We hear a lot about Global warming, about McDonald’s going green, recycling their Happy Meal boxes. Their take-home bags are made out of recycled materials, and they guarantee that the Big Mac is made from beef that wasn’t raised in a tropical rainforest. But a lot of us have acceded to the thinking that going green is just picking up on some kind of a fad.

I fear sometimes that, as followers of Christ, we’ve given up on our responsibility of environmental stewardship, when we as the church ought to be taking the lead. Let me tell you what I believe: as men and women committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to Scripture, we ought to be leading the campaign on taking care of this earth and respecting the environment as part of our mission. This should be our advocacy as much as we desire to lead people to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is very unfortunate that the maintenance crew and janitors of the venue for a convention of pastors and leaders commented that this was the messiest group they ever hosted. Why? I think the answer lies in the fact that most Christians respond to this issue this way: “I don’t see the connection. Our mission is to build a loving community of Christ followers, to reach a culture in need of His presence. God put us here to save people, not to save the earth.”

Old Testament scholar Christopher Wright, who authored a fine book entitled The Mission of God, wrote: “The church in its mission must bear witness to the great biblical claim that the earth is the Lord’s and must care for the earth as an act of love and obedience to its Creator and Redeemer.” He goes on to say, “If the greatest commandment is that we should love God, that surely implies that we should treat what belongs to God with honor, care, and respect.” Wright also notes that what benefits creation is also good for human beings. So that means that care for creation is not only an act of loving God, but it’s an act of loving our neighbor. Isn’t the heartbeat of our mission the command to love God and neighbor?

When we read that we are made in the image of God, we are to read that God has made us to serve as His representatives. We’re like kings of old who thought they were representing certain gods. We are representing our Creator. The word likeness in Genesis 1:26 reminds us that we represent Him by resembling Him. Thus, the chief end of human beings is to represent God – by carrying out His agenda, by showcasing His character qualities in the way we live on this earth that brings glory and honor to Him. So this idea of being created in God’s image and likeness is all about glorifying God.

In verse 28, as well as verse 26, are the words subdue and rule as part of God’s blessing. In being consistent with the whole scriptures, these words don’t mean that God has given people license to simply consume everything and use the earth only for their benefit, no matter what it does to the earth.

Rather, God is talking about our responsibility to care for creation. The word subdue as it is used throughout the Old Testament in its various contexts has to do with bringing something under control. It is a reminder that creation doesn’t run by itself. We have responsibilities to represent God by caring for His creation, using it to sustain human life. There’s nothing wrong with using the resources God has given us; we are supposed to do that. But we do that in a way that cares for the creation and allows that creation to reflect the glory of God. That’s our responsibility.

How do we do that? We need to evaluate solutions and ideas with humility, starting with the Biblical framework because, as you know, a lot of solutions tend to get tied into political agendas.

Here then are some healthy steps we can take within our church to better care for God’s Creation:

1. CONSUME LESS. Consuming less would take care of many problems. Simple things like turning off lights, turning up the thermostat in air conditioning, saving fuel, saving paper. We’re not talking about not using electricity or living in a grass hut somewhere, but consuming less.

2. RECYCLE. I know people are rolling their eyes because they may be tired of seeing these recycle signs. Everybody’s recycling and it seems like a fad, but that’s one of the ways we can carry out this mandate. Every time I see those blue recycle bins, I’m convicted, because sometimes I get lazy and just throw stuff in the big dumpster. I don’t want to take the time to sort it out. We can also re-use things by donating them. Many organizations can use stuff that we would be tempted to discard. Why create more production of the same thing when somebody else can use it?

3. DEVELOP. Develop the environment around us. When you walk out, take time to smell the flowers, and plant some yourself! It seems like a small thing, but it’s a huge thing. Does your own property reflect the glory of God in creation, or does it reflect that there’s something wrong here?

4. PROTECT. Don’t litter or dump waste at inappropriate places.

Whatever excellent ideas you may have to save the planet earth, let your Church Leaders know about it. May God’s glory be reflected and honored in our lives.

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