As Lent proceeds, as a personal devotion, I have been reading daily the “Ash Wednesday Litany of Penitence” from the Book of Common Prayer.
One that has struck me is “For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us, Accept our repentance Lord.”
In the beginning God created and it was good. All that God created is good, yet fallen. The earth and cosmos is good. He commanded His highest creation (humans) to be good stewards of what God created.
That means taking care of animals, plants, water, and all other materials on earth. As this blue earth spins at approximately 11,000 miles per hour, we are vulnerable to meteors crashing upon earth destroying all there is.
Humans have the attitude of either focusing purely on environmental protection and putting nature and animals on a level of near worship or neglecting the environment and the rest of creation. But I believe the correct approach is a balanced one. Repent of your neglect and uncaring and waste of what God has created. But be conscience of each human and their need.
We must be good steward of creation. But more so of our fellow human being and especially God. “Love God with all your heart, mind, and strength; love your neighbor as yourself.”
We must protect our water table as best we can because it is human lives that are kept safe. Same with pollution and food—you could go on and on. But do not make environmentalism your god-the altar you sacrifice on.
The Lord is to be worshipped, we are only stewards who are awaiting the culmination of time when the true King reigns over all. He will make all things new. That means some things will have to be destroyed. Whatever your eschatology, the culmination will be a new thing. This earth will not last forever. Do not be negligent, but do have the end in mind—a new heaven and a new earth. This current universe is not eternal, but the new heaven and earth will be eternal.
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