Territorial Mission Resources Department Australia Southern Territory 20181

Written by Catherine Spiller

Series Title: Message Title: Message #

Sermon Outline: Message Title

Topic: / Caring for Creation
Main Point: / God calls us to care for all creation
Intended Response: / People would strive to look after the environment
Key Verse: / Genesis 1: 31 “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! (NLT)”
Mission Intention / Working for Justice

Introduction:

Environmental problems in our world today

As Christians should we talking about how to care for the earth?

We care for creation because it is God’s creation and God calls it good.

 Genesis 1 has God declaring creation to be good six times

The seventh time God declares creation to be very good!

We care for creation because God has given us the responsibility

Genesis 1: 28-30

God gives humans the task of reigning over creation

Reigning needs to be considered in light of humans being declared in the image of God

We care for creation because creation matters to God

Psalm 104 shows God’s continual care of the world

God is still at work in the world

If it matters to God, as people made in his image it should matter to us.

Illustrations:
Resources: Creation Care Clip 002 –“And God Spoke” & Creation Care 003 Clip – “As Caretakers”
Available here:
Selected Prayers for Public Worship by Nick Fawcett (included, or download a ppt from

Sermon Outline: Creation Care

Introduction: / As we look around our world today, many countries are facing huge environmental problems. Air pollution kills around 2 million people each year. Air pollution was so bad in Delhi last November that schools closed for a week and people were told to stay indoors. Cape Town in South Africa is possibly about to run out of water with the area having been on very strict water restrictions since 2016 to try to avoid total shutdown. Even in Victoria, there has been a crisis as to what we do with our own rubbish and recycling materials since China has put a hold on taking our waste. These are just some of the environmental challenges that we are facing in our worldnow.
Sowhat is our responsibility in all of this? Well today (April 22nd) is World Earth Day! It is a day where many people around the world will be spending time thinking about how we can care for the earth. As Christians, we have the opportunity to stop and think about this world that God has given us. What does God think about all of the environmental problems? Is this part of our responsibility as Christians or should we leave looking after the environment to the Greenies?
Transition / Show video Creation Care 002 – And God Spoke
The video clip we have just watched is based on a passage of Scripture found in Genesis 1. This passage is really important for us as it can help us to understand why we should be caring for creation.
1. It is good! / Firstly, we care for creation because it is God’s creation, and God says is was good. God’s not half hearted about it either! In Genesis 1 we read that God called creation good seven times. Let’s have a look:
Verse 4: “And God saw that the light was good”.
Verse 10: “God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas. And God saw that it was good”.
Verse 12: “The land produced vegetation – all sorts of seed bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good”.
Verse 17-18: “God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good”.
Verse 21: “So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and ever sort of bird – each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good”.
Verse 25: “God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good”.
Are you getting the picture here that God thinks that his creation is good? Just in case you are still wondering if God really thinks creation is good…verse 31:
“Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was VERY good!”
So this world that God has made, and everything in it has been declared “good” by God.
2. It is our responsibility / Just before God declared everything at the end of creation to be “very good’, God gave an instruction in verse 28 - 30. It says this:
“Then God blessed them [that is the human beings] and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground”. Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground – everything that has life”. And that is what happened”.
So what does God mean when he instructs humans to “reign” or as the NIV translation puts it to “rule” over creation? Does this mean that creation now belongs to us to be used however we like? That we are the rulers and creation must deal with our decisions?
I think to answer this question we need to go back to verse 27:
“So God creation human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (NLT).
If we are God’s image bearers on earth, and God has called creation “very good”, then our responsibility to “reign” or “rule” over creation is to do this as God would. This brings the image of a steward to mind. A steward is someone who cares for their master’s property in their absence. It would be their job to maintain the estate and to make sure it was well kept, waiting for the master to return.
I came across a great illustration from John Walton which helps paint the picture of what stewardship looks like:
“Often when our family goes away for vacation, we will arrange for students to live in our house. They take care of the dog and watch the house; we give them freedom to go anywhere in the house and use the food in the refrigerator; and we ask them to take in the mail, keep an eye on the place, and so on. It is still our house, but we give them charge of it and allow them to make use of its benefits. If we get home and find that they have let all the food in the refrigerator rot rather than use it, we are disappointed at the waste. But imagine the disappointment we would feel if we found the house wrecked, our things broken, and our dog dead” (The Genesis NIV Application Commentary).
Good stewardship is caring for God’s creation. This is our responsibility.
3. It matters to God / God calls his creation “good” and charges us as image bearers to care for the earth. We do this because creation matters to God.
Psalm 104 is a great Psalm that speaks of God’s continual care of the earth and all that is in it. The differencebetween the image of a steward and their master is that our God is not absent from the world. God is still constantly caring for all in the world, not just people. We join with God as we care for the world. We are participating in God’s work when we care for creation.
This Psalm speaks of the beauty of God’s creation and God’s care. Verses 24-30 say:
“O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small. See the ships sailing along, and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea. They all depend on you to give them food as they need it. When you supply it, they gather it. You open your hand to feed them, and they are richly satisfied. Buy if you turn away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust. When you give them your breath, life is created, and you renew the face of the earth”.
Creation matters to God. In fact verse 31 says:
“The Lord takes pleasure in all he had made!”
Creation is an expression of who God is. We can feel small when we look up the stars and at awe when we see a sunset. We can feel intimately connected to God when we go for a walk in the bush, or relaxed when we walk along the beach. Creation matters to God because it is a way God is revealed to humanity. If it matters to God, it should also matter to us as people who seek God’s will.
Call to Action / When we spend time talking about caring for creation one of the biggest questions is so, what can I do? I know I need to care for creation, I want to, but I just don’t know how. Our next clip might give you some ideas…
Show Creation Care 003 – As Caretakers
Here are some other suggestions.

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
See if you can fix or mend items, or be creative and use things again for a different purpose. Why throw something out if it may still be useful?
Maybe someone else could reuse your things? Donate clothes, or other items to your local Salvation Army thrift store, or another local donation point. Buying second hand generally costs less than buying new. Salvos Stores are our very own recycling experts! Buying from Salvos Stores provides funds for Salvation Army work and also reduces waste.
Commit to recycling plastics, paper and other materials through your local rubbish collection - there are many ways to reduce, reuse and recycle!

Take some time to talk to the person next to you – what is one thing you can do differently to practice creation care?

Consider starting a compost, or a veggie patch.
Reduce the amount of energy and gas your household uses.

Closing Prayer / Lord of all,
We forget sometimes that your love involves responsibility
as well as privilege;
a duty not just to you but to the whole of your creation,
to nurture and protect rather than simply exploit it.
Forgive us our part in a society that has too often lived for today
with no thought of tomorrow.
Forgive us our unquestioning acceptance of an economic system
that plunders this worlds resources
with little regard as to the consequences.
Help us to live less wastefully
and with more thought for those who will come after us.
Challenge the hearts and minds of people everywhere,
that both they and we may understand more fully
the wonder and the fragility of this planet you have given us,
and so honour our calling to be faithful stewards of it all.
In Christ’s name.
Amen
(Nick Fawcett, Selected Prayers for Public Worship, 2003)

Written by Catherine Spiller