24 Man is given the task at the very begin\u00adning, as a crea\u00adtu\u00adre, of kee\u00adping the rela\u00adti\u00adonships within crea\u00adti\u00adon int\u00adact. Howe\u00adver, becau\u00adse man did not put his trust in God in the Gar\u00adden of Eden, the who\u00adle crea\u00adti\u00adon is affec\u00adted. Now the who\u00adle crea\u00adti\u00adon gro\u00adans and waits lon\u00adgin\u00adgly for redemp\u00adti\u00adon. The King\u00addom of God that has daw\u00adned with Jesus will bring res\u00adto\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon to all creation.<\/p>\n
\tWhat is the voca\u00adti\u00adon of human beings in rela\u00adti\u00adon to the who\u00adle of crea\u00adti\u00adon? What is the role of human beings in creation? 24 Man is given the task at the very begin\u00adning, as a crea\u00adtu\u00adre, of kee\u00adping the rela\u00adti\u00adonships within crea\u00adti\u00adon int\u00adact. Howe\u00adver, becau\u00adse man did not put his trust in God in the Gar\u00adden of Eden, the who\u00adle crea\u00adti\u00adon is affec\u00adted. Now the who\u00adle crea\u00adti\u00adon gro\u00adans and waits lon\u00adgin\u00adgly for redemp\u00adti\u00adon. The King\u00addom of God, which beg\u00adins with\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7041,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[81],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-creatio","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-6720","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"has-post-thumbnail","8":"hentry","11":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nIn my fami\u00adly of ori\u00adgin, we are six siblings. When my par\u00adents were out of the house in the evening, we older siblings took respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty for the youn\u00adger ones. We had to make sure that they did their cho\u00adres and went to bed on time. In the same way, God ins\u00adtruc\u00adted humans \u2013 the youn\u00adgest siblings of crea\u00adti\u00adon \u2013 to take care of the older siblings of crea\u00adti\u00adon. It is the respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty of human beings to keep the rela\u00adti\u00adonships intact.
\nCrea\u00adti\u00adon is bad\u00adly affected
\nMean\u00adwhile, we know: God descri\u00adbed the well-being of all the rela\u00adti\u00adonships he crea\u00adted in the begin\u00adning as very good. This includes the rela\u00adti\u00adonship bet\u00adween human beings and the rest of crea\u00adti\u00adon. Natu\u00adre ser\u00adves huma\u00adni\u00adty by pro\u00advi\u00adding sus\u00adten\u00adan\u00adce for them. The stars told peo\u00adp\u00adle when to sleep, when to get up, when to sow and when to har\u00adve\u00adst. Plants ser\u00adved the ani\u00admals by offe\u00adring them\u00adsel\u00adves for them to eat. We see how man pro\u00adtects and ser\u00adves the earth. God cal\u00adled man to till and keep the earth (Gene\u00adsis 2:15) and to ser\u00adve the ani\u00admals (Gene\u00adsis 2:19\u201320). As long as humans ser\u00adved, pro\u00adtec\u00adted and cul\u00adti\u00adva\u00adted their brot\u00adhers and sis\u00adters in crea\u00adti\u00adon, the\u00adre was jus\u00adti\u00adce and peace, truth and grace, honour and humi\u00adli\u00adty among humans.
\nThe\u00adre are only two ways of being: crea\u00adti\u00adon and crea\u00adtor. And we humans are \u2013 crea\u00adti\u00adon. God is God. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, we can\u00adnot deal with crea\u00adti\u00adon as we plea\u00adse. Our domi\u00adni\u00adon must be under God\u2019s will. And if it is to be in the image of God, it must be groun\u00added in love. Love binds all crea\u00adti\u00adon tog\u00ade\u00adther. God set a sin\u00adgle boun\u00adda\u00adry for man in the Gar\u00adden of Eden that had a con\u00adnec\u00adtion with natu\u00adre: he was not allo\u00adwed to eat from the tree of the know\u00adledge of good and evil (Gene\u00adsis 2:16f). Peo\u00adp\u00adle were given the chan\u00adce to show their love for God by trus\u00adting God\u2019s word and his inten\u00adti\u00adons. They cho\u00adse other\u00adwi\u00adse and lis\u00adten\u00aded to the ser\u00adpent who whispe\u00adred to them, \u00abTrust your\u00adsel\u00adves and find your own way to peace!\u00bb The result was that every rela\u00adti\u00adonship that God had said was very good was shat\u00adte\u00adred, inclu\u00adding the rela\u00adti\u00adonship bet\u00adween man and the rest of creation.
