Care for Creation

Care for Creation

The feast of Francis of Assisi falls on October 4 — perhaps the most beloved of all Christian saints, famous for his love of animals and creation. Francis saw the natural world as a fellow creation, praising God in its own way. His Canticle of the Sun celebrates 'Brother Sun,' 'Sister Moon,' 'Brother Wind,' 'Sister Water.' This is not nature worship — it is the celebration of a family of creatures all pointing toward the same Creator. Pope John Paul II named Francis the patron saint of ecology in 1979. The care of creation is not an addendum to Christian responsibility; it is written into the original human commission.

Genesis 2:15's commission to 'work and take care of' the garden is the first job description given to human beings. The Hebrew abad (work) means to serve; shamar (care) means to guard, keep, protect. Humanity is not given creation as raw material to exploit but as a garden to serve and protect. This is not sentimental environmentalism — it is theological responsibility rooted in the character of the Creator. To care for creation is to honor the Creator's work. To exploit and damage creation is to violate the stewardship commission. Whatever your context, you have been placed in a specific garden — a neighborhood, a landscape, a workplace — to work it and keep it.