The following sermon was preached on Sunday, June 2nd, 2024, by Rev. Michael Poulos of First Presbyterian Church of Spruce Pine. It marks the first sermon in a series on creation care running through July 7th. Thank you, Rev. Michael, and FPC Spruce Pine, for your witness regarding our call to care for God’s good creation! CCA Director Sarah Ogletree will close the series by preaching on the July 7th.

On this first Sunday of June we begin a series on creation care, the call we have as Christians to be good stewards of God’s good gift of creation. For the next several weeks we will be turning to various passages from the Old Testament, seeking wisdom from the Hebrew scriptures that tell us a lot about who God is and about who we are called to be. As we have learned from our recent study of the Book of James, what we say we believe about God must be matched by our actions, how we actually live our lives. So I am hoping our study will give us good scripture and theology about creation care, as well as giving us some handles on how we can put our faith in action. We are blessed to have Sarah Ogletree as a member of our church family. She is the director of the Creation Care Alliance, a non-profit that helps faith communities be good stewards of God’s world. Sarah is available as a resource for us and will preach the closing sermon in our series on July 7.

When it comes to understanding creation care, the best place to start is at the beginning of the Bible, the first page to be exact! So let us turn now to the opening chapter of the Bible, reading together the verses we find in the insert this morning. 

Genesis 1- 2:4, selected verses     New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so…. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so…. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so…. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make humans in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the wild animals of the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created humans in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” … And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all their multitude. On the sixth day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.      

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Believe it or not, our house is on fire. Our home, planet Earth, is warming up each year. The scientists at NASA and NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, have been tracking the steady rise of global temperature for a long time. Recently they issued a report that “confirms what billions of people around the world experienced last year; we are facing a climate crisis… From extreme heat, to wildfires, to rising sea levels, we can see our Earth is changing. Last year was the warmest year since global records began in 1850, and the 10 warmest years have all occurred during the last decade (www.nasa.gov/news). And if you have been paying attention, this really should not come as a surprise. Even though we are nestled in the pleasant climate of the Blue Ridge mountains, we know what’s happening all around us. Heat waves, intense rainfall, and coastal flooding are causing suffering to people in our country and around the world. Those of you who have gone on mission trips with the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program know first hand the damage floods and hurricanes can do to the land and to people’s lives. Severe droughts have caused millions of people to leave their homes, forcing people to search for safety and resources. Whether it’s the severe flooding in Sudan, the drought in the Horn of Africa, or the wildfires in California, our planet is in crisis. And the crisis is affecting all of God’s creatures, whether those living on land, in the sea or the birds of the air. 

While the temptation is always there to think, “Well, if it’s not affecting me directly, then why should I care?!” we know as followers of Jesus we are called to do and be better than that. Jesus calls us to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22.37). Loving God has everything to do with honoring, respecting and caring for God’s good creation, and loving our neighbor means we have to consider their pain, their distress, and do everything we can to be part of the solution, not the problem, when it comes to the climate crisis. Though in recent years the question of whether human activity has an impact on the climate crisis has become politicized, the science has been around for years, in fact centuries! In her 2018 TED talk, Canadian climate scientist Katherine Hayhoe points out it’s been 150 years since scientists first discovered that digging up and burning coal, gas and oil produces heat-trapping gases that wrap an extra blanket around the earth, contributing to its warming. And it’s been thirty-three years since the Presbyterian Church adopted the Brief Statement of Faith, acknowledging our sin and complicity in exploiting neighbor and nature, and “threatening death to the planet entrusted to our care.” Like our Jewish ancestors, Presbyterians have been called “People of the Book” because of our commitment to God’s Word, not as a dead document from the past but as a living, Spirit-filled guide to how we are to live our lives today. So this morning I invite us to take a closer look at the opening pages of our book, the passage from Genesis that has been so important in understanding God’s good creation and our role in it.

Though today’s passage is a bit long, reading it through together allows us to see and hear it for what it really is: it’s beautiful poetry! There’s the careful repetition of “Let there be this” and “Let there be that!” and “it was so… and there was evening and morning , the third or fourth day.” Bible scholars believe the poetic passage was read in worship, like the liturgy of a call and a response. Unfortunately, some have tried to read the passage as if it were a guide to science or evolution, and debates have arisen over whether or not each day should be counted as a literal 24 hours or symbolically some other span of time. When we try to impose our modern ideas back onto an ancient, holy & inspired text, we not only do harm but we also simply miss the point! These verses speak of a Holy Mystery in which a Creator speaks and order is brought out of the chaos. Light and dark are separated – the waters above and below are also separated and named by God. This is not a lesson in science but rather it’s a hymn of praise to the God who creates everything with intention, with care, with purpose. 