\nThen God said to the ser\u00adpent: \u00abFrom now on I put enmity bet\u00adween you and the woman and your off\u00adspring and her off\u00adspring. He will crush your head and you will bite his heel\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 3:15 NLB<\/span>). This ver\u00adse is usual\u00adly inter\u00adpre\u00adted to refer to Jesus\u00bb vic\u00adto\u00adry over Satan at His resur\u00adrec\u00adtion. But spe\u00adci\u00adfi\u00adcal\u00adly, it is the first time that an ani\u00admal attacks a human being.
\nTo Adam God says: \u00abBecau\u00adse you have lis\u00adten\u00aded to your wife and eaten of the for\u00adbidden fruit, the ground shall be cur\u00adsed becau\u00adse of you. All your life you will toil to feed on it. Thorns and thist\u00adles will grow on it, but you must feed on the growth of the field\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 3:17f NLB<\/span>). The field was cur\u00adsed becau\u00adse man did not trust God. Becau\u00adse we cho\u00adse our own peace and dis\u00adre\u00adgard\u00aded that abo\u00adve all crea\u00adti\u00adon. When we see ear\u00adth\u00adqua\u00adkes and bloa\u00adted bel\u00adlies today, we know someone has sin\u00adned on this earth. The dama\u00adge to crea\u00adti\u00adon is a tes\u00adtim\u00ado\u00adny to our rebellion.
\nAfter humans made the choice not to trust God, they tried to hide from God in respon\u00adse to their shame. As a result, the first ani\u00admal had to die: \u00abAnd the Lord God made Adam and his wife clo\u00adthes of ani\u00admal skins and clo\u00adthed them\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 3:21 NLB<\/span>). God kil\u00adled his own crea\u00adtu\u00adre to cover the shame of man. Death came into the world. Sin sepa\u00adra\u00adted us from God, from the rest of crea\u00adti\u00adon and from life its\u00adelf. Man\u2019s sin\u00adful and sel\u00adfi\u00adsh mot\u00adto is: our own peace at the expen\u00adse of the peace of the older brot\u00adhers and sisters.
\nCrea\u00adti\u00adon sighs
\n\u00abFor we know that the who\u00adle crea\u00adti\u00adon gro\u00adans with us until this moment, as with the pains of child\u00adbirth\u00bb (Romans 8:22 NLB<\/span>). Whe\u00adre do we see this groaning?
\nA news\u00adpa\u00adper report shows black peo\u00adp\u00adle in torn and dir\u00adty clo\u00adthes. They are loo\u00adking for some\u00adthing in a deso\u00adla\u00adte land\u00adscape. The cap\u00adti\u00adon reads: \u00abIn a rub\u00adbish dump in Port-au-Prin\u00adce, peo\u00adp\u00adle search for food.\u00bb It was 2008, two years befo\u00adre the devas\u00adta\u00adting ear\u00adth\u00adqua\u00adke in Hai\u00adti. Why did peo\u00adp\u00adle have to look for food in a rub\u00adbish dump? The reason is seve\u00adre soil ero\u00adsi\u00adon, the cau\u00adse of which is devas\u00adta\u00adting defo\u00adre\u00adsta\u00adti\u00adon and mass mono\u00adcul\u00adtures during colo\u00adni\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon. The colo\u00adnia\u00adlists cut down huge forests to have more ara\u00adble land for crops. After Hai\u00adti achie\u00adved inde\u00adpen\u00addence from France, France deman\u00added com\u00adpen\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon in the form of tim\u00adber. In the end, less than 4% of the forest remain\u00aded. In addi\u00adti\u00adon, the impact of cli\u00adma\u00adte chan\u00adge made far\u00adming dif\u00adfi\u00adcult. The rich nati\u00adons brought sub\u00adsi\u00addi\u00adsed food to Hai\u00adti at a pri\u00adce that excluded local far\u00admers from com\u00adpe\u00adting. This made the coun\u00adtry more and more depen\u00addent on food imports. During the 2008 glo\u00adbal eco\u00adno\u00admic cri\u00adsis, the glo\u00adbal food mar\u00adket saw a signi\u00adfi\u00adcant increase in the pri\u00adce of food imports from rich count\u00adries. This increase trig\u00adge\u00adred unrest in deve\u00adlo\u00adping count\u00adries around the world. To get some food, the poo\u00adrest of the poor ate mud. Mud pies, oil and sugar soot\u00adhed the sto\u00admachs of star\u00adving people.
