Earth Day April 22nd, 2016
This
is My Father’s World
This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears,
all nature sings and 'round me rings, the music of the
spheres
This is my Father's world, I rest me in the thought,
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas, His hand the wonders
wrought
This is my Father's world, the birds their carols raise,
the morning white,
the lily white, declare their Maker's praise
This is my Father's world, He shines in all that's fair,
in the rustling grass
I hear him pass, He speaks to me everywhere
This is my Father's world, Oh let me not forget,
that though the wrong
seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet
This is my Father's world, the battle is not done,
Jesus who died shall be satisfied, and earth and heaven be one
(I will not be afraid, I will not be afraid, This is my Father's world
I will not be afraid, I will not be afraid, This is my Father's world
I will not be afraid, No, I will not be afraid, This is my Father's world,
I will not be afraid,
No, I will not be afraid, This is my Father's world
My Father's world, Oh, everything I see, Oh, it's my Father's world, Everything my Father's world)
My Father's world, Oh, everything I see, Oh, it's my Father's world, Everything my Father's world)
The
Creation Story and Caring for God’s Creation
Genesis 1, ESV
Jesus Storybook Bible
pages 18-27
Catherine Vos Children’s
Bible pages 3-4
JSB page 18
Genesis chapter 1
1 In
the abeginning, God created the
heavens and the earth. 2 The
earth was bwithout form and void, and
darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over
the face of the waters.
DAY
ONE, JSB page 20
3 And
God said, c“Let there be light,” and there
was light. 4 And God saw that the light was
good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God
called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening
and there was morning, the first day.
The
first day of creation is about light: just think, none of these plants and
trees would grow without sunlight.
Can
you think of anything that has to do with light that would help us to take
better care of God’s creation?
·
Turn
off lights when not in a room to save on electricity
Use light bulbs that use less energy
This saves energy and helps cut down on air pollution. Some power plants burn coal or oil to make electricity and the burning can pollute the air.
Use light bulbs that use less energy
This saves energy and helps cut down on air pollution. Some power plants burn coal or oil to make electricity and the burning can pollute the air.
SECOND
DAY, JSB page 20
6 And
God said, d“Let there be an expanse1 in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the
waters.” 7 And God made2the expanse and eseparated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters
that were fabove the expanse. And it was
so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven.3 And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
God’s creation includes the beautiful, blue
sky. There are some places in this world where people have made the air so
dirty they can’t see the beautiful sky anymore. Pollutants can form acid rain
and harm animals and plants.
Can you think of ways that you can help cut
down on polluting the air?
·
Walk
and ride bikes and use cars less often, carpool, etc.
·
Be
careful what chemicals you put in the air, like certain candles and hair
sprays, etc.
DAY
THREE, JSB page 20
9 And
God said, g“Let the waters under the
heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And
it was so.10 God called the dry land Earth,4 and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God
saw that it was good.
11 And
God said, h“Let the earth sprout
vegetation, plants5 yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their
seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The
earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own
kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its
kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And
there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
On this day God created all sorts of trees,
plants, flowers, and crops. We depend on all of these parts of God’s creation
to live. One especially important thing about trees is that they clean the air
so we are able to breathe, and of course crops like fruits and vegetables feed
us and feed the animals that we eat.
Can you think of some ways that we can take
care of God’s creation of trees, plants, flowers, and crops?
·
Plant
a garden or volunteer at a neighborhood garden
·
Join
a CSA to support a small local farm
·
Buy
fruits and vegetables that are organically grown, or at least pesticide and GMO
free
·
Plant
trees and flowers
·
Recycle
paper and use recycled paper products and support companies that recycle
You can RECYCLE all sorts of other things
too.
What
are some things you can think of to recycle?
·
plastic
bottles, containers, and plastic bags, aluminum cans, glass, cardboard,
newspapers, grocery bags.
·
Styrofoam
doesn’t decompose, as well as some plastics, so try to always avoid Styrofoam
Recycling helps take care of God’s earth by
cutting down on trash and reusing valuable resources.
