feeding the birds
There are so many beautiful passages in Scripture, valued for their imagery and poetry, as well as their deep theological meaning. One of the loveliest is the creation account in Genesis, Chapter 1. It begins with God in a formless, empty, dark space, fashioning earth and deep water and then hovering over it all. He speaks and there is light, and He proclaims that it is good. From that point, every invention that comes from the mind of God is a delight to Him.
In this account, God makes vegetation even before it is required for sustenance, just for the joy of its beauty. Think of the amazing variety of the botanical sphere. Then He moves on to aquatic animals and birds, a paradise of feathered creatures soaring in the expanse of this place called sky. Imagine the first bird song concert, the magnificent, musical cacophony. God blesses them and makes them fruitful, multiplying, replicating.
He follows that with all kinds of land animals, slitherers and plodders and runners. Annie Dillard writes of God’s creation of an insect that only lives a brief life: “Nature is, above all, profligate. Don’t believe them when they tell you how economical and thrifty nature is…This deciduous business alone is a radical scheme, the brainchild of a deranged manic-depressive with limitless capital. Extravagance…This is a spendthrift economy; though nothing is lost, all is spent.”
I would never think to call God a deranged manic-depressive, but I understand viscerally what she means. Our God is profligate in His creativity, a spendthrift in his creative endeavors. And into all of this He places human beings, creatures made “in OUR likeness.” Who is this “our”? This God of creation is more than a lonely soul, acting out of boredom. He’s a triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, already existing in a perichoresis, a dance of love. A love that needs to be expanded and shared…so, “let us make them in our likeness.” Male and female in the likeness of the Trinity. Could at least one of the three parts of the Godhead be female?
We are created to “rule over” the creatures God has made (Genesis 1:26). That sounds authoritarian. But I think that word would be better translated to “steward” them, much as the British monarchy views their role as one of service to the realm. They are rich and privileged, to be sure, but they see their wealth and privilege as a mandate to stewardship and service.
Human beings are here to serve the created world, to see that every living thing is brought to its full potential, to usher in Shalom, universal flourishing, as God’s agents here on earth. Have we taken that call seriously enough? Do we honor the bits of nature that we must use, eat, and wear with respect and gratitude? Do we cherish the diversity of creation and humanity and believe that we are richer for them all? Viva la difference!
Amen?
Love, Liz
“The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, thought they cannot compare with the wings and feathers of the stork.” Job 39:13
