Genesis 1:24-31
This home group lent study explores the place of humans and other land creatures within God’s wider creation. It aims to inspire practical action towards a world filled with God’s justice. It also features an interview with Archbishop Justin Welby.
This session is formed from the discussion questions from the end of chapter 6 of Ruth Valerio’s book Saying Yes to Life. As such, the questions often reference the book.
Many of us know the pleasure of seeing a deer leap across a field, a hedgehog scurry under a hedge or perhaps the warmth of being welcomed home by a much-loved dog. Encounters like these are precious as they underline the connection between us humans and the wider animal world. In her 2016 Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book, I Am With You, Episcopal priest Kathryn Greene McCreight said: ‘There is no true humanity without other creatures of God.’ This underlines the point that there is no true humanity without other humans: a human on their own is not fully who they are meant to be. But humanity does not only exist within the human community: without the wider community of creatures that God has created, we cannot be what we have been created to be and we are the poorer for it. {page 137}.
As with the creation of vegetation, sea creatures and birds, the land creatures are made ‘according to their kinds’. This reflects the overall stress in the Hebrew Bible on appreciating and respecting the distinct nature of different kinds of creature. Rabbi Norman Solomon argues that God and the text are concerned with biodiversity and the preservation of each separate and distinct species. In other words, we share this world with the most incredible and wonderful mix of strange, colourful, funny, scary, cuddly, scaly, odd, tiny, huge creatures that we could ever possibly imagine! Pause for a moment to think about the animals that live around you and give thanks to God for such an abundance of life. {pages 138-139}
As we have worked our way through Genesis 1 during this course, we have seen how the Bible is not only a story about human beings but a story about the whole world – indeed the whole universe! The story centres around people and God’s unfolding relationship with them, but the wider natural world is never far away, and the biblical text is full of trees, birds, fish, fields, gardens, stars, insects, the sun and moon, flowers, seas, rivers, rain, clouds, wind and animals. However, a world that God has created to be teeming with life is instead losing its life at an unparalleled rate. Thoughtlessness and selfishness make us all complicit. But alongside our sinfulness, we also bear the imprint of God in our own lives and that means we can act and bring about hope. {pages 140, 146}
Lord be praised for the immensity and the beauty of your creation.
I pray with humility to be every single day more aware of the variety of species on earth and to seek for their protection.
I thank you for this calling to take care of our planet that you put in many hearts, and I pray many others will follow.
I ask you the grace of being able to see the world with your eyes and to always be amazed by the places I’m blessed to go.
In this time of Lent, Lord help me to discern what specific choice
I can make to reduce my ecological imprint on the earth and how
I can be an encouragement to people around me to think and act about it.
At times when I can be discouraged by the amount of ecological issues, help me to remember I stand before holy ground when
I encounter another person and to believe that you can make everything possible.
Prisca Liotard is a French Catholic with a heart for the unity of Christians. She was part of the Community of St Anselm in 2017-2018 where her sisters and brothers gave her the ‘Environment’ award, a cause that truly matters to her!
To get your church engaged in caring for God’s world, join A Rocha’s Eco Church scheme. It provides a range of resources and advice.
Painting © Jon White www.jonwhiteart.com