DAY
FOUR, JSB 22
14 And
God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the
day from the night. And let them be for isigns and forjseasons,6 and for days and years, 15 and
let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.”
And it was so.16 And God kmade the two great lights—the
greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the
stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on
the earth, 18 to lrule over the day and over the
night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was
good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
What are some ways we can use the sun to help
take care of God’s creation?
·
Solar
energy
·
Drying
clothes on a clothes hanger outside
DAY
FIVE, JSB 24
20 And
God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds7 fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So mGod created the great sea creatures and every living creature that
moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged
bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And
God blessed them, saying, n“Be fruitful and multiply and
fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”23 And
there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
What are some ways we can take care of birds
and fish?
·
Bird
feeders and bird houses
·
Don’t
use toxic fertilizers or pesticides—chemicals for our garden and to kill
bugs—or support companies that use them.
·
Use
natural, non-toxic cleaning supplies, household products, and toiletries
·
Don’t
waste water. Try to help keep the water clean.
·
Don’t
support aquariums or companies that don’t treat dolphins and whales humanely.
·
Pick up
litter and trash you see
DAY SIX, part one JSB 24-25
24 And
God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their
kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their
kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and
the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the
ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
What are some ways that we can take care of
God’s animals?
·
Be kind
and gentle to animals
·
Have a
pet, adopt a pet, volunteer at an animal shelter
·
Help
lost animals find their homes
·
Report
animal cruelty and neglect
·
Only
eat chicken, eggs, meat, and dairy products from animals that have been raised
and killed humanely and had access to pastures and healthy food
DAY SIX, part two JSB 26-27
26 Then
God said, o“Let us make man8 in our image, pafter our likeness. And qlet them have dominion over the
fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and
over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27
So God created man in his own image,
in
the image of God he created him;
rmale and female he created
them.
28 And
God blessed them. And God said to them, s“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and
have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and
over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And
God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the
face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. tYou shall have them for food. 30 And uto every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and
to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life,
I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 vAnd God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very
good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Humans are the most important creature that
God created.
How can we take care of our own bodies and be
good stewards of the bodies God gave us?
·
Eat
healthy: avoid sugar and candy, artificial colors and flavors, eat plenty of
fruits and vegetables
·
Exercise
and get plenty of time outdoors
·
Get
plenty of sleep and rest
·
Take
vitamins and supplements
·
Don’t
overuse medicine but instead use natural health remedies
·
Use
natural non-toxic toiletries
How does taking care of creation also take
care of humans?
·
Humans
need fresh air to breath
·
We
need clean water to drink
·
Humans
needs healthy meat and dairy products to eat
·
Humans
need vegetables and fruit to eat that are free of chemicals
·
Humans
need for everyone to take care of creation so that the earth is still a
beautiful place for generations to come.
Main resource used for this
creation care devotional: Seven Days to
Care for God’s World by Dean and Donna Erickson
Bible
Verses/ Passages on creation and creation care:
Nehemiah 9:6, Job 26:7-9, 11-14, Psalm 104,
John 1:3, Colossians 1:15-16, Hebrews 1:2,
Deuteronomy 10:14, 1 Chronicles 29:11,
Job 41:1, Psalm 24:1-2, 89:11, 95:3-5,
Psalm 33:5-6, 145: 9, 13, 17,
Genesis 1:31,
Job 12:10, Psalm 65:9-13, Psalm
104:10-14, Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 1:3
Romans 8:19-21
Genesis 9:9-10, Hosea 2:18,
Genesis 6:19, Exodus 23:12, Matthew 10:29,
Proverbs 12:10
Genesis 2:15, Leviticus 22:2-5,
26, 3-4,
Job 12:7-10, Psalm 19:1-4,
97:6, Romans 1:20
Psalm 96:11-13, Psalm 148:1-6,
7-10, Isaiah 55:12
For a plethora of resources on
creation care see: www.pinterest.com/chalbond/creation-care/
