Seeing Creation

“It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High.” Psalms 92:1

It probably won’t come as much of a surprise to you that many of my favorite hymns are songs that praise God as Creator.  Some of my personal favorites are “This is My Father’s World,”  “Great is Thy Faithfulness,”  “For the Beauty of the Earth,”  “Worthy of Worship,” and “Morning Has Broken.”  Some of my favorite contemporary Christian songs are likewise focused on God as Creator.  These include “Indescribable” and “All Things Well,” both by Chris Tomlin, and “Creation Song” by Fernando Ortega.

This past week I was reminded of the importance of singing songs connecting God and Creation.  Matthew Sleeth, in his newest book, The Gospel According to the Earth, has a chapter on the Book of Psalms he calls “The First Environmental Music.”  In this chapter he claims that singing songs connecting God and Creation can actually make a difference in how we look at and treat the earth.  He says, “Singing songs in praise of creation inspires us to appreciate God’s gifts.  Appreciation leads to a desire to be better stewards.  Better stewardship at home, church, work, and beyond leads to less waste.  Less waste demonstrates respect for God, resulting in a cleaner, more beautiful world in which to sing his praises.”  I like Sleeth’s thinking, as well as his conclusion to the chapter: “With God as the conductor, maybe music can also save a planet.”

A couple of days ago I got my latest edition of Orion in the mail.  This is an environmental magazine that Rob Sheppard introduced me to last year.  In it there is an article by Erik Reese about how a group of country musicians are using their talents to combat mountaintop removal in Appalachia.  Toward the end of the article Reese writes: “Can music save mountains?  Certainly not by itself.  But there is a reason Walter Pater said that all art aspires toward the condition of music.  More than any other art form, music can connect the head to the heart, the self to the social whole.  After all, the fiddle tunes that began in the mountains of Appalachia were never meant for an ‘audience.’  That music was intended to draw people together, to involve them in something communal and collective.  Now a new collective conscience must be mobilized in order to preserve the mountains where this music was born.”

It would seem that there truly is a connection between music and Creation Care—a connection worth noting and celebrating.  God told Job that when He created the world “the morning stars sang together.” (38:7)  It seems to me that it’s now our job to continue the song.

–Chuck

(The images above were taken at a lavender field near Port Angeles, Washington.)

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”  Proverbs 22:6

This week the church I serve is having Vacation Bible School.  Our theme is “Galactic Blast: A Cosmic Adventure Praising God”.  The curriculum, produced by Cokesbury, was chosen by our children’s director, Dee Branham.  I’m glad Dee chose to go this route because each night the children are learning that there is a connection between Christianity and the environment.

On the very first night the kids learned about how God created the earth and were reminded that it belongs to Him.  In the sessions that  have followed, the children have learned spiritual truths from God’s Creation.  Each night they have also been given “green tips.”  They are learning practical things even they can do to be better stewards of the earth. 

I grew up going to multiple Vacation Bible Schools every year.  I don’t remember ever being taught that caring for the earth is a part of our Christian calling.  Thankfully, the children coming to our Vacation Bible School this year are being exposed to this important truth.  They are actually learning how to see God in His Creation too.

I don’t know how many churches are using Galactic Blast this year but I hope there are many.  It is imperative that our children learn how important it is that we practice Creation Care.  They, too, need to be taught to look for God in this beautiful and amazing world He has created. 

I do not happen to be a parent but I know the value of recognizing and taking advantage of “teachable moments” with kids.   I happen to believe that we have all been presented a teachable moment with the Gulf oil spill.  Our children see the news, they know what’s going on.  Now would be a great time to share with them God’s concern for the earth and the responsibility we all have to take care of it.  Now would be the ideal time to “train a child in the way he should go…”

–Chuck

(The image above was taken at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park.)

I am currently reading Matthew Sleeth’s newest book, The Gospel According to the Earth: Why the Good Book is a Green Book.  Overall, it seems to do a good job of showing the biblical basis for Creation Care.  For that reason I commend it to you.

