For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be
Romans 8:19–21
revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.
There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Mark 4:36–41
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:15–17
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
John 1:1–4
During the cultural period of the Enlightenment in the eighteenth century, our attitude to creation changed. During that time, the scientific view developed of nature as a mere resource, animals as soulless mechanisms, and only humans as being capable of relationship with God. But this is not a biblical view.
The Bible teaches that God has a covenant relationship with the whole of
creation (see for example Genesis 9:16) and an intimate personal connection with all life (see Psalm 104:4, 21, 27–30).
In the New Testament we learn that the work of Jesus in his death on the
cross not only won salvation for humankind but also redeemed all creation from the bondage into which it had been subjected by human folly and sin (see our passages from Romans and Colossians above). The cross of Jesus now sits at the heart of creation, holding all things together in a living, holistic unity, with all things working together for good.
In his ministry on earth, Jesus identified himself as messiah in part by his
relationship with creation – his ability to calm the storm at a word, to make people’s bodies well at a touch or a word, to call people back from death, to walk on the water, and to multiply food. The earth is not a dead store cupboard of resources, or a kind of machine; it is alive and full of life, and all life responds to the God who called it into being with praise and adoration. As we are the people of God it is part of our calling to respect, cherish, and lovingly steward the living earth, which God has entrusted to our care. Just as Jesus did, we are to work for its health, peace, and well-being.
Creator God, source of all life, how glorious is your name in all the earth! We bless you for the beauty of sea and sky, for the wonderful provision of clean water, fruit and grain to eat, the intricate web of the ecosystem in strong yet fragile interdependence. You have thought of everything! Make us strong and wise to love you, Lord, in your creatures. May the majesty of the cloud forests, the teeming life of the oceans, and the industry of ants and bees be nurtured and protected by our way of life, and so may we honour and adore you, God who created all things. Amen.
