God creates mankind and appoints them as rulers and stewards of Earth Genesis 1: 26-30 God creates mankind and appoints them as rulers and stewards of Earth

Psalm 24:1 Job 41:11 “The Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” Job 41:11 “Who has a claim against Me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to Me.”

Leviticus 25: 1-6 A “Sabbath Rest” is commanded by God for the land every seven years.

Leviticus 25:23 “The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is Mine and you are but aliens and My tenants.”

Luke 12: 42-48 We have had no trouble filling the earth, subduing it, and ruling over it… but are we responsible caretakers of the world that God gave us? What would our “Performance Evaluation” from God look like on this? Luke 12: 42-48

“Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern… a virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet.”

“Wasting Away”: A World in Crisis - U.S. Landfills: 3,091 active / 10,000 old - U.S. trash has tripled since 1960 * 4.6 lbs per person/251 million tons total - N. Pacific Gyre = 268,000 miles of trash - Climate = more extreme / unpredictable * 98% of disasters are in poorer countries - 30% “over-budget” on Earth’s resources - China & U.S. = 40% of Earth’s depletion - Africa = stripped of diamonds/oil/gold

Isaiah 24: 5-6 5 “The earth is defiled by its people;     they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore a curse consumes the earth;    its people must bear their guilt.”

Isaiah 24: 19-20 (* Romans 8: 19-22) 19 “The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is thoroughly shaken. 20 The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls—never to rise again.”

As believers in and worshipers of God the Creator, no one should care more about creation than us. Yet… we often give up this job.

Some Common Arguments from Opponents of Creation Care: Worship the Creator, not the created. That’s New Age / Pagan / Wicca stuff. God will end it all, not global warming. “Save the Planet?” God’s ending it! Environmentalism = Liberal Agenda “Going green” is just a scam. We need to focus on “real” ministry. Love people, not the Earth.

Recycling “Everything” Conserve Energy & Water 7 “Green” Habits Gardening Composting Driving only 1 car Buying only locally Recycling “Everything” Shop Thrift & 2nd Hand Conserve Energy & Water

“The Bible begins and ends with a tree.” - Matthew Sleeth www.edenprojects.org

The Supremacy of Christ’s Power Colossians 1: 15-20 The Supremacy of Christ’s Power and The Scope of Christ’s Reconciliation

Just as we should respect, honor, and never take for granted the beautiful creation that God has placed us in… Christians must never forget to be thankful and grateful for the “precious” blood of Christ that was shed for us all. (- 1 Peter 1:19)