Devotional series – “Glimpses of Glory: A Spiritual Reflection on Every Chapter of the Bible”
Genesis 1: In the dance of creation, we are not mere spectators but active participants.
Bible Reading
Spend time reading slowly and reflectively through Genesis 1.
Story
In a small village in Kenya, a woman named Wangari Maathai started a movement in the 1970s that exemplifies the Genesis vision. Disturbed by the deforestation in her country and the resulting social and economic challenges, Wangari began to plant trees. Her efforts grew into the Green Belt Movement, which has planted over 51 million trees and empowered countless women in Kenya. Wangari’s story is a powerful reminder of how one person embracing the Genesis call to stewardship and co-creation can bring transformation.
Genesis 1
The first chapter of Genesis opens a divine drama, inviting us into an expansive, beautiful, and mysterious reality. Here, we find an artist, the divine Creator, who shapes the universe with rhythms of order and abundance. As the Divine Artist speaks, life comes into existence.
In the beginning, God fashioned light from darkness, land from water, and life from the void. This symphony of creation portrays a God who loves diversity and complexity. Each brushstroke reveals a Creator who delights in painting a cosmos of extraordinary beauty. This divine Artist doesn’t control or dominate but invites, empowers, and nurtures the creation to participate in its unfolding.
The first human beings, fashioned in the image of God, are endowed with the capacity to continue this creative work. The Creator entrusts them with the garden to tend and care for it. This isn’t a call to dominion over the natural world in the sense of domination, but rather, it’s a call to stewardship and co-creation.
As we reflect on Genesis 1, we are reminded that we are part of this divine artwork, invited to co-create, care for, and cultivate the world around us. There is a sacred responsibility in this, one that calls us to humility and reverence.
Following Jesus
Being disciples of Jesus Christ involves much more than personal faith – it requires active stewardship and co-creation. Discipleship involves nurturing, caring for, and cultivating the world rather than exploiting it, as we are part of God’s divine artwork. Disciples must advocate for protecting and preserving the environment, seeing nature not as a commodity but as a cherished gift. Disciples should model communities of care that encompass all creation, emphasizing the interconnectedness of our world and underscoring the concept that our collective health is bound to the health of our planet.
Application
In today’s society, we often feel detached from this sacred responsibility. Economic systems commodify nature, and we are tempted to exploit rather than nurture, to consume rather than care. This detachment from our role as stewards of creation is at the heart of many of our cultural, political, and social challenges.
In response to these challenges, we must reclaim the Genesis vision of stewardship. We can advocate for policies that protect and preserve the environment in our political engagements. Culturally, we can promote sustainable practices and learn to see nature not as a resource to be exploited but as a gift to be cherished.
Socially, we can model communities of care that extend not just to people but to all of creation. This is not merely about being ‘environmentally friendly’. It’s about embracing our Genesis identity as stewards and co-creators, recognizing that the health of our relationships, communities, and nations is bound up with the health of our planet.
Reflection
In the dance of creation, we are not mere spectators but active participants.
Questions
1. How can you embrace your role as a steward and co-creator in your everyday life?
2. How might viewing the earth as a gift rather than a resource change how you interact with the world around you?
Prayer
Divine Artist, guide us to see the world as Your artwork. May we embrace our sacred call to co-create and cherish this magnificent cosmos. Amen.
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