visitors are prohibited from taking food onto the islands - even fruit - because a seed might drop and a tree appear that isn't part of the natural habitat. Visitors can take nothing from the islands either - not a rock, sea shell or plant because each part of nature provides balance for the ecosystem. The water is clear and the mandatory paths for visitors are clearly marked. (There are no trashcans because no one has trash!)
Plants, trees, and wild life came to the islands via the Pacific Ocean and droppings from migratory birds. The bird population on these islands is awesome! I saw flamingoes in flight, albatrosses doing their mating dances and blue footed boobies nesting on the ground with their chick beneath them. The birds, sea creatures, and giant tortoises aren't afraid of humans because they have never been harmed. The number of visitors to the islands is strictly limited and a Galapagos guide is mandatory. These islands are cared for the way I imagine God intends for us to care for creation. I invite you to hear what the psalmist wrote concerning the care of the earth thousands of years ago.
Psalm 8 (Read text.)
This psalm is an eloquent proclamation of the cosmic sovereignty of God and a great affirmation of the high status and responsibility given to humanity. This was the first biblical text to reach the moon. When the Apollo 11 mission landed on the moon, the astronauts left a silicon disc containing messages from 73 nations. The Vatican contributed Psalm 8 - a hymn to the Creator God who gave people the status of being just a little lower than God.
And what is expected of us in our elevated status? We are given dominion over the works of creation - the land, animals, fish, birds, and waterways. Now here is where we've messed up God's plan. We've taken the command to have dominion and given ourselves a license to abuse the land and use up more than our share of natural resources.
Those who lived through the Great Depression do a much better job of conserving natural resources than the rest of us. When my brother and I began cleaning out Mom's apartment after she went into a nursing home, we found hundreds of plastic bread wrappers, drawers filled with used Handi-Wrap, foil, rubber bands and wire closures, as well as a large cupboard filled with outdated canned goods purchased in large quantities when they were on sale. My brother and I made a pact that we would break the family pattern and stop saving this stuff! (I must confess to saving a bread wrapper or two because two wrappers keep bread from becoming icy in the freezer!)
Wednesday morning as I was driving to the office, I heard a reporter on NPR say that Scott's lawn products have developed a new ecologically friendly fertilizer and weed control. But the products will only be marketed in the Blue States where people are more concerned about the effects of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers on the environment. Most people don't want to pay extra for safer products. Shouldn't ecologically safe products be the only products that Scott markets and we purchase?
Several years ago I was invited to the home of a woman who lives in Liberty, MO. She has the most beautiful flowers, fruits and vegetables I have ever seen. She has her own compost pile for fertilizer and waters the gardens with water from the rinse cycle of her washing machine and shower. Safe water goes into a holding tank and then is piped into the watering system. She truly cares for the environment and conserves natural resources.
At the time this psalm was written, taking care of the earth wasn't the problem it is today. Then there were no factories, motor vehicles, modern homes and waste from billions of people and animals. The needs of the people were a drop in the bucket to the vastness of the available resources. But in the millenniums since that time, people have wasted natural resources, assuming they will last forever. We don't spend the money to purchase a hybrid or gas-efficient automobile, walk when possible, or run all of our weekly errands at one time, so we can save gasoline. We fail to heed the admonition to care for the earth within the boundaries of God's sovereignty. We leave God out of the partnership as we pollute the air and waterways, erode the soil, and deplete our natural resources and the ozone layer.
When we take steps to protect the environment, it works! I have friends in Axtell, KS who recently saw an indigo bunting (a beautiful turquoise bird) that was previously extinct in that area because of DDT. Bald eagles are now off the endangered species list because of the ban on that pesticide.
In the 80's I went to Rio for 10 days. While there, we hired a guide to take us into the rain forest. Today only 2% of the Brazilian rain forest exists. The trees have been cut for lumber and the concentration of carbon dioxide is rising, affecting the ozone layer. Habitat for wildlife is just a fraction of what it used to be.
The writer of Psalm 8 is awestruck by the thought that God entrusts the earth and its care to humans. When I look at our earth and what we have done to it, I'm not so sure that was a good idea! Maybe a renewed awareness and commitment on our part will make a difference! We can do better!
Extremists can cause people to become passive about issues we should care about. Who wants to be called a "tree hugger?" And besides, it takes time and/or money to become politically active. We don't write letters to our state and national legislators as we should. We don't walk when we can. We don't pick up trash along the street. We don't turn out the light when we leave a room.
This area is one of the most beautiful spots in the world. The architecture, Lake Michigan, parks and wooded areas are awesome! But with this gift comes responsibility. May we be faithful!
