Stewardship of Creation and Time
Signs of the Spirit
Discuss where you have seen God's Spirit at work this week. How have you experienced grace in a new way through Christian practice? Discuss any joys or struggles you had. How is it with your soul?
Purpose
Because we long for Christ to be formed in us, we make this covenant to tend the fires of our souls so that our longing for Christ may never be extenguished and that our lives will be set ablaze with his love.
Instruction
Called to Stewardship
A good steward is one who takes special care to use all things wisely. One can be a steward of money and use it well in saving, spending, and giving. We are good stewards of the earth when we strive to keep it clean and care for all creation in a way that will help it to last. Stewardship of time involves how we use the moments given to us in our lives.
Brother Sun, Sister Moon
In the twelfth century, Saint Francis of Assisi communed with nature. He used new images for parts of creation: "Brother Sun," "Sister Moon," "Brother Wind," and "Mother Earth." They showed the close connection Francis felt with nature. Imagine that every flower whose beauty you admire, every mountain you climb, each animal you see is a relative—brother, sister, or cousin. Would you act differently if you thought your family was being trampled, polluted, or made extinct? How can we capture that feeling of connection to nature so we personally care for all creation?
Stewardship of the Earth
Read Genesis 1:26-31, then discuss:
♦ What was God's reaction to what God had made?
♦ What do you think God meant by saying that humans would "have dominion" over the earth and its creatures (verses 26 and 28)?
♦ Read verses 29-3la. How does this show the interrelatedness of all creatures? Given these words, what responsibility do humans have in caring for the earth?
A Vision of Doom
Have someone read aloud Isaiah 24:4-5. How do these verses describe what has happened in our contemporary world? How can we apply the words "they have transgressed laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant" to the destruction of the earth in our time?
Where Do You Stand?
In the past decade, environmental action has come to the forefront of our consciousness. Public education on the ozone layer, water pollution, and the effects of chemicals on the land have increased greatly. Many cities now have curbside recycling. Yet Americans still consume at an unrelenting rate, landfills are overflowing, and problems with pollution of all kinds persist. In pairs discuss what you do to care for the earth, then come together as a group and compile your list of items below as a future resource for action.
♦ God gives each of us not only the gift of life but also the beautiful world in which we live. How can we see those actions we take for the environmental health of the world as part of our own spiritual journey?
Stewardship of Time
God is in all our moments. How does that truth make an impact upon the way you use your time? Journal in response to these questions:
♦ In which of my daily activities am I most conscious of God?
♦ What things do I do each day to acknowledge God's presence in my life?
Rehearsal
Sing "For the Beauty of the Earth" (Hymn #416), "God of the Sparrow," "All Things Bright and Beautiful," (Hymn #405) or another creation-centered hymn or song.
Say together this prayer: God of heaven and earth, Teach us the true beauty of your creation. Teach us what it means to have dominion over the earth that you created for us. Give us the wisdom to care for the earth and keep our time well.
Involving
What kind of ripples might (or have) come about from practicing stewardship of creation and time? How could your daily routine change by the transformation taking place in your soul? Discuss how you might see all areas of your life—home, school, nature, community, world, job, paying bills, and so forth—connected in a new way based on your spiritual formation journey.
Tomorrow
√ Brainstorm how you can increase your conscious behavior in applying the "three r's" (reuse, reduce, recycle) in your daily life. Make a pledge to change one behavior. For instance, if you drink one soda each day and presently throw the can in the trash, promise yourself that you will find and use a recycle bin for aluminum. Or you might recycle paper you have written on to use the other side for note paper.
√ In your journal, answer these questions:
♦ In what sense is my time not just my own, but God's?
♦ What can I do each day to give my time to God?
♦ Does my current use of time show that God is a priority in my life?
√ Look for an environmental group with whom you can work— either an on-campus club, a local group, or a national organization.
√ Go online and investigate the current state of environmental problems in the world at actionnetwork.org.
This is one of forty-four life-forming practices from Soul Tending edited by Kenda Creasy Dean and Ron Foster, Nashville, TN, Abingdon Press, 2002. Reprinted with permission. Click here to buy the book.
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