Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre. God covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the hills. God gives to the animals their food, and to the young ravens when they cry. (Psalm 147:7-9)
I don't suppose anyone thought about Earth Day when the Daily Lectionary readings were chosen. If they had, perhaps Psalm 24 would be today's morning psalm. "The earth is the LORD's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it." But I suppose the same is implied in the few verses culled from Psalm 147 above.
Sometimes when questions about the environment, global warming, pollution, and so on are discussed, a basic assumption of these psalms seems to be missing. People speak as though the earth was ours. But the earth is not ours. It does not belong to us so that we can simply decide what to do with it. It belongs to God. And we have been called to tend it as stewards.
You can witness human arrogance and hubris on both sides of environmental debates. And certainly there are sometimes complex scientific issues that resist easy answers. But if the earth truly is God's, perhaps we would do well, when dealing with these issues, to ask ourselves whether God would be happy with our actions. If the earth is the LORD's, and if God is indeed pleased and delighted with this good creation, shouldn't we want to please God in our calling as earthly stewards?
(Click here to learn more about the Daily Lectionary.)
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