Made In the Image of God (for June 20 and 24)

"Often framing his arguments with biblical imagery, John Muir became a zealous advocate for the preservation of natural places and an opponent of the forces that threatened them...

John Muir, Yosemite, naturalist and founder of Sierra Club

 "The Bible is full of John Muirs--called by something deep within themselves to act in behalf of God's purposes. We recall the young David, the smallest of his brothers, bravely confronting the massive Goliath with only a slingshot; Moses, the stutterer, answering God's call to lead God's people to freedom from oppression; the wild and untamed John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus; the woman at the well running to tell the people about the living water.




"So, too, are we called to reach within ourselves and to become advocates for God's purposes for the earth. In the creation stories, we get our first idea of what God had in mind for our relationship with the rest of creation ... long before God created humans, God created the rest of creation, declared it good and blessed it.

"When God created humans, God did give us a special place within creation. However, this special role was not necessarily a place of honor or privilege but a place of special responsibility. God created us to bear God's image in creation. In the ancient tradition in which the creation stories were written, the concept of image was used when a person stood in as a representative of a ruler or a god. To be in one's image meant to represent the ruler's or god's interest, to act in accordance with its will. Similarly, we were created to 'image' God's purposes in creation. And what are those purposes? Genesis tells us God's purposes for creation are harmony and wholeness and goodness. To image God, we bestow on every creature the blessing that God bestowed upon it."

• What does it mean to bear God's image in the world?
• What is God's desire for creation that we are to image?
• How does our being made from the earth itself intersect with our being created in God's image?
• What does it mean to have dominion over other creation?
• Are you living a life now that images God's desires for creation?

"Think about John Muir in terms of the early Hebrew prophets who were able to take the long view instead of getting caught up in day-to-day squabbles. They promoted a vision for the future that was oriented towards God's desires, not ours.

• What role did Muir's religious upbringing have on his view of God?
• How did his view on God change when he immersed himself in nature?
• What compelled him to be such an activist for the earth?
• Does Muir offer any clues to how we might relate to creation or how we might advocate for creation?
• Did Muir go too far in worshiping creation rather than the Creator? Is there a difference?

Consider these words from the Psalms (104:10-13, CEB):

You put gushing springs into dry riverbeds.
    They flow between the mountains,

        providing water for every wild animal—
        the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

Overhead, the birds in the sky make their home,
    chirping loudly in the trees.

From your lofty house, you water the mountains.
    The earth is filled full by the fruit of what you’ve done.

(The above materials are taken from a study compiled by Earth Ministry for use with the "National Parks: America's Best Idea" series produced by Ken Burns on PBS.)