Earthkeeping Bible Study Week 1: Dominion

Earthkeeping Bible Study – meant to be done in three, one-hour sessions. Janel Kuester – used the Earthkeeping resource developed by the ELCA. http://www2.elca.org/stewardship/EarthKeeping/earthkeeping2.pdf Week 1: Dominion and Relationship Begin with Opening Prayer

Share a nature experience Close your eyes.

Think of a nature experience that means a lot to you.  What do you see around you?  What do you hear?  What do you smell?  What are you touching?

Read from Psalm 23:1-3 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures And leads me beside still waters. He revives my soul And guides me along right pathways for his name’s sake.

Open you eyes. Share your nature experience.  Where did you see God’s handiwork in this image?  Where do you recognize the restorative nature of the experience…reviving your soul?

Digging In

Ask people to define Earthkeeping Earthkeeping – a term being used by many people of faith to describe the nature of our responsibility to care for creation.

Ask people to define Dominion before reading Genesis 1 passage

Gen 1:26-27

26 Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ 27So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Dominion – Section 1 Dominion – comes from a Latin word dominus (a root word for dominion) means “lord.”

Ask people again to define Dominion – based on Genesis 1  Hebrew radah – means “to tread down”  Does not mean to exploit or destroy, but to exercise care and responsibility for God’s domain  A form of being a steward

ASK:  How might we describe the nature of our “dominion”? o For some people the instruction in Genesis 1:26-17 to subdue the earth and have dominion over its creatures is the biblical teaching about our role in the world. o However, the Garden of Eden story offers another perspective: we are called to serve rather than rule the earth. This enriches our view of the earth and our place in it.  How do you think you, as an “image of God,” should relate to the rest of creation?

“Dominion” over the Earth, when rightly understood, is a most sacred trust and humbling responsibility. It is also a task that can be filled with joy and hope. When you take steps to help heal the Earth, it does give you – and others around you – a sense of both joy and of hope.

Gen 2:7-9; 15-23

7then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. 8And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’

18 Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.’ 19So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. 21So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23Then the man said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.’

Inter-relationship – Section 2

The Hebrew abad and shamar = to till and keep sometimes thought as serve and protect/keep God makes the human, adam, from the land, adamah; the same word (ground).

ASK:  How does thinking about serving instead of tilling the earth change or enhance your understanding of stewardship?  How does it challenge the usual understanding of subduing the earth and having dominion over creatures?

We are farmers by nature, made out of the very soil we cultivate…we were formed from. Verse 9 – “Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and GOOD FOR FOOD!”

We share a close relationship with other living things. God identifies the animals as helpers and brings them forward to be named…verse 19… “the Lord God…brought them to the man to see what he would call them” - THE NAMING. This naming is not asserting our power, but instead it is only possible when we are living shoulder to shoulder with the animal world as did the ancient Israelite farmers.

ASK:  Does creation itself have worth to God or is it only “for” us? o Creation is valuable in its own right independent of its instrumental value for fulfilling human needs.

We are called to serve rather than rule the earth:  God created us as a part of an interconnected web of life. All creatures are interrelated and, together with the environment in which they live, function as a unified whole.  As servants rather than managers, our well-being depends upon our serving the needs, requirements and well-being of the whole environment. The danger of thinking of ourselves as managers is that we lose this sense of humility and dependence.

ASK:  How many of you have lived on a farm before?  Since all of us now live in a city, how does the Eden narrative relate to our experiences today?  After making the human from topsoil, God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (verse 7). How might this image be drawn from a farmer’s experience?  How does our community fail to uphold this interrelated command?

Closing - End with the Litany on the back of the handout. Litany of Prayer (Read responsively)

Let us pray: Ever-living God, you created the Earth and all that is in it and found it very good.

Forgive us all that we have done to harm the Earth and one another.

God of life and love, you created all that exists to sustain life on the Earth, human life and all forms of life, and the landscapes and ecological systems that underlie all life.

Forgive us for squandering the incredible natural riches of this Earth, using your creation as if it were merely a collection of objects for our use alone.

God of grace, you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, to reconcile all things, making peace by the blood of his cross, and making us ambassadors of his will for restored relationships.

Forgive us for not truly understanding what it means to live abundantly in the richness of relationships built on justice, peace, compassion, and sustainable inter- relationship with all of your creation.

God of mercy and hope, forgive us for our apathy and arrogance, short-sightedness and greed, that contribute greatly to the suffering of others and the harming of your creation. Bless our time of gathering here, and speak to us in this time of worship and in the days to come, that in our hearts we may hear and understand what you call us to do to help heal your world.

