Daily Bread

O Lord, our God,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory
in the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens,
the work of your hands,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what are mortals that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?

You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honour.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our God,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

I always think of Psalm 8 when I think of our God-given mandate to look after creation. The psalm sweeps from the heavens down into the seas, turning its attention from that over which we have no dominion to things which are under our direct control — that which is literally 'under our feet'.

I wonder if the declaration at both the beginning in the end of the psalm is to remind us that it is not our world but God's? "O Lord, our God,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!" Everything in the world was created by God and belongs to God. Yes, we have god-given creativity and authority, but we must never forget that we are subservient, and that ultimately we are stewards. We are not 'gods' but are God's.

You would think that Christians, above all others, would be the first to advocate creation care, but sadly this is not the case. The attitudes within church communities often differ little from those outside the church. We often 'talk the talk' but don't 'walk the walk' when it comes to care for the environment. I am not pointing the finger because I am well aware of my own failings in this area, and it is something with which I am personally and painfully challenged.

Worse still, some Christian theologies even advocate the use of the world's resources to serve humanity. I remember, once, a friend saying, "We can trash the world because God is going to make a new one." I felt, and still feel sick to my stomach when I remember his words. Very recently, someone wrote to me, stating that fossil fuels were a god-given gift, therefore we should use them. Again, I was dumbstruck by the attitude of someone who follows Jesus, and yet, we have 'Christian' governments doing the same.

This world matters, and as the saying goes, it's the only one we've got. I wonder how long it will be before, because of our actions, we have to change the refrain in Psalm 8 to, 'O Lord, our God, how majestic was your name in all the earth.'

Holy God
When I look at the world, and what we are doing to it
I feel both anger and despair,
and then remember that I too am complicit,
for I have failed to be a good steward,
and taken resources for granted.
Help me change my habits —
what I purchase, consume, and use,
that I may better honour your creation,
and be able to declare with confidence
how majestic your name is in all the earth.
Amen.