Lord of All Creation
/We had Earth Day a week early this year as we sang hymns about Jesus being Lord of all Creation yesterday. It’s one of my favourite services, partly because it’s something children and youth in particular can latch onto easily.
Young people get the urgency of the climate crisis. The reminder that God made all of the plants and animals, the air and the water, is important. Though we can clone certain species and AI and virtual reality seem to point to humans’ ability to create their own worlds or things to manage their world, none of us can make a tree or even a blade of grass from scratch.
I reflected this past week on how the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20 took place on a hill. Mountains have always been important places in scripture to receive instructions and to seem closer to God. But I truly believe that the Lord of all Creation wanted the disciples to hear His words telling them to go out into all the world with a panoramic view of that world and its beauty. The call to make disciples and baptize and teach them didn’t come in a board room or synagogue or even around a kitchen table. The call came on a hill overlooking trees and fields, with clouds and bodies of water no doubt in view from at least one angle.
Worship can be incredible, but I particularly remember worship that was held outside, whether at camp or on retreat. Being joined by the song of the birds and the rustle of wind in the trees reminds us that we are part of a much greater reality and mission than just our own human issues and concerns. The environment feeds and protects us, comforts and inspires us. We’ve been charged to be its stewards, caring for it so that all species and people can thrive.
Mark’s version of the Great Commission at chapter 16 verse 15 mentions the responsibility of the disciples to take the Good News to every creature under heaven, not just every person. Celtic spirituality emphasizes God’s presence within not just people and animals but all created things. The Spirit is active in and through all that God has made. Rather than an annoyance or something which inhibits us maximizing our potential, the rest of the created world co-exists with us and needs us and our care as much as we need it to survive.
This raises the question of how exactly we can bring Good News to animals and trees, insects and fish. We get a hint from St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals, who is attributed with saying “Preach the gospel at all times. When necessary use words.” We can share Good News with all creatures under heaven by caring for their habitat and enabling them to thrive, witnessing to the love of our Artist God that first brought them into being. We can share Good News by valuing all creatures and sacrificing for their benefit rather than taking from them. We can honour their existence and learn about what they need to survive. We can prioritize their well-being and learn to live in harmony with them to the glory of God.
It was no accident that in C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series animals played pivotal roles. They were none of them perfect, just as we aren’t, but they were lead and supporting characters showing the way and carrying wisdom. Even the trees and birds communicated and helped each other and the people who turned up in their world.
It is long past time for all of us, not just “tree huggers” and activists, recognized how much we need to care for God’s world, for our sakes and for the sake of current and future generations of people and all created things. Sadly, for many it has taken the science to show how precariously balanced we are, rather than recognizing our responsibility given by God and not having allowed our carelessness and hubris to get us to this point.
May we lift up and honour all of Creation, just as Christ has lifted up and honoured us. May we be ready to sacrifice for the good of other creatures, just as Christ did for us. May we glorify God in how we serve all the things God made, just as Christ served us.