Give us the wisdom, compassion, and courage to do all that we can to restore, preserve, and protect your creation. All praise and glory are yours, now and forever, Amen.

- Adapted from the prayer litany in Awakening to God's Call to Earthkeeping,

by Kim Winchell (ELCA, 2006), p. 26. Earthkeeping Bible Study Week 2: Our Baptismal Call to be Earthkeepers Begin with Opening Prayer

Review the Baptismal Call Begin with looking at the Lutheran Book of Worship – Baptism section. Holy God, mighty Lord, gracious Father: We give you thanks, for in the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters, and you created heaven and earth. By the gift of water, you nourish and sustain us and all living things. By the waters of the flood you condemned the wicked and saved those whom you had chosen, Noah and his family. You led Israel by the pillar of cloud and fire through the sea, out of slavery into the freedom of the promised land. In the waters of the Jordan, your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Spirit. By the baptism of his own death and resurrection your beloved Son has set us free from the bondage to sin and death, and has opened the way to the joy and freedom of everlasting life. He made water a sign of the kingdom and of cleansing and rebirth. In obedience to his command, we make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Pour out your Holy Spirit, so that those who are here baptized may be given new life. Wash away the sin of all those who are cleansed by this water and bring them forth as inheritors of your glorious kingdom. To you be given praise and honor and worship through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen

Think about our baptismal calling in a new way. Water is symbolic of our relationship with God. Do you know where you were baptized?

Summary of the Session

In this session, we will focus on the richness of water imagery in the Bible. For a desert people, water meant life and was a miraculous sign of God’s goodness. From the beginning of creation through the new Jerusalem in Revelation, water signs and narratives are a constant presence in Scripture. Today we will focus on the watery chaos before the Creation, the destructive force of the Flood, and the saving power of Jesus’ own baptism at the Jordan. These particular biblical water stories have long been understood to be “types,” or foreshadowings, of baptism.

Water Facts  Somewhere between 70 and 75% of the earth’s surface is covered with water.  Water is all around us and within us.  Roughly 70% of an adult’s body is water.  The human body, in fact, is made of mostly water. Every day our bodies need four to five gallons of water – just to survive.  We can go weeks without food, but only a few days without water. Biblical Waters: The Creation – Genesis 1:9-10; 2:5-9 Water plays a significant role in the creation narratives. Ancient peoples believed the world originated from and was founded upon a watery abyss, the “deep.”

Genesis 1: 9 And God said, ‘Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. 10God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 2:5when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; 6but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground— 7then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. 8And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

ASK:  What do you notice about the order of creation in relevance to the waters?  How do you think the waters of creation relate to our own lives? Just as human beings begin in the waters of the womb, the earth itself is born out of the waters of the deep.  How do you think that waters of the Creation are linked to the waters of baptim?

The Flood – Genesis 6:11-13, 17-18; 7:11-12, 17-18; 8:13 The Flood is a story of creation and cleansing. The earth had become corrupt because of the wickedness of humankind. In judgment, God causes all the fountains of the deep to burst forth and the windows of the heavens to open. It is a near return to chaos. Water once again covers everything, washing away corruption.

Genesis 6:11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12And God saw that the earth was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth. 13And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth. 17I am going to bring a flood of waters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.

Genesis 7:11 In the six-hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12The rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights. 17 The flood continued for forty days on the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18The waters swelled and increased greatly on the earth; and the ark floated on the face of the waters. Genesis 8:13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and saw that the face of the ground was drying.

ASK:  What destructive powers did God chose to do with the waters of the Flood? What preservation powers did God chose to use with the waters of the Flood?  What relationship do you see between the waters of the Flood and the waters of baptism?

The Baptism of Jesus – Matthew 3:13-17 Like John the Baptist, there are those who wonder that Jesus came to be baptized. He certainly didn’t need baptism for the forgiveness of his sins. But by coming to John, Jesus identifies with all those who responded to the Baptist’s call for repentance. In baptism, Jesus begins his ministry by passing through the water.

In baptism, we stand with Jesus in the Jordan River. We, too, feel the water and hear the word, God’s voice naming us beloved children. For Apostle Paul and for Martin Luther, when we are baptized, we are united with Christ. We share in Christ’s death and in his resurrection.

Matthew 3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’

ASK:  What do you recognize from the creation story to the baptism of Jesus? Wind in creation blew over the waters –just as Jesus came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him  What connections between Jesus’ baptism and your own baptism are meaningful for you?

