The Web of Life

Genesis 1:1-25, Revelations 3:14 – 22, John 1:1-5

The amazon is burning and no one cares, cyclone Idai in the African countries costs so many lives and many damages, the tropical storm Pabuk that hit Thailand costs many damages, the third fire for the season at the ella rock, floods and drought in Sri Lanka has become an annual occurrence.  Each year we see natural disasters increase, and some of these disasters strike the most unexpected places affecting the rich and the poor, humans and animals and bringing on effects that will takes years to heal.

We are living in times where awareness on climate change, protecting environment and planting trees are becoming the order of the day. When we look at most of the natural disasters that happen and when we find reasons most often than not the figure points at none other than the very same persons who were chosen with the responsibility of tending and keeping creation.

We read in scripture that God creates the earth and all that is in it and on the sixth day he looks at all his creation and says “it is very good”. It is excellent. He is in awe of his creation. Very often we see beautiful sceneries while journeying through the country or photos of beautiful sceneries, but when we see the same from an aerial view which shows more of the scenery, a broader picture, you are awe struck. It is beautiful, fascinating, at times no words to describe it.

The fruitful and fertile land and soil, the fat healthy animals, the choice and fruitful vegetation, the fine and pure minerals, it’s value, its richness, the preciousness; that is what God as creator saw at the end of 6 days. Beautiful, stupendous, excellent; all summed up as “and it was very Good”.  God the creator designs his creation in accordance with his own character which is good.

Good in God’s terms is pleasant to the higher nature, giving pleasure, happiness, prosperity, sight sees everything fair, taste is good and sweat for eating, smell is sweet scented and above all Good in God’s sight means everything is flawless. Good in God’s sight see’s everything fair, tastes good and sweet for eating, God’s creation is good and flawless that it is mysterious and un-comprehendible.

It is this creation which was good, that was entrusted into the hands of another creation of God, whom some say the crown of his creation, his creation that had the ability to think, reason, sense; man, to tend and keep.

Our NT reading tells us that Christ is the ruler of God’s creation. The stewards who were entrusted with creation has failed him. And Christ knows the very deeds of the man.

However, today it is because man has failed to tend and care for the “good” that God entrusted to him that the world is allocating so much of time and resources towards the protection of environment.

The failure to protect God’s creation has resulted in climate change, natural disasters, all bringing it’s ill effects on none other than you and me. A beautiful web of interdependency has now become a web of disaster. As St. Pauls tells us it is a creation is groaning. And so the need for a new heaven and a new earth. Heaven here on earth, where we return to that original garden of Eden, which was indeed a heaven that God created. Where everything was good.

And so we need to reclaim what was created for us. Not just for us but for the whole world and for generations to come. We have to become more responsible and conscious towards the carefree lifestyle that we are moving towards.

            Planting trees, environmental cleanup campaigns, go green campaigns are good, but they need to translate from campaigns to our day-to-day lifestyle. We can plant trees throughout the year and then just for one week in December we chop off the Christmas trees. We say don’t use plastic and shopping bags, yet that is what we use at our harvest festivals.

We as Christians should be the first to create a counter environmental culture. Only then we can see a new heaven on earth. A counter culture that is rooted in the life giving word through which creation came into being. That word is love and that word brings us to fullness. If we are to create a new culture then the glory of the creator will be seen in and through what he has created.

God in creation has spun a web of life. Let us as stewards of God’s creation protect that web, for us and for generations to come.

Proper 17th Sunday in Ordinary time
September 1st, 2019
St. Pauls Church, Kynsey Road.