Nebraska Synod ELCA

How manifold are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
Yonder is the sea, great and wide, with its swarms too many to number, living things both small and great.
There go the ships to and fro, and Leviathan, which you made for the sport of it.
All of them look to you to give them their food in due season.
You give it to them; they gather it; you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.

—Psalm 104.24-28—

“God blessed them, and God said to them “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it;
and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”

—Genesis 1.28—

Beloved in Christ,

April is a month in which the verb “cultivate” takes on its actual meaning for many of us. Winter chill gives way to spring thaws, perennials begin to send out new life, gardens move from plans into planting, and the delightful aroma of fresh-turned earth gives the hope of new life and another growing season (though we are always aware that winter can send its hoary wind and snow at us once or twice more, especially here in Nebraska). I always look forward to the first night around the fire pit, the first meal cooked on the grill, getting a shovel into the dirt and moving plants around our house, the first load of laundry dried on the clothesline outside.

It is good for us to remember that cultivating love through creation is a duty and privilege that God has given to us from the very start of creation. The creation stories of Genesis 1 & 2 explicitly identify human beings as those entrusted with the stewardship of the earth. The word “human” itself comes from the Latin humus, and the name “Adam” comes from the Hebrew Adamah, both of which tie back to words meaning “soil” or “dust” or “fertile earth.” From the very beginning, being human has meant understanding that our connection to creation is intentional and meant to be for the flourishing of both humanity and the earth entrusted to our care.

When we gathered for Assembly last June, I mentioned the book The Worst Hard Time and how its stories about the Dust Bowl could give us a glimpse into some of what the church is currently experiencing. We’ve learned that this work of stewardship of the earth is a balancing act, a cycle in which seasons of productivity and harvest must be preceded and followed by seasons of rest and renewal. Cultivating love through creation means understanding the seasons and letting them be what they need to be, knowing that the earth and our own existence needs time to rest and renew in order to produce and flourish as God has intended.

Whether you, like me, will soon be in the yard splitting hostas and planting potatoes or you are more of a springtime observer, I wish you blessings in this season of rebirth and resurrection. Our Lenten pilgrimage will soon arrive at the empty tomb on Easter Sunday; may our celebrations be faithful and festive, connected to this world in which God has planted us to grow and flourish.

Yours in Christ,
Bishop Scott Johnson

Questions to Ponder

1. How do you cultivate love through creation? Do you garden? Play in the dirt? Watch the sandhill cranes in central NE? Enjoy the blooming of early flowers?
2. What do you have most in mind when you think about our calling to be good stewards of the earth? What Bible verses, in addition to the ones above, inform your understanding of creation care?

Prayer

God of majesty, we are constantly surrounded by your gifts and touched by your grace; our words of praise do not approach the wonders of your love. Send forth your Spirit, that our lives may be refreshed and the earth may be renewed, until the new heaven and new earth resound with the song of resurrection in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.