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あらすじ・解説
Welcome to Grace for All, a daily devotional podcast produced by the people of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee.
Today is a special day that many people around the globe have set aside to honor the place where we live, the earth. For more than a half century, this day as been known as Earth Day.
- For some, this is a day to recognize and preserve our environment.
- For others, however, this day reminds us that the miracle of this planet is God’s creation.
For the next several weeks on the Grace for All podcast, we will emphasize this particular aspect of our faith. Thank you for joining use.
Genesis 1: 20-25And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.The lines of the old hymn ring loudly in my brain:
This is my Father's world,And to my listening earsAll nature sings, and round me ringsThe music of the spheres.This is my Father's world:I rest me in the thoughtOf rocks and trees, of skies and seas--His hand the wonders wrought.Maltbie Babcock, a Presbyterian minister, published this hymn in 1901, and it has become a standard for hymnals of many denominations since then. The words are simple, direct, and clear. This is my father’s world. It is not my world. It is not the world of some power-mad politician. God created this world, and He still owns it.
God gave humans stewardship of the world. By any measure, we have not fulfilled our stewardship responsibilities of caring for this miraculous creation.
What is happening to the world today, environmentally and politically, is troubling. We continue to destroy what we should preserve. We continue to heap curelties onto one another instead of showing love, mercy, and kindness. Evil in its many forms seems to dominate our lives and the whole earth.
Yet, the words of the old hymn return to us:
This is my Father's world:O let me ne'er forgetThat though the wrong seems oft so strong,God is the Ruler yet.We can rest ourselves in that thought. This is my Father’s world.
Prayer:Our Father, remind us daily that this is your world and not ours. Help us to find ways to preserve rather than destroy. Help us to be good stewards of what you have given to us. Amen.
This devotional was written and read by Jim Stovall.
Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily...