Gifts & Graces: Part 2

Stewards of All Creation

Our Sovereign Holy God created each of us in His image, entrusting us with the task of filling the earth & subduing it, which does not mean exploiting it, but nurturing, protecting & caring for it through our living. He chose us, you & me, to be stewards of all of His creation. How humbling is that? It is such an all-encompassing gift of radical grace. The first commandment God gave to humankind, was to take care of all His creation. That is our calling, that is our purpose, to glorify God through our living, protecting God’s awesome creation, which of course includes loving, helping, & spiritually feeding one another. It is humbling indeed. In the Bible, we read that in the post-resurrection Eastertide days, Jesus appeared to His disciple Peter & asked him: “Peter, do you love me? And Peter answered, “Yes Lord, I love you.” And then Jesus said to Peter: “If you love me, then feed my sheep.” (meaning care for all of God’s creation). As he said this to His disciple that first Eastertide season, the living Christ says to us now, that if we love Him we are to feed & tend to His sheep - to care for all of creation. That is our calling, to be the hands, the feet & the voice of Jesus in the world, guided by our love for God & our faith. By feeding God’s sheep by word or deed, reflecting the heart of God to all His creation, we glorify God & we ourselves are made whole, for that is our purpose & calling in life. We cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around us. What we do makes a difference, & we each have to decide what kind of difference we want to make. As the waves of new life given, wash over us through these blessed days of Eastertide & we gradually absorb the reality of the gifts & graces given to us by God, Jesus invites us in love & faith to connect with & to tend to God’s creation, caring for the environment, caring for all living creatures, & caring for one another. We are empowered by grace to make a difference in this wonderous life. You are invited to receive the new life given & to let the healing begin. AMEN

~Posted by Rev Kathryn Bindig, MDiv. MS; Pastoral Care Minister with assistance from Rich Muscatello; Director of Business Development & Strategy