In reading over these verses this week, I have been challenged to re-think some of the assumptions and beliefs that I carry, a practice I believe can be useful from time to time. For one thing, I always thought it was the humans who are blessed first and then told by God to “Be fruitful and multiply!” But actually God blesses the fish, the other sea creatures and the birds BEFORE humans are blessed and told to multiply (1.22).  You see, the assumption I think we may carry is the idea that the creation account is like a ladder, all building up to the pinnacle of humans being created on the last day. But I think a careful reading of the passage says “not so fast!” Everything that is being created is not only dependent on God but also dependent on one another. Without the waters being gathered together, there would be no land. Without the land there would be no vegetation. And after each act of creation, God steps back, looks and affirms it all as good. And when we get to day 6, we see that we humans do not even have our own day, but we must share it with the other animals who are deemed good before we are even created.

But maybe you are thinking, “What about the verse about humans having dominion over all things? Doesn’t that make us more special than everything else?” Unfortunately, that verse has been the one that has been used to justify human domination over the creation. It’s based on the faulty but common assumption that since God made us last, we have the right to do whatever WE want with the rest of creation which is part of OUR dominion. But a closer look at the Hebrew verb in question indicates that the basic meaning is not to rule or have dominion over something. Instead, the word actually describes something altogether different – it describes the traveling around of a shepherd with their flock (Kohler & Baumgartner, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, vol 2, p. 1190). Not dominating but guiding, taking care of, being responsible for the other as a shepherd guards the sheep.  Bible scholar Ellen Davis summarizes this passage by noting that the language of Genesis 1 acknowledges the unique power of humans, yet it does so without separating humans from the other creatures” (Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading Of The Bible; p. 55). Yes, we have a special role but it is not to “lord over” the creation – rather, it is to care and protect it. Instead of a hierarchy with humans on the top, think of a circle where we are all connected. This mutuality is so important in thinking about our place in creation. It’s reflected in St Francis’ practice of naming creation as sister moon and brother sun. We are all part of God’s creation, and as we sing at the Animal Blessing “All God’s Critters have a Place in the Choir!”

A couple of years ago a funny thing happened to me that I will never forget. I went over to Eric and Brie’s for a visit, and while I was there I spent some time walking around the yard. After the visit I found out that Emmitt (who was inside) reported to his family that he had seen God walking around outside. Now I have been in the ministry long enough to know that the person at church who wears the black robe and speaks from the pulpit every Sunday about God, that person can be confused as being God, especially to kids. (In fact, such transference can happen with people of all ages.) Yes, I had a good laugh! And yes, this was quite humbling – but what has stuck with me is the realization that Emmett was right. Since we are all made in God’s image, we are all images of God walking around in the flesh. As humans made in the image of God we are called to re-present God to one another. When people look at our lives – hear our words, see our actions – we are giving witness the One in whose image we are made. With respect to creation care, this means we are to relate to the other members of creation (the birds and the bees, the fish and the cattle, the mountains and the valleys) – we are to relate to them with the same care and attention that God has modeled for us. Yes, God spoke things into existence, but once they were made God empowered the earth to put forth vegetation – plants are to yield their seeds, trees are to bear their fruit. The same is true for the fish and the birds – God blessed them and empowered them to multiply. I love how in these verses we get a picture of a God who chooses to share power in relationship with creation. It’s never about “Look at me and the power I have!” but it’s about “Look at us and the goodness of creation!” It’s no accident when God creates humans it is done in “our likeness.” We belong to the Triune God who is never solo but is always in community, in Holy relationship – the great three in one.

And so when it comes to our vocation as humans made in the image of God, we are to move (by God’s grace!) beyond our self-interest –  we are to be about how ALL of creation can thrive. Instead of polluting the waters, destroying the habitats and engaging in other practices contributing to the extinction of so many species, our job as creatures made in the image of God is much different! We are to be part of the renewal of creation, not because it may be the “politically correct” thing to do but because we belong to the God who is the Creator of all things. The one who spoke and declared all things to be very, very good. 

Thanks be to God. Amen.