Lord of creation forgive my neglect and sin against you and your creation and my neglect of your gifts. Guide me through the power of your Spirit to believe that both as an individual and as a member of the Body of Christ we can make a difference seeking justice and healing for what you have made and given to our care. Amen.
Our lives in the 21st century are spinning out of control in so many ways. So many ways in fact that it can be almost impossible to know where to start creating a check on the chaos. What I am speaking of, specifically, is the ways in which we as people and, especially, as Christians are contributing to the the abuse of creation. The problems with how we abuse God's gifts includes overloaded landfills, contaminated water supplies, over used water supplies, GMOs (genetically modified organisms), atomic waste, oil contamination of land and sea, over fishing and destruction of fisheries, excessive use of pesticides, heavy metal disposal, pursuit of profit at all costs and on and on. And that is exactly the problem. The ways in which we abuse our world are so numerous and so immense that I too often feel impotent in the face of it and simply throw up my hands in futility and surrender. That reality reveals the truth that I experience my faith shrinking and I become a terrible steward.
We find ways to rationalize our killing of nature and our abuse of creation all the time. We do it in the name of profits, we do it for security, we do it for comfort, we do it for technology, we do it for ... you can fill in blanks, too.
We even do it in the name of theology. Some of our brothers and sisters within the Body of Christ argue that God gave us dominion overall of creation as a basis of using it all however we see fit: in the name of God. It is a concept of dominion based in kingdom war that believes that to have dominion is to dominate and exercise absolute authority and control over all in the name of God. That expectation is based in the belief that scripture says God's intent is to replace all of this with a new heaven and a new earth so exploitation of this one is irrelevant because God is coming again and soon.
While it is easy to reject such extreme theologies I find my submission to the futility of it all just as broken and just as sin-filled. If I refuse to engage the destruction of creation then I am admitting a crisis of faith. I am admitting that I do not believe that I as a Christian or my actions as a Christian have any impact and that God does not care whether I neglect and abuse his gifts. When I consider this I must confess I am a bad steward. Nor am I alone.
Faith through the Spirit demands more of me. Faith teaches me to cherish God's gifts and to use them well. It calls me to use them and share them as best I am able.
And so in acknowledging my sin I now, also, acknowledge I have a responsibility to act. Specifically, I have a responsibility to act in ways consistent with the Spirit as Paul reveals in in his letters. Galatians 5: 22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.
By faith I can grow in self control and begin to manage my struggle to be a faithful steward of God's gifts. Why can I do this? Only because by faith I have access to the Holy Spirit and God's transforming power. With self control I can do better in my stewardship and joining with others we can grow our ministry of stewardship. And then we can confront other sins against creation and God willing bring positive change and healing to friend and nature.
Our lives in the 21st century are spinning out of control in so many ways. So many ways in fact that it can be almost impossible to know where to start creating a check on the chaos. What I am speaking of, specifically, is the ways in which we as people and, especially, as Christians are contributing to the the abuse of creation. The problems with how we abuse God's gifts includes overloaded landfills, contaminated water supplies, over used water supplies, GMOs (genetically modified organisms), atomic waste, oil contamination of land and sea, over fishing and destruction of fisheries, excessive use of pesticides, heavy metal disposal, pursuit of profit at all costs and on and on. And that is exactly the problem. The ways in which we abuse our world are so numerous and so immense that I too often feel impotent in the face of it and simply throw up my hands in futility and surrender. That reality reveals the truth that I experience my faith shrinking and I become a terrible steward.
We find ways to rationalize our killing of nature and our abuse of creation all the time. We do it in the name of profits, we do it for security, we do it for comfort, we do it for technology, we do it for ... you can fill in blanks, too.
We even do it in the name of theology. Some of our brothers and sisters within the Body of Christ argue that God gave us dominion overall of creation as a basis of using it all however we see fit: in the name of God. It is a concept of dominion based in kingdom war that believes that to have dominion is to dominate and exercise absolute authority and control over all in the name of God. That expectation is based in the belief that scripture says God's intent is to replace all of this with a new heaven and a new earth so exploitation of this one is irrelevant because God is coming again and soon.
While it is easy to reject such extreme theologies I find my submission to the futility of it all just as broken and just as sin-filled. If I refuse to engage the destruction of creation then I am admitting a crisis of faith. I am admitting that I do not believe that I as a Christian or my actions as a Christian have any impact and that God does not care whether I neglect and abuse his gifts. When I consider this I must confess I am a bad steward. Nor am I alone.
Faith through the Spirit demands more of me. Faith teaches me to cherish God's gifts and to use them well. It calls me to use them and share them as best I am able.
And so in acknowledging my sin I now, also, acknowledge I have a responsibility to act. Specifically, I have a responsibility to act in ways consistent with the Spirit as Paul reveals in in his letters. Galatians 5: 22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.
By faith I can grow in self control and begin to manage my struggle to be a faithful steward of God's gifts. Why can I do this? Only because by faith I have access to the Holy Spirit and God's transforming power. With self control I can do better in my stewardship and joining with others we can grow our ministry of stewardship. And then we can confront other sins against creation and God willing bring positive change and healing to friend and nature.
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