God, creation, and creation care
Please read Genesis 1: 1 – 2:3 and then pray; Loving Creator God, you speak to us through the glory, wisdom, and majesty of your created order. You also speak to us through your holy Word. As we come before your Word, enable to see with fresh appreciation the wonder and the grandeur of all creation. We ask this in the name of your Son, through whom all things were created. Amen!
Throughout the season of Lent 2025 which begins this Wednesday, we are going to be focusing a lot of attention on the theme of God’s creation and God’s call to creation care. We are going to share in the experience of a green Lent! I have here today, a copy of the Green Bible, a bible I was given as a gift about 15 years ago. Some of you will be familiar with “red-letter” bibles. These are bibles in which you will find all the words Jesus spoke in red ink. The teaching of Jesus is made to stand out in the hope that the reader will pay special attention to our Lord and Teacher. (John 13:13) In the Green bible, all references to God’s creation and creation stewardship and care are in green ink. This bible was designed to show us just how much of God’s written Word is concerned with the subject of the whole created order; not just human beings who according to Genesis chapters 1 & 2 are created “in the image of God”, but the whole creation and all living things.
So, on that basis, how much of Genesis chapters 1, 2 and 3 are in green ink in this bible? The answer is this: 100% of Genesis 1; about 80% of Genesis 2; and about 65% of Genesis 3. Can you see why I have chosen to preach 3 sermons on Genesis 1-3 during March? Here we find creation from its beginning, its genesis. Here we find why things have gone wrong and how God aims to put things right again. And here we find our special place within God’s creation as those uniquely made in his image. Today I want to lay down a foundation as I begin to steer a way forward for Lent. Next week we will find ourselves in the Garden in Eden. On Easter Sunday, we will be in another garden in Jerusalem with Mary Magdalene who encounters our resurrected and triumphant Lord. That powerful rising from death by Jesus is the glorious starting point from which “the new heavens and the new earth” will arise and shine. (Isaiah 65:17, Revelation 21: 1-5)
For now, let us focus on creation as it originally was in all its glory and perfection. We turn to Genesis 1 – and we will be considering the way this opening chapter of the bible is especially helpful in thinking about our God and Creator, and creation itself – its order, and its abundant diversity. I hope that this will help us in the coming weeks.
It is important to stress how significant the first verse of the Bible is (Genesis 1:1). Before we come to creation – we stand before the Creator – the everlasting God. In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth. This first verse directs us to consider and contemplate God first, and it reveals to us that without God we have nothing. This first chapter of Genesis and the entire bible is full of revelation about God, and it directs us to his eternal and immense glory. God is mentioned 35 times in 36 verses and the revelation we have of him in Genesis 1 is foundational for the rest of Scripture. In chapter 1, God spoke, God saw, God divided, God called (named), God made, God created, God set, God blessed. In the beginning God ….
The creation of human life does not come until verse 27. We start with God! Psalm 90:2 – Before the mountains were born you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. As the pastor and writer Peter Lewis explains;
We learn that before there was anything else there was God. Before there was matter, time, and space there was God: God who has no succession of moments in his own Being, God who alone is infinite and eternal, the uncreated Creator, unique in his eternity and all-sufficient in the infinite resources of his Being, the fullness of light, love, joy and meaning: From everlasting to everlasting, you are God.
After being introduced to the eternal God, we are told that he created “the heavens and the earth.” God created the entire universe. Wow! “The heavens and the earth,” writes American theologian Douglas Kelly, “is a way of saying ‘everything that exists,’ whether galaxies, nebulae or solar systems, all things from the farthest reaches of outer space to the smallest grain of sand or bacterial microbe on planet earth.” I love the way this is expressed in Nehemiah’s prayer of confession in the OT;
Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. (Nehemiah 9:6)
We should not be surprised that Genesis 2 begins with this grand conclusion: Thus, the heavens and earth were completed in all their vast array. Then God rested.
