Cultivate Creation
By Kelly Lash
The past 2 weeks at Veritas have been really informative as we’ve been looking into Genesis chapter one. If you’re like me, it can be really easy to get sucked into all the theoretical implications of creation without actually thinking about what this means for our lives. One thought that I’ve wrestled with this week is, if God created everything and owns everything, then what is our call to action?
Humility: First and foremost, one cannot approach the subject of creation without first working to take a posture of humility. Various opinions on creation have been a huge source contention in the church, and having a dogmatic stance on creation can really hinder how we treat others both inside and outside the church. So its important to remember that in regards to vast universe we live in (and the large amount of information regarding its creation) that we can never really hope to figure it all out on our own. We must humbly walk toward a conclusion that glorifies God and supports our love of others.
Stewardship: Going back to the idea that God created and owns everything, we have a deep sense of personal obligation to improving of our physical and spiritual existence. Our physical existence means taking care of the earth though responsible practices. If God created the earth and deemed it “good”, we should try to not take advantage of its resources. Our spiritual existence mean using our money time and talent (which God already owns) to spread his Kingdom on earth. This can be done though service, community, prayer and sharing Christ’s work in your life. One point that must be made very clear, is that this obligation for bettering our surroundings does not come from the desire to be a “better person” but as an act of worship to the God that’s magnificent enough to be over and in all things.
Social Justice: If God truly owns everything, then we must fight to correct the inequality experienced because of sin and greed. Genesis 1 describes a world without sin that is in perfect unity. Therefore, we must fight to bridge any social or economic gap that causes oppression. Additionally, it Glorifies God to celebrate the diversity of his creation, especially within his church. In a world that hides behind notions of “colorblindness” we are call to embrace racial and cultural diversity and to be active in fighting all forms for racism, sexism and prejudice. Viewing people as lessor or inferior is indirect opposition to the goodness imparted to all God’s creation
Repentance: God created a perfect, sinless world out of the overflowing of his life. He did not need us, but loved us enough to speak us into existence with his Word. Therefore, we must be called to repent for sinning and perpetuating the groaning of creation until God’s creation is restores. We remember Jesus’s death on the cross as the forgiveness of our sins and the only hope for experiencing the excellence of God’s creation on earth (in part), and fully in Heaven.
This post was originally posted by Kelly Lash on her blog “Cultivate Columubus”. Kelly leads the Cultivate Columbus initiative which is all about using food and urban gardening to foster community and spiritual growth in Columbus.
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