God's Creation
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[May 01, 2012]
--"God said, ‘See, I
have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of
all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have
them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of
the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that
has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’
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."- Genesis 1: 29-31
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The hamburger you had for lunch is a sign of humanity's separation
from God. Regrettably this is the message of Genesis 1. As God
created the world, it was the intent that both humans and animals
would nourish themselves solely with plant life. For humans, fruits
and vegetables were set aside for our consumption; for animals,
grass and leaves. This, of course, is how it was supposed to be, but
amidst the traumas of the fall of Adam and Eve, was the unfortunate
consequence that animals and humans now became one anothers' food.
If things were as they should be, McDonald's would serve peaches and
pears, and steakhouses would be an unknown thing. But things fell
apart after God set up the world, and creatures began to feed on one
another.
Now, do I bring this up because we should now all be vegetarian? No.
I bring it up to illustrate the regard with which God set aside
creation.
Now, the problem that often exists as the world of faith intersects
the world of our daily lives, there is an "ought-to-be," and an
"is." Just because it should be this way does not mean we can live
as if it were so. But it does mean that we can revere and respect
creation. It does mean that we can remember that the animals that we
delight in eating, and which I delight in eating too, are God's
creatures, created intentionally by God. We should remember that the
world in which we live is not ours, it is God's. God made it. God
designed it. God shaped it. And it is not currently as God intended
it to be. Creation, all of creation, is very good. It is not just a
resource or a tool, it is a gift from God.
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Prayer: Holy God, we thank you for the gifts of your
creation. Help us to live within it with dignity and respect. Help
us to see all that is with reverence, joy and awe. We pray in Jesus'
name. Amen.
[text from file received from Phil Blackburn, First Presbyterian
Church] |