THURSDAY, July 21

Psalm 50. For the whole world is mine and all that is in it.

If since this psalm was written we had acted on its assertion that the earth belongs to God, what would the world look like today?

If we had acted reverently, understanding that God created and owns everything, we would not have thought the water was ours to pollute with industrial and farm waste. We would have designed cars with no emissions to dirty our Creator’s air. We would respect the mountains laden with coal and trees, and construct mines safe for miners.

Are we worshiping convenience? Do we leave water running, forgetting that it is a divine resource to be shared with others? Do we use products we cannot recycle and thus contribute to landfills? Do we leave lights on and nonessential appliances plugged in? Our actions may be telling us that we are forgetting God created more than human beings and that all belong to God.

The birds, the air, the fields are not ours to manipulate for personal use. They are part of a wonderful creation with which we are to interact wisely under God’s command.

PRAY for the Diocese of Pittsburgh (Province III, USA)

Ps 50 * [59, 60] or 66, 67; 1 Samuel 28:3-20; Acts 15:1-11; Mark 5:1-20

View the daily Lectionary Readings at Satucket.com.
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We Give God Thanks

Jul 21, 2011 at 6:25 am

Written by emeline,

For all the beauty and bounty of the earth, we offer thanks and praise to God!

...

Jul 21, 2011 at 7:37 am

Written by michael in chapel hill,

The sad (tragic, really) fact of the matter is that the world's most "christian" country is the worst offender and that christians often lead the way in thinking that the Earth is our own to do what we will.

Struggle with this message

Jul 21, 2011 at 7:43 am

Written by Chris,

Within these words and the many lessons my parents and grandparents before me have stated, there is always truth. And yet, there is a woulda, coulda, shoulda shame (from not measuring up) and or guilt (from doing something wrong) that is always implied in these lessons. From our vantage point, this message is accurate. From God's plan, how do we know how our vantage point fits in?

How are we going to be?

Jul 21, 2011 at 9:27 am

Written by Steve Doutt,

Or, "how you gonna be", as we used to say it when I was young.
Like all problems, it is interesting to know the history; and, sometimes relevant to the solution -- but how do we solve it? What do we do now, today, to get to where we should be?

Yes, christians have led the pack with the view that, "Your lack of faith threatens my salvation ." We have been willing to exclude, torture, terrorize and kill anyone who doesn't recant their heresy, so that we "all" may be saved.

God help me live in harmony with you and your creation.

God's creation

Jul 21, 2011 at 10:28 am

Written by Nora,

As someone whose ancestry includes a Mohawk great-grandma, I'm hip to the idea that the Earth belongs to God, and we human children are to treasure it, take care of it, and respect our brother and sister creatures. I like to garden, but I know that the flowers, chilies, garlic, scallions and herbs that spring up under my care really are "God's plants", and I'm grateful that they thrive. Likewise, "my" budgie and Quaker parrot belong to God. They are treasured friends I happened to adopt from bad circumstances, and I'm grateful for their being in my life. God is love, and I can feel His love through the beauty of His creation.

...

Jul 21, 2011 at 10:32 am

Written by Tim Holsonback,

I agree that we are stewards of God's earth but do not condemn our country totally. Others do the same. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

...

Jul 21, 2011 at 11:49 am

Written by Noel of July Day by Day,

When I wrote this I was not thinking of Christians only in the U.S.

I know also that other religious traditions regard creation as sacred.

It is a meditation that asks us to reflect, myself included, upon our daily interactions with nature, keeping in mind that it is God's creation and possession.

retired priest

Jul 21, 2011 at 12:41 pm

Written by Sam,

I am tired of being excoriated for something that may not have been so. People who believed God made the world made terrible mistakes. I am thankful for the redemptive quality of God's creation. I am thankful for the learning from mistakes. I am the son of the soil who grew up in the dust Bowl, migrated in the '30's knowing how migrants were treated by Christians both helpful and bigoted. I know how we learned to conserve the soil and treat animals. I have choked on the smoke of the city as well the drying up of the river beside our ranch because of the cities upstream that bought rights to the water making lawsuits necessary to restore the stream.

The ifs in this are true but naive.

...

Jul 21, 2011 at 4:05 pm

Written by Noel of July Day by Day,

The "ifs" are a way of thinking about how we want to live from this day forward. Now that we know, as Sam writes, that there is smoke that chokes from the city and rivers drying up, how are we called to be stewards of resources?

As Nora writes of finding God's love through the beauty of creation, how can we be part of beauty?

There is no time machine to take us back in history.

I'm interested in hearing from others who learned to treasure our earth.

...

Jul 22, 2011 at 12:28 am

Written by Rick,

Cherish and preserve God's creation as our earthly home now but also for those who come after us.

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