“Good Dominion,” M.Elsdon
“Good Dominion”
Rev. Mark Elsdon
July 9, 2016 - Covenant P.C.
Genesis 1
This spring our 12-year-old daughter Emma went on a field trip to Milwaukee with her
school class. She was told by the teacher that she had to pack a totally disposable lunch. In other
words, they were not going to be able save and carry around any lunch bags, lunch boxes,
Tupperware, or other re-usable items. Everything had to be tossed after they ate. This was
especially ironic because this trip took place on April 22nd – Earth Day. Making a totally
disposable lunch was actually kind of hard for Emma to do since she normally brings her lunch
in a re-usable bag and puts the food in re-usable plastic containers or washable sandwich bags.
We had to go digging around for a brown paper bag and lots of plastic baggies to make her
lunch. I commented to her, “when I was your age this is how I packed my lunch everyday –
every lunch was a disposable lunch.”
We still throw away too much trash in our household, but the lunch containers have
changed a lot in the past 30 odd years. What did you bring your lunch in when you were young?
Most days almost all of Emma’s lunch containers are re-usable and a lot less gets thrown away.
It is nice to know that in some small ways modern kids are cutting down on waste – except when
they go on field trips to Milwaukee on Earth Day!
This change in school lunch habits is indicative of a larger shift that has been taking place
in society around care for the environment. Recycling is much more common – I am always
shocked now when I travel to places that don’t recycle. Composting isn’t just done by hippies on
communes. Down on campus where I work there are signs up all over the place encouraging
people to turn off lights, turn down thermostats, use less water. We’ve all seen pictures of the
polar bears stranded on ever shrinking icebergs. Hybrid cars have taken over the roads – at least
it feels like that in Madison. “Printed on recycled paper” may be one of the most commonly
inked phrases out there now. It is still too little, and maybe also too late; but recent years have
led to a growing awareness about the importance of caring for the environment, awareness about
climate change, and a willingness of people to do something about it.
Pastor Charlie asked me to preach today in the middle of your series, Growing in God’s
Garden. The series is an exploration of an important topic: how do we fully celebrate the beauty
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“Good Dominion,” M.Elsdon
of God’s creation around us and do our best to care for that creation? In the interest of clarity, I’ll
tell you right off the bat that I am going to approach this topic like my daughter packing her
lunch on a normal day – assuming that human beings have a pressing responsibility to care for
the earth. My working assumption going into this is that the science is very clear – the earth is
warming and human activity has had a significant role to play in this warming. I’m not going to
make a case for why caring for the environment is important from a scientific point of view nor
am I just remind you to recycle – I suspect most of you already know that stuff. What I want to
do is consider the theological basis for why we should care about the earth. What does the Bible
and the Christian faith have to say about how we as human beings interact with God’s creation?
Let’s start at the beginning. The very beginning. Please take a bible out of the pew pocket
in front of you or pull it up on your phone so we can look at this together. Let’s turn to the first
page of the Bible – Genesis chapter 1, verse 1.
Genesis Chapter 1, verse 1: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” If
there is any one single phrase that informs the Christian understanding of creation this is it. God
created the heavens and the earth. How did God do it? I have no idea – scientists who study this
know much better than I do. How long did it take? Well I’m pretty sure it took longer than six 24
hour days. But the important point of this story that opens the Bible is that God created
everything around us. The world around us is God’s beautiful creation.
Look down a few paragraphs to verse 26. This is where we read that God created people
– male and female, in God’s image. How exactly human beings came to be is also beyond my
understanding, but in some way, somehow, God created us. In God’s image. Hold onto that idea
– we will come back to it.
Then God gives all of creation to the human beings and tells them to have dominion over
it. Look at verse 28: “God blessed them, and God said to them, "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 air
and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." The key word here is “dominion”. This is
the second time it appears in this section of Genesis. What does that mean? To have dominion?
What does it look like for humans to exercise dominion over God’s creation?
For many years it has looked like this video clip: VIDEO CLIP OF DESTRUCTION
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“Good Dominion,” M.Elsdon
But that treatment of the earth is domination; not dominion. Too often we have exercised
domination rather than dominion.
This set of verses from Genesis has been used over the years to justify the destruction of
the earth and to resist environmentalism. Some have argued that God gave us the right to use the
world for our own ends. To get what we want from it even if that means destroying it. To have
dominion over it.
But that is an unfortunate and incorrect reading of this passage for two important reasons.
First, the word “dominion” here needs to be carefully understood. The Hebrew word for
dominion used here is rada: to have dominion over. But if we look at where else that word is
used in the Hebrew scripture it becomes clear that it does not mean a careless domination. The
word appears in Leviticus 25 where God instructs the people how to treat their fellow Israelites
who may become indebted to them. “You shall not have dominion over them with harshness, but
shall fear your God.” And again we find it in 1st Kings where the rule of King Solomon, one of
the most praised kings of Israel, is described. “[Solomon] had dominion over all the kings west of
the Euphrates; and he had peace on all sides.” Solomon’s dominion led to peace in the region.
