As I have been writing this series, my definition of
stewardship has also evolved. I
mentioned in previous articles the term “created co-creator” as a definition of
what it means to be human. This is the
idea that we have been brought into being to participate in the continuing
action of God’s creation. To further
expand on this idea, I will say that we have been made beautiful by God in
order to make something beautiful.
This is
not a new requirement that all Christians become artists or musicians, as
though beauty was only confined to the art world. It is an understanding that we have been
called to make and preserve beauty in the world. Stewardship becomes divided into two spheres
of action. In one sphere, we are
actively using the gifts that God has given us to make something
beautiful. Art is beautiful. A garden is beautiful. A home run is beautiful. A loving family is beautiful. Community is beautiful. Peace is beautiful. Justice is beautiful. Go make something beautiful!
The
other sphere is more about preserving the beauty that already exists. This is where we get into environmental
stewardship. Many countries have areas
that they consider so beautiful and important that they actively preserve them
as national or state parks. As much as
possible, they seek to limit the impact of humanity on such areas, restricting
their use, in some cases restricting the number of tourists that can enter them
in a given year. This is considered good
stewardship.
As
Christians we might consider our stewardship of creation in a similar way. What are we doing to minimize our impact on
God’s good creation? How can we help
preserve the natural beauty of clean air and water? Are the ways that we can better live in
harmony with the forces of nature rather than trying to fight or control them?
For
Christianity, it comes down to understanding of a word we rarely use in other
contexts, “dominion.” According to the
Genesis 1 creation myth, on the sixth day, God made human beings and gave them
“dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every
living thing that moves upon the earth.”
Historically we have often treated dominion as license, acting as though
God said we could do whatever we wanted with the environment. Species can lose their habitats if it helps
human beings to flourish. Air, land and
water can be polluted in the long term if human beings are helped in the short
term.
I would
suggest that we need to let our understanding of dominion be shaped by the
image of the human task in the Genesis 2 myth.
God puts the first human being in the garden, “to till it and keep
it.” Dominion is not power over creation
but a responsibility toward creation. We
have been made beautiful in order to maintain and preserve the beautiful.
The
first task here is not to make picket signs or buy an electric car or solar
panels. The first task is consistently
to remind ourselves of the beauty of creation which means going and
experiencing it. This goes back to the
virtue of awe and wonder that I wrote about in December. We need to have the experience of being
overwhelmed by the beauty that is already around us. We need to take the time to encounter the
vastness of nature and wonder at the small and fascinating details. We need to get outside, celebrating the power
and the mystery, the strength and frailty that make up the living
creation. Then let the awe and wonder turn
into gratitude. Let it inspire us to
care for what God has made so that each day we ask ourselves how our plans for
the day help or harm the creation. Will
our next steps create, damage or destroy?
We have been made beautiful in order to make something beautiful with
our lives. We have been made beautiful
to preserve the beauty that God has made.
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