In a chapter called “God the Creator” Sleeth says “We need to become nature lovers—because God is one.”  He goes on to ask, “Does God concern himself with an endangered species or desert grass being bulldozed into extinction?”  Sleeth answers “most definitely” and as proof asks us to consider God’s word to Job: “Who has cut a channel for the torrents of rain and a way for the thunderbolt, to bring rain on a land where no one lives, on the desert, which is empty of human life, to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground put forth grass?” (38:25-27)

Sleeth feels this passage offers proof that “humanity is not the be-all and end-all of the entire universe.  We are not the center of everything.”  Even though this is a message Rob and I have echoed numerous times in our blog I had not thought to include God’s words to Job as evidence.  This truly is a passage worthy of our contemplation.

The words found in Job 38 have added relevance for me following the journey Rob and I took to the Mojave Desert last month.  The area may no longer be “empty of human life” but it remains true that few people live in this desert region.  That has not, however, stopped God from providing for the plants and animals that live there.  There is much life in the desert and this life is sustained by the One who created it.  Apparently this provision has nothing to do with man at all.  God does what He does simply out of love for His Creation.  

 Matthew Sleeth is right.  There is good reason for us to be nature lovers—“God is one.”

–Chuck

(The images above were taken last month in the Mojave Desert of California.  Both scenes show evidence of God’s love.)

Presently I am teaching two small group studies on worship at my church.  The book we are studying is called Real Worship.  In one of the chapters we’ll be focusing on later today the author, Warren Wiersbe, offers some interesting insight on the correlation between worship and Creation Care. 

He writes, “If the church today were truly worshiping the Creator and not the creature, we Christians would be making better use of the precious resources God has given us.  The church would be speaking out against such sinful waste, and would also be setting the right kind of example.  If we really believed that we are stewards of God’s glorious creation, and if we praised Him sincerely for these bountiful gifts, we would never waste them, abuse them, or use them selfishly.  If God rejoices in His works (Ps. 104:31), then He must be deeply grieved by our works in destroying His creation.”

Later Wiersbe adds, “If worship transforms individuals and churches—and it does, if it is spiritual worship—then one of the evidences of this transformation will be seen in the way these individuals and churches use God’s gifts in creation.  It is not enough to sing on Sunday morning ‘This is My Father’s World’ and then live the rest of the week as though we were in charge.  This is idolatry.  This is turning God’s house into a den of thieves.”

These are strong words but they are true.  Worship and Creation Care cannot be separated.  On the back of my vehicle I have a bumper sticker that reads “If you love the Creator, take care of Creation.”  It might just as well say, “If you worship the Creator, take care of Creation.”  Worship implies that we acknowledge God’s “worth.”  As the world’s Creator and Redeemer He is worthy of our worship.  If we will recognize God’s true status we will give Him glory and praise.  We will, likewise, seek to take care of the world He has made.  It all goes together.  I just wish more people understood that.

–Chuck

(The image above was taken at Cumberland Falls State Park near Corbin, Kentucky.)

“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” Genesis 1:15

Spending the past four days in Yellowstone National Park has been an incredible experience for me.  We’ve had great weather and more great photo ops than I could ever have imagined.  I can’t wait to see what the rest of the week holds.

So far the highlight has been all the wildlife sightings.  We’ve seen and photographed wolves, coyotes, bison, elk, pronghorn antelope, moose, bighorn sheep, and even a bobcat. Watching the wildlife each day it is apparent that every animal has its place in the Yellowstone ecosystem and that the role each animal plays is an important one.  The reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone has verified that.

I can’t say exactly what God’s purpose for every animal is but I am convinced that each creature fulfills its purpose.  The big question is whether we humans d0.  We learn in Genesis that one of our divinely appointed roles is to care for the rest of Creation.  We are to “tend the garden” and practice a dominion that is characterized by wisdom and love.  In short, we are to pursue “Creation care.”

In Rob’s recent entry he talked about creating a garden behind his home in California.  This is one example of how we can fulfill our purpose.  Working to set apart or protect places like Yellowstone National Park is another.

Every single one of us can and should practice Creation care.  Whether we are old or young, rich or poor, male or female, live in the country or in the city, we can all do something to clean up, preserve or protect the environment God has bestowed upon us.

The animals here in Yellowstone are doing what they are supposed to do.  It is my hope and prayer that we Christians will strive to do the same.

–Chuck