It is fascinating to observe that in Genesis 1 we have the creation of the two lights, (1:16) the greater and lesser lights, the sun and the moon, and a very brief, almost incidental reference to the creation of all the stars. And he made the stars. Some people worship these entities as deities and they were doing this when Genesis was being written. Genesis 1 corrects this error and says that there is but one sole Creator of all things, sun, moon, stars, and all that is in and upon the earth – and He alone is to be worshipped and praised. The heavens point to His glory – and therefore praise their Creator. Back to Psalm 148 with which we began our worship today. (Read Psalm 148: 1-6)
I want us now to notice two major points which surface in Genesis 1 and which will be very helpful for us as we consider creation care and stewardship and the responsibility of men and women. The (1) order and the (2) diversity of life with the creation of planet earth play a big part in Genesis 1.
Let us start with the magnificent design and order of creation. God is a God of order (1 Corinthians 14:33) and rock-solid faithfulness. The special order and design of creation is stressed again and again in Genesis 1, not just through its message, but also through its written style. We see from the opening verses that out of the dark and chaos over which the Spirit is hovering like a great mother bird, God brings into being order and form. The written style reveals 7 standard formulae that with some points of variation comprise the descriptions of each stage of creation.
We learn that; God said – (God commanded) – the fulfilment of God’s command – the description of what God created – God’s approval – God’s choice of name – the day number. To use a familiar catchphrase – “Order is the order of the day/s.” We can notice the way days one, two and three are carefully paralleled by days four, five and six – in each case moving from forming to fulfilling, from preparation to accomplishment.
We are meant to notice that the light and day on day 1, prepare the lights of day four; the creations of sea and sky on day two prepare for the creatures of water and air on day five, and the fertile earth of day three prepares for the creatures of the land (including man) on day six. We have then, the forming and the filling of God’s good earth. Everything is moving from disorder to order over these “days” which many commentators now see as figurative and not literal 24-hour days. God’s days can be hours or aeons.
The careful and deliberate use of the number 7 in Genesis is also apparent. The number 7 in the bible is consistently associated with the idea of completion, fulfilment, and perfection. The number of Hebrew words in that bold declaration in verse 1 is 7. Verse 2 has 14 words. Verses 1-3 of chapter 2, an important concluding mini section has 35 words. The word “God” appears 35 times in the chapter, the word “earth” 21 times, and the phrase “God saw it was good” 7 times. The whole chapter breathes perfect order, careful design, and Spirit-filled inspiration.
The children’s song, “He’s got the whole world in his hands” is not out of place here. I quote a small section from John Blanchard’s book, “Is God past his sell-by date?”
In recent decades, science has fine-tuned the argument from design and uncovered a mass of evidence to suggest that the universe has in some way been specifically designed to sustain intelligent life on our particular planet. Princeton physicist Freeman Dyson writes, “The more I examine the universe and the details of its architecture, the more evidence I find that the universe must in some sense have known we were coming.” To put some of the evidence very simply, if Earth were ten percent smaller or larger, it would be unable to sustain the atmosphere we breathe; if it were a little nearer the sun, we would fry; a little further away and we would freeze; if it were not on a twenty four-hour spin cycle, no life could exist on it; if it were not tilted at exactly 23.45 degrees, we would not be alive to discuss it; if our ozone layer were a tiny fraction thinner, no living matter could survive. (p 83-84)
Science itself would not be possible if it were not for the order that is in place by God’s hand. The laws of physics are crucial for scientific research and understanding. No wonder Paul writes in Romans 1:20: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” It seems to me that more and more scientists are coming to faith in God and that atheists are on the back foot. As American poet and writer Joaquin Miller (1837-1913) expresses; Ten thousand leaves on every tree, and each a miracle to me; and yet there be “men” who question God!
But as well as the amazing and clear order, there is also the magnificent diversity and abundance within God’s creation. The sheer abundance and diversity of life that God put into the seas and the upon the land and in the air! God is the God of exuberant, colourful, and exciting diversity. He made the creatures “according to their kinds.” “It has been estimated” writes David Gould, “that the earth is home to about 8.7 million species of plants and animals, and many species are still being identified.” Humans share the land with all the other creatures that were created – and there are many – all important for the life and wellbeing of the planet. I love the way The Street Bible loosely translates verses 20-23;
Day five: Ok, animals, amoeba, crustaceans, insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals … I want the whole caboodle teeming with a million varieties of each, and let’s have some fun with the shapes, sizes, colours and textures! God tells them all, “You’ve got a growth permit – use it.” He sits back, smiles, and says, “Result!”
