The Earth is the Lord's

In Psalm 24:1 David shared that “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.” This is a wonderful affirmation of the creative gift of God of the earth as the dwelling place of all living things. David reminds us that God is the creator of all that is and is to be – and that all that God has created belongs to God. We who dwell on the earth are to be stewards of that which belongs to God. On this past Sunday, United Methodists and other persons of faith shared in a Green Festival at the New Life United Church in northeast Baltimore. The event brought together various non-profit, community-based and religious organizations to raise awareness as to our shared responsibility to care for God’s creation. Not coincidentally, the Green Festival was held during the same week as Earth Day which we celebrate today. It is also not coincidental that the Green Festival was held in the city. God is concerned for the care of the city. Concerns for environmental and ecological justice are intricately related to social justice and should expand to both the cities and the fields. Mr. James Winkler, General Secretary of the United Methodist Church’s General Board of Church and Society, joined us at the Green Festival and reminded us of our shared responsibility to care for all that God has created. We are reminded of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who shared that “true peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” And so on this Earth Day, we offer thanks to God for all persons and institutions that labor daily to create a just and peaceful world, both in the cities and in the fields.