Assembly -- 27 May 2019

Theme: Environment

Bible reading: Psalm 8:3-8

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars that you have established;
4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honour.
6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

For the word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

Why I chose this bit:

These words from Psalm 8 are very famous. They speak of the beauty and the majesty of creation, everything from
the heavens, “the work of God’s fingers” to “whatever passes along the paths of the seas”. And it speaks about
human beings, especially about the responsibility given to us to exercise “dominion over all the works” of God’s
hands.

In the past this responsibility has often been abused. This obligation to care for the earth and all that is in it, has
been taken as freedom to exploit it as we see fit, whatever the damage. From global warming, to the extinction of
species, the pollution of vast areas of our planet, the ever-growing island of one-use plastics floating in the middle of
the Pacific Ocean, to the hole in the ozone layer – all these things are the results of human beings abusing the
relationship of care for creation that was part of God’s original plan in placing Adam and Eve in paradise (before it all
went wrong!).

Now it is the younger generation above all who brings the prophetic voice to this disaster. Swedish teen, Greta
Thunberg, has had more media coverage than anyone else, but she is just voice among tens of thousands of young
people who see that the future can only be secured by returning to a more responsible, ecologically sustainable
relationship between human beings and the earth.

As always, I’m very happy to offer some constructive criticism on anything you might write about this.

Dr Gaden
timothy.gaden@bgs.vic.edu.au -- 0488 110 415