Happy Earth Day

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Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout His praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for He is coming! Psalm 96:11-13.

Today is Earth Day – a day we’ve set aside to reflect on the goodness and beauty of creation! The idea for a national day with a focus on the environment, came after the world witnessed a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara in 1969. The goal was to bring public awareness and concern for all living things, the environment, and links between pollution and public health. Regardless of whether you observe it or not, it’s a great opportunity to pause in our busy schedules, and consider the majesty and biodiversity displayed all around us - and our place in it. For Christians, respect and reverence for creation, is a profound awareness; not only of the One who created, but also of our obligation to act as stewards of God’s natural gifts. This responsibility is deeply embedded in our nature from the beginning.

The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. Genesis 2:15

After creating Adam, the first man, God makes man’s position in relation to the rest of Creation clear. The  Hebrew word for “tend or keep” is “shamar,” which goes beyond just keeping it nice and tidy. The Hebrew word means “to guard,” or “to watch and protect.” Another key Hebrew word in this verse is the word “work or watch,” and is from the Hebrew word “`abad” meaning “to serve.” So Genesis 2:15 can be read as: “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to serve it and to guard and protect it.” God gives man an authoritative-yet-responsible position of honor.

God didn’t tell man to exploit the planet or treat it recklessly, but to watch over it, and use it wisely. Similar to a good ruler, we should seek the wellbeing of everything God entrusts to us - including creation. We are called to be stewards, tending what’s left of Eden. “Man has been appointed as a steward for the management of God’s property, and ultimately, he will give account for his stewardship,” Luke 16:2. 

Our care of creation will reflect our love for the Creator. As we boldly step into our role as stewards, how we view and interact with our surroundings should change. Our minds and hearts should increasingly see life through His lens, as it shapes our daily choices.

So, while Earth Day may be just one day on the calendar for some, for God’s people, every day is Earth Day!

Here are 3 steps we can take to live out this honorable calling:

GO OUTSIDE – Explore! Ponder. Listen. Stop and pause. We’re always moving so fast; we often miss what is around us. Hear the birds singing in the trees.  Consider the integral work of bees, as they hum along gathering food and pollinating plants we depend on. Listen to the breeze in the trees, or taste the salt in the sea air. Feel the sand between your toes, or explore the tiny cities that are tide pools – ponder for a moment that in a single drop of seawater, there’s life - Tiny microscopic organisms quietly producing oxygen for the whole earth. Through admiring creation, we admire God. In admiring the visible, we admire the invisible. How creative He is!

GET INVOLVED – Collaborating with our community isn’t just a neighborly thing to do, it has Kingdom impact! Participating in local environmental projects or activities is a great way to meet folks from all walks of life – often presenting opportunities to share the Gospel in spaces we might not normally enter into. A quick Google search will produce all sorts of programs to participate in such as beach or trail clean ups, community gardening, recycling activities, nature walks, and more! Love birds? Join your local Audubon Society! Love the ocean? Consider volunteering with a docent program at your local beach. Whatever you’re passionate about, there’s a program out there for you! God can use any interest to build a bridge or connection to someone else with that same interest… isn’t that what it’s all about?

MAKE A DIFFERENCE – The best way to celebrate Earth Day is to look for ways to reduce your personal impact on the environment. Whether it’s becoming less wasteful, analyzing your carbon footprint, decreasing your plastic dependence, or using less toxic chemicals at home, there’s endless ways to make an impact!

Here’s a few to consider:

• Walk, ride your bike, carpool, or take public transportation if you can.

• Start recycling if you aren’t already.

• Compost your food waste - great for gardening!

• Turn off lights when you leave a room, or AC when you leave the house.

• Pick up litter.

• Carry reusable bags with you when out shopping.

• Refuse single-use plastics - carry a reusable mug, straw, and utensils.

• Plant a tree, or add plants to your garden that attract pollinators like bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and bats.

• Get produce from a local farmer’s market.

• Cut greenhouse gas emissions, by eating vegetarian for one day a week - If the entire US didn’t eat meat for just one day a week, the equivalent would be taking 7.6 million cars off the road!

The “Father of National Parks,” and renowned naturalist, John Muir once said, “No synonym for God is so perfect as Beauty. Whether as seen carving the lines of the mountains with glaciers, or gathering matter into stars, or planning the movements of water, or gardening - still all is Beauty!” Will we be known for preserving this beauty for generations to come?

We all have the ability to make a difference, will you?

HAPPY EARTH DAY!