This biodiversity with all its ability to evolve and recreate matters to our world and matters to our God who loves all He has created, and has compassion on all His creatures. Psalm 145:9 declares what much of the bible reveals: The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. God takes delights in all His creation and creatures and they reflect worship back to Him. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote; “The first law of our being is that we are set in a delicate network of interdependence with our fellow human beings and with the rest of God’s creation.”
How do we respond to all the amazing content of Genesis 1? Our first response must be worship and awe – worship of such a stupendous God who is almighty in power, wisdom, glory, love and strength. What a Creator is our Creator! – and the creator of all things. If the writer of Genesis can speak of the heavens and earth in their “vast array,” how vast and great is the all-wise and infinitely powerful God whose “splendour is above the earth and the heavens?” (Psalm 148:13b) If creation is great and awesome, the Creator is greater still. Surely there is a call here to worship, admire, adore, and love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. What a magnificent creation, but what an even more glorious Creator God who sits above and beyond the heavens and the earth.
O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the works Thy hand hath made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, the power throughout the universes displayed;
Then sings my soul my Saviour God to Thee, how great Thou art, how great Thou art!
But worship, wonder and gratitude must also lead to active and enthusiastic care and compassion for creation in all its magnificent diversity. We are going to see in the coming weeks the call of humanity to be good caretakers and stewards of the earth with all its wonderful array of creatures and vegetation. We are called to plant, nurture, and care for creation. We are made “in God’s image” (1:27), and part of that image is to create and care and have compassion toward all living things.
We are commanded to love our neighbour, but not just all our fellow human beings of whatever colour or creed, but all our neighbours within the animal kingdom and the ones who live in the skies, the rivers, the lakes, and great oceans. God knows and cares for each sparrow (Matthew 10:29) – so must we. Can we see that a major part of our calling as humans and as followers of Christ is to “treasure and safeguard the integrity of God’s creation?” As Christians, we have been given a commission by Jesus to share the good news of his life, death, and resurrection (Matthew 28: 16f) with all nations and peoples, but long before Christ entered the world, we were given a commission to care for creation with love and devotion. (Genesis 1:28, 2:15) We bear responsibility for both these commissions.
A few poignant quotes from some great and wise Christian voices:
If I am going to be in right relationship with God, I should treat the things he has made in the same way he treats them. (Francis Shaeffer)
Around the world, we can see the results of exploitation which destroys much without taking future generations into account. Today, all men have a duty to show themselves worthy of the mission given them by the Creator by ensuring the safe-keeping of that creation. (Pope John Paul II)
I believe in my heart that faith in Jesus Christ can and will lead us beyond an exclusive concern for the well-being of other human beings to the broader concern for the well-being of the birds in our backyard, the fish in our rivers, and every living creature on the face of the earth. (John Wesley)
During this coming Lent, consider what you might do to praise God and bless your local environment? As Spring beckons and new life emerges from our good earth, spend time in the garden, in the outside world and countryside, and whisper prayers of thanks to God. Could our Walking Group pause for a prayer on their next outing and bless God for all they are seeing and enjoying together? Could we as a Church develop our garden and outside area to bless birds and insects? Could we support environmental community groups like “Friends of Saintbridge pond” more than we do? Could we partner with other environmental groups to promote their work and our faith at the same time? Can we be more appreciative of birds, bees and insects and the role they play in God’s created order. When the squirrel looks up at us and asks us whether we might top up the bird feeder because the birds are hungry – can we respond? Can we more fully embrace the 4 “R’s”- Reduce, Re-use, Repair and Recycle? What challenges might you take on in Lent? And what might you sacrifice and give up to live more simply and less wastefully, and in turn be a blessing to God’s creation?
I close with words from Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s, “The Brothers Karamazov.”
Love all God’s creation, the whole of it and every grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of God’s light! Love the animals, love the plants, love everything.
Now unto God our Creator and Sustainer, be all blessing, honour, and praise. Amen!
(Revd Peter J Clarkson 2.3.25)