As you personally walk down the hallway, what thoughts come to your mind? What does it mean to you that we are to feed, heal, forgive, pray, and rest? What do these words have to do with our relationship with Christ and with Creation? If we instruct our youngest that these qualities are essential for the Christian life, how do you personally incorporate them into your life?

Is there a central core teaching about the life of a Christ follower in the Bible? Let me suggest the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) encapsulates the message of the Gospel – and Creation is part of the story! Here Christ tells us to look at the birds of the air (Matthew 6:26) and in vs 28 to consider the lilies of the field. The Greek verb for “look” in vs. 26 suggests we should look carefully — to study and appreciate. So many of us take Creation for granted when Christ has laid out a banquet table for us to enjoy. If we instill the awe and wonder of Creation as well as a responsibility for Creation Care in our youth, do you find that adults continue embrace that message?

The next three “Corners” will consider three related themes. Here we enjoyed a jungle scene where the highest diversity of Creation’s species live. Indeed, half the world’s plant and animal species live in the rain forest that occupies 3.6 percent of Earth’s surface. The topics for the next three “corners” will be Extinction, De-extinction, and Re-wilding. We are quick to celebrate the goodness, fruitfulness, and beauty of Creation. But let us not forget that currently an estimated one quarter of all species are threatened by human driven extinction. What should be the response of a Christ-follower? Tune in as we explore this topic next.

Thanks for listening.

— Joe Sheldon

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