We are created, called, and challenged to be in relationship with...
All of Creation
From the beginning of our faith, Genesis 1 teaches that when God made humans in God's image, God said to "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" (Genesis 1:26).We understand this to mean we hold a responsibility for all of God's creation. These are not simply resources to help us live, but rather resources with us in which we live together.
This understanding continues in Genesis 2 when we were placed in the Garden of Eden to keep it (Genesis 2:15). The Hebrew word for keep used in this Scripture means to treasure, care for, and protect.We are created for this earth, for these creatures, and for each other. We are called to this responsibility in love and caring, not only for one another, but for all of God's creation. This is often a challenge, requiring our own acknowledgment of the dependence all of creation has on God and one an-other, and our own responsibility to live up to this call.