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Caring for God’s Creation (Genesis 1:20-28; Mark 10:42-45). How to communicate with animals. My visitation to farms One of my joys here in our country is to see animals.
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How to communicate with animals My visitation to farms • One of my joys here in our country is to see animals. • Most of our church members nurture those animals just for pleasure after their retirement, but feeding and caring for animals are still a lot of works. • When I visited Anita and Jim’s house, I saw their two goats and four chickens in their little farm. • When I put those corns on my palm, they came to me right away and licked my palm to eat the corns.
How do we like to see animals? • Are they commodities for our needs or companions for our life? • How can we communicate with animals? • How can we live together with animals in our world? • Feeding brings us fellowship and reconciliation with all the creatures.
Diversity in harmony God’s creation • Our country is so beautiful. • When I got to the top of our mountain, I just spoke to myself with delight, “It is good.” • Why was God so delighted in God’s own creation? • It was simply because there were lots of trees, flowers, and animals in it? • What is the secret of the beauty of God’s creation.
How God created the world • God’s creation is good because everything God created is good: “Indeed, it was very good” (vv. 21, 25). • God blessed each of them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth” (vv. 22, 24). • God saved each of species through Noah in the Ark: the first “Endangered Species Act” that God made with all the creatures. • Like us, they are created to worship the Lord: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Ps. 150:6). • All the creatures are worshipers, and they praise the Lord by being who they are!
The secret of God’s beauty • 1) First, all the creatures are good in themselves. • 2) Second, God blesses them to thrive and fill the earth. • 3) Third, they are created to worship the Lord along with humans. • God created all the creatures in huge swarms, in great diversity, and in perfect harmony with each other. This diversity in harmony is the beauty of God’s creation!
Dominion as stewardship Human Creatures • God created humans in the image of God. God loves us for our own sake and wants us to thrive and fill the earth (v. 28). • God was even pleased to give us a special authority – to exercise dominion over other creatures, so we are like a God to all other creatures (v. 28). • Thus, it seems like humanity is the pinnacle of God’s creation, right?
Dominion? • Coming from the image of God? • The right to exploit all other creatures for our own greed and pleasure? • In fact, we think humanity is much superior to any other animals, • When we diminish other creatures, we not only compromise their ability to survive but also stifle their capacity to praise God, which is totally against the principle of God’s creation.
Dominion as stewardship • When we have pets, aren’t we also responsible for caring for those? • At least, we have to feed them every day… • Many people even consider their pets as their own children. • Noah’s Ark: he had to feed them, remove their wastes, and keep all the companions to get along with each other in the Ark. This Savior Noah worked as a servant to all of the creatures. • If we think we are the pinnacle of God’s creation, we need to take responsibility for all creatures. • We are not to lord over anyone but be as slaves to all (vv. 42-45).
Solidarity with all other creatures • Genesis tells us that we were created to be companions to one another, to thrive all together, and to worship the Creator in partnership. • Jesus came to earth as a brother to all. • He spent most of his life caring about those who were oppressed, vulnerable, and marginalized by society. • “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mk. 16:15). • Jesus died in order that God might reconcile to God’s self all things in creation, whether things on earth or things in heaven (Col. 1:20).
Preach the Gospel to all of God’s creation • If we understand our Christian vocation as stewardship or service, we will love other creatures as our companions in God’s world; we will also welcome all human races as our brothers and sisters in God while respecting their differences from us. • When we give our hands to feed and serve all others, we will see all of God’s creation come together, trust each other, and live and thrive together in peace and harmony.
In a little Farm God’ world vs. Human world • Most of cities look more diverse and richer than our countries. • But there are actually not many trees, no wild animals living, and no trust with each other in cities. • The world God created is the world in which humans and animals can live and thrive together. • The world humanity has built is the world in which only human beings can live and thrive. • To be worst, it is the world in which the rich can live very well but the poor has to struggle hard to survive.
In Service… • Anita and Jim’s little farm is a lot more beautiful than Boston and New York. • In their little farm, I saw animals like goats, chickens, and birds, and Anita and Jim live together in peace and harmony. • What’s the secret of their coexistence with one another? Anita and Jim feed their animals and take care of them as their children. • In their little farm, I saw the greatest serve the least. • In their little farm, I saw the image of God and the image of Jesus the Shepherd who feeds his flock and cares for all creation.