IF TIME, ASK:  What other Bible passages or stories do you recall or can you find that feature water?  Where do you see images of death and life in these water narratives from today? Farmers need water for their crops and livestock – but are in trouble when there is too much or too little or it comes too soon or too later. Water can make the dry land blossom but the waters of a hurricane or tsunami can make a wasteland.

Our Vocation – Our Calling through our own Baptisms Ask:  What is the power of water? Power of dams. Power to grow. Power to save.

In some traditions, water that is set aside and blessed for use in baptism is called holy water. I would prefer to say that all water is holy. It is holy because it is God’s creation. It is holy because it sustains life. It is holy because God has chosen it to be a visible sign of grace. It is holy because Jesus speaks of himself as living water.

For the Christian community, water is symbolic of our relationship with God, carrying the image of renewal, promise and hope. It is through water that we are baptized into the community of the church. Furthermore, water is essential to all life on Earth, and it links human life to the rest of God’s Creation. Creation begins with the God calling life out of the water.

Although a person is baptized once, the gift of baptism continues throughout a Christian’s life. It is through water that all of Creation is gifted with life, and life, in all of its forms, is not possible without water. This is our primary vocation, our calling, lived out in the world.

Ask:  How do you see your calling in respect to water? The protection of water for use by the rest of Creation, especially future generations and those living in poverty, is the responsibility of all of God’s people. As a gift from God, our response is to share the gift of water with all. In this involved caring for neighbor and for all of life we ensure that, as a matter of justice, nobody is denied water.

MISSING THE BOAT: Water is, first and foremost, a gift from God – provided so that we and all of Creation may have life. As people of faith, we understand our responsibilities to protect the sacred gifts given by God and to heal a world torn by brokenness and human strife. Too often, we in the United States don’t see our actions in connection with the broader world. The water crisis is one example of that. By recognizing water as a gift given from God, for the well being of all the Earth, however, we can change the way we interact with it. Faithful action calls us to live in a sustainable way, including in our use of the water with which we have been blessed.

End with the Water Prayer Earthkeeping Bible Study Week 3 – The Earth Groans Begin with Opening Prayer

Preamble, The Earth Charter “We stand at a critical moment in Earth’s history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life and to future generations.”

Prayer

Recap Week 1 – Our human call of dominion over the Earth Week 2 – Our human call in baptism This week – Our human call to listen to creation and respond

Genesis 3:14;16-17 “The LORD God said…To the woman he said, ‘I will greatly increase your pangs in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

And to the man he said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you.”

Romans 8:18:24 – Future Glory 18“I [Paul] consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in hope we were saved.”

 What connections do you make between Genesis 3 and Romans 8?

Let’s look at v 18 – 19 “I [Paul] consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing” – HINT: This is material creation apart from human beings. It is good to remember that the apostles and the early Christians lived in the same world we do. It is a world in which disasters often happened, a world in which people were hungry and slavery existed. Saint Paul and the early Christians knew what “groaning in agony” was!

 What is your attitude toward suffering? Do you think it can help you grow in faith? How?

Recall, for a moment, how you felt the first session when asked to share your greatest joy in creation, or when you heard the comments of others. Certainly, some of our interest in caring for the natural world around us is rooted in those joys and feelings of gratitude and awe, for all of the beauty and blessings we perceive within creation.

 How do the various concerns and environmental problems make you feel?

It is all too easy, sometimes, to want to avoid that sorrow or the feelings of despair or grief, at what has been damaged, lost or destroyed. Sometimes, it can make us feel angry or helpless. As people of faith, we should know another way, and that Christ aches with us, in all of those places and in the groaning of creation itself.

Sometimes, the apparent apathy or indifference that people feel towards environmental problems is not solely because they lack knowledge of the issue. There is also a self-protective sort of apathy, when we simply feel too overwhelmed by the number, or scope, of the problems. “What difference can I make? I am only one person!” It is easier to stop caring, stop hurting…to turn inward and let the world worry about itself.

This is where we need to understand and open our hearts, to the grace of Christ and the power of compassion. One of the best definitions of compassion (the direct linguistic opposite of apathy) is “to suffer with.” When we can allow ourselves to suffer with, to be open to that kind of sorrow, the very pain of creation or others, it is as if it opens within us a channel through which God’s grace can flow to help bring healing to the world in some manner. Through Christ, we can keep trying, in bold hope and trust. Creation waits, with eager longing.

Call to Action:  What is creation looking for from you?  What do you feel God calling you to do?  What ideas do you have for our congregation to do, to practice more faithful Earthkeeping and to weave it more fully into the life and witness of this congregation?

ELCA Social Statement Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice Church’s Vision of Creation Commitments of This Church section

Earthkeeping – now how do you define it?

Ending Prayer