The word “dominion” as used in Genesis 1 means a careful, respectful, life giving rule – not a
destructive, self-serving, tyranny.
The second reason why the word dominion should not be misunderstood to mean a
destructive rule is that it is used immediately following the statement that humankind was
created in the image of God. God had dominion over the world. God created the world. God had
absolute control over everything. For 5 days. And then on the sixth day God gave some control
to people. In giving human beings some control, God handed over some of God’s own dominion.
God’s version of control included, and includes, giving freedom and life to other creatures. God
excised dominion by ensuring the well-being of the very creatures God had control over. God’s
rule over us is life giving. And we are created in God’s image. If we are to live into the image of
God that is stamped in our very being we will exercise our control the way God exercises control
– by giving it away. By ensuring the well-being of all that we have control over.
How many of you have had a pet at some point in your life? A dog, a cat, a bird? Maybe
a gold fish or a rat? Perhaps a hedgehog or a snake? We have a pet bird right now in our house –
Merida the cockatiel. He has a lot of character and is always making us laugh.
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“Good Dominion,” M.Elsdon
I have dominion over my pet bird. I get him out of his cage when I choose. I put him back
when I choose. I feed him, clean his cage, put him to bed and wake him up. I have dominion over
my pet bird. But that dominion includes love. I care for my cockatiel. I want him to live a long,
healthy and happy life. I take him to the vet when he needs care (even if it costs a small fortune).
I try to give him good healthy food. My dominion over my pet is benevolent, loving dominion. I
would never dream of doing something to harm or hurt my pet.
That is the kind of dominion we are given over God’s creation and the environment
around us. The caring kind. Like our loving God that cares for us and wants the best for us, we
are called to have good dominion over creation – not to dominate and destroy it. One in five
species on earth is at risk of extinction right now due to over fishing, over hunting, habitat
destruction and climate change. Those are our beloved “pets” dying because we are not
exercising benevolent dominion over the marvelous creatures of the earth. As Christian climate
scientist Katharine Hayhoe explains, the earth is overheating because of the extra blanket we
have wrapped around it in the form of carbon emissions and other gases. We are making the
earth sweat and it is not happy. That is domination – not dominion.
Consider this - concern for the environment and caring for creation is a spiritual
discipline – not just a trendy, hip, fad. Recycling can be a form of prayer – giving thanks to God
for resources we have and making sure we make the best use of them in the future. Buying
humanely raised meat to eat or choosing a vegetarian option is a way of taking care of the wide
array of creatures in our global household. It might cost a little more but think of it as an offering
to God. Even washing dishes can be a spiritual discipline and an act of environmental justice. I
learned this from college students UW Madison.
Many of you know that I serve as one of the pastors at Pres House – the Presbyterian
campus ministry in the heart of UW Madison. We hold a worship service every Sunday evening
at 4:30pm followed by dinner. Some of you have kindly brought dinner for students who are
hungry for a lovingly cooked meal and authentic community. This weekly meal is a central pillar
of the ministry at Pres House. But until recently it was also a source of significant waste. This is
because we used paper plates and plastic forks for every single meal we had. That means that
over the course of a typical year we threw away about 3000 plates and at least 6000 pieces of
disposable “silverware.”
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“Good Dominion,” M.Elsdon
About three years ago students on the leadership council at Pres House asked why we
used so much disposable dishware and if there was something we could do about it. They were
concerned about the environmental impact of our meals. They asked for us to start using real
plates and flatware. And they made the commitment to wash them each week. When we had an
opportunity to renovate our basement at Pres House last year generous donors provided enough
funds for us to install a commercial dishwasher and First Presbyterian Church in Neenah, WI
provided funds for us to purchase real plates and silverware. So the washing could commence!
Now each Sunday after we worship and eat together student volunteers engage in a new
spiritual discipline of creation care – washing dishes. Many of them have to learn how to operate
the equipment and they take time out of studying to stay and clean up. But the time they take for
this simple act of service is a spiritual discipline. Brother Lawrence was a monk who lived about
300 years ago. His primary task in the monastery was to wash dishes. This is what he said about
that work: "We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not
the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed." Washing dishes is a spiritual
act of love for people in community – and a spiritual act of love towards God and God’s
creation.
So what other “little things” can we do with great love for God’s creation? What spiritual
acts of good dominion can we incorporate into our personal lives or at church? Perhaps
something as simple riding the bus to work or biking to the store instead of driving. Maybe
setting up a rain barrel to collect water from the sky instead of turning it on at the tap. Perhaps
learning how to compost leftovers instead of tossing them in the trash. Or retiring those little
plastic lunch baggies for good and packing food in re-usable containers. These regular, little
things, done over and over with great love are how we care for God’s creation. Like the daily
care we offer to a beloved pet we have a chance each day to exercise the spiritual discipline of
good dominion. What other ideas do you have? Maybe we can talk about them sometime while
we wash some dishes together. Amen.
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