October 4: Beng God's Caretakers

Bible Reading Psalm 8

Today’s sermon is based on the psalm for today Psalm 8
This is a psalm of praise of our God, who is always present with us
The psalmist declares that God is present with us throughout and in the grand universe He has created.
The psalmist writes: You have set your glory above the heavens…
Listen again to verses 1 to 4
LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what are mere mortals that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?

Have you ever been out in the bush and looked up and seen the canopy of stars in the sky
This is the handiwork of God
Or perhaps you have ventured through a region some months after it has been affected by bush fires
and seen the new growth of plants thriving amongst the blackness
or maybe you have walked through the mountains and bush with the amazing sights, scents and noises surrounding you
If you are like me,
you can feel insignificant and yet immortal as a consequence because God is present
and we are those who know this Creator.

That’s the wonder of this magnificent psalm.

But the very presence of our God is also seen in the seemingly small mutterings of a little child.
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
Have you ever held an infant in your arms and felt its tiny hand curl around your finger?
If so, you might have felt the touch of God.
If you have listened to the laughter of joy or the cries of need that a baby gives out,
you have heard the whispers of God’s eternal gift of life.
Little children witness to the presence of our God of this universe
and we have the privilege of knowing God.

Whether in the wonders of the night sky or the gentle heartwarming mutterings of an infant,
we know that God alone is God.
As human beings we cannot create the stars and planets,
but we, of all the creatures on the earth,
can wonder at them, not worship them but worship their Creator.
As human beings we cannot create life,
but through love and the union of a man and a woman,
God can create another human being through us.
We have the creative power within us
to throw away what has been given to us or to renew and restore it,
celebrate and encourage a stewardship of creation.

The most remarkable part of Psalm 8 is its assertion that
God has chosen us to partner with Him as stewards for Christ’s creation.
In Genesis 1 God creates the world.
Listen to what happened on the sixth day:
“then God said, Let us make humankind in our image,
according to our likeness;
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the birds of the air,
and over the cattle,
and over all the wild animals of the earth,
and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
God created humankind in His image,
in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
God blessed them, and God said to them,
“Be fruitful and multiply,
and fill the earth and subdue it;
and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28)

Formed in the image of God means that we are stewards of creation.
To the Hebrew mind,
the image of God is a reflection of both who God is and what God does.
The “dominion” and “subduing” referred to in this text is to reflect God’s dominion and subduing of all.

How have we come to understand that authority and power from God?
Through Jesus Christ we have come to see how God works in love and care.
Jesus Christ does not hoard the goodness of God, He freely gives it out.
Even God’s judgment is a measure of justice with compassion.
We are the image of God when we appropriately exercise the authority and power of being human in ways that encourage life, that are life-giving.
The definition of the word “dominion” in Genesis 1 is “care-taking.”
Stewards are caretakers of what ultimately belongs to God.
Our role as humans is to care for God’s earth.

We see the best and worst of ourselves when we understand Genesis 1 and its reflection in Psalm 8.
Many of us marvel at the many natures of the earth.
In Tasmania there is wonder from young people at why efforts were not made to stop the Tasamanian tiger from becoming extinct
And there are also examples where people have been active in caring for the environment
Where people have taken seriously the need to change and intervene in caring for the planet
Queenstown in Tasmania had a reputation of being like a moonscape with no trees and very few trees as a result chemical poisoning in the land through mining
but after some years of active caring, life has started to be active again in the area.

What our world desperately needs is for us to reclaim our sacred role as stewards.
Human beings appear to be the only creatures on earth that can both reflect upon the past and make decisions for the future.
That is what stewards do.
It is our sacred calling to care for our world.
We have been created with the unique gifts required to love life
and make the decisions that support and sustain life.

Both Genesis and Psalm 8 make a remarkable point:
Those who worship the true God are best equipped to be stewards.
It is not surprising that where people do not take worship seriously
or do not intentionally make it a priority that there is uncertainity of what it means to be a steward and our efforts of caring for God’s creation is flagging
In the atheistic nations of the former Soviet Union,
creation was dealt a death blow by those who saw all of life as intended to serve them and their own agendas.
Sooner or later, when we bow before our Creator
God in the name of Jesus Christ,
we must accept the reverence for all creation that is our gift from the One who walked on the water and changed water into wine.
In reverence to the Word, Jesus, through whom we believe all life came into being,
we are being called to be a “green” church.

We should recycle and reuse as much as we can.
We should thank those who transform the dirt into gardens and care for the gardens.
We will look beyond our own needs to see that those who are older or younger than us are cared for and protected.
Being stewards of creation not only reveals our concern for nature,
it shows our concern for future generations.

Beloved people of God, as stewards of Christ’s creation,
let us return to God what God has first given us: our great green planet.

Some years ago a lady was noticed by her local newspaper for spending two hours every Saturday walking the main road that entered and left her town picking up rubbish, broken glass and other litter. When interviewed by her local paper, to the journalist’s surprise there was no anger towards those who had carelessly disposed of the mess, nor anger towards the council for not doing its job, she simply commented that she is picking up the stuff for the people who are coming after her, so they can enjoy the town’s beauty.
The reality is her one single act of picking up some litter is making a difference
Many people benefited from her act of picking up litter, including those visiting the town to those who owned businesses which tourists stopped for
Not only this but her efforts touched the lives of others, she helped make life for others easier and more pleasant
and at the same time inspired others to care for the town they lived in.
As God’s caretakers God has given us much to enjoy and care for
This week as we live our lives enjoying God’s creation let us live as Christians
Caring for what God has given us,
And carrying out simple acts of kindness to make more pleasant and easier for others. AMEN