\nCrea\u00adti\u00adon sighs. From 2006 to 2009, Syria is expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adcing the grea\u00adtest drought in cen\u00adtu\u00adries, trig\u00adge\u00adred by a cen\u00adtu\u00adry-long rise in tem\u00adpe\u00adra\u00adtu\u00adre and drought in the regi\u00adon. Sci\u00aden\u00adtists say this is cli\u00adma\u00adte chan\u00adge cau\u00adsed by human acti\u00advi\u00adties. Stu\u00addies show that this extre\u00adme drought, along with other fac\u00adtors such as mis\u00adgui\u00added agri\u00adcul\u00adtu\u00adral and water poli\u00adci\u00ades, cau\u00adsed lar\u00adge crop fail\u00adures. This led to a migra\u00adti\u00adon of over 1.5 mil\u00adli\u00adon peo\u00adp\u00adle from rural are\u00adas to cities. This in turn fos\u00adte\u00adred social stress, which was the reason for or cau\u00adsed the upri\u00adsing against Pre\u00adsi\u00addent Bas\u00adhar al-Assad in March 2011. They tried to over\u00adthrow al-Assad and found them\u00adsel\u00adves in a war that las\u00adted seve\u00adral years. This trig\u00adge\u00adred the lar\u00adgest wave of refu\u00adgees in Euro\u00adpe sin\u00adce World War 2. All the\u00adse move\u00adments paved the way for the rise of ISIS<\/span> in this region.
\nCrea\u00adti\u00adon waits eagerly
\n\u00abFor all crea\u00adti\u00adon waits eager\u00adly for that day when God will reve\u00adal who tru\u00adly belong to his child\u00adren\u00bb (Romans 8:19 NLB<\/span>). The who\u00adle crea\u00adti\u00adon waits eager\u00adly for the real child\u00adren of God. This refers to peo\u00adp\u00adle who put their trust com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly in God and hum\u00adbly ful\u00adfil their basic mis\u00adsi\u00adon of pro\u00adtec\u00adting, pre\u00adser\u00adving and ste\u00adwar\u00adding the earth. We are cal\u00adled to exer\u00adcise domi\u00adni\u00adon over the rest of crea\u00adti\u00adon, not over other human beings. Huma\u00adni\u00adty is meant to be pro\u00adtec\u00adtors, cul\u00adti\u00adva\u00adtors and ser\u00advants of the earth, not its exploiters.
\n\u00abEver\u00ady\u00adthing on earth was sub\u00adjec\u00adted to imper\u00adma\u00adnence. This was done against their will by the one who sub\u00adjec\u00adted them. But all crea\u00adti\u00adon hopes for the day when it will be freed from death and cor\u00adrup\u00adti\u00adon to the glo\u00adrious free\u00addom of the child\u00adren of God\u00bb (Romans 8:20f NLB<\/span>). The King\u00addom of God will bring res\u00adto\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon to all crea\u00adti\u00adon. In the per\u00adson of Jesus Christ, this king\u00addom has daw\u00adned in the world. This Jesus, the crea\u00adtor of trees, was nai\u00adled to a tree. The first sin of huma\u00adni\u00adty was com\u00admit\u00adted in con\u00adnec\u00adtion with a tree, the tree of the know\u00adledge of good and evil. Now the redemp\u00adti\u00adon of huma\u00adni\u00adty and the rever\u00adsal of the fall also hap\u00adpens in rela\u00adti\u00adon to a tree. Then Jesus defea\u00adted death by ope\u00adning his own tomb. In the end the\u00adre will be only one tree, the tree of life. The lea\u00adves of this tree will heal the nati\u00adons (Reve\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon 21:1\u20132).
\nHow can peo\u00adp\u00adle reve\u00adal them\u00adsel\u00adves as the real child\u00adren of God in this groa\u00adning world?
\nThrough humi\u00adli\u00adty: \u00abIf I clo\u00adse the hea\u00advens so that no rain falls, or send locus\u00adts that devour the crops, or send pesti\u00adlen\u00adces to my peo\u00adp\u00adle, and then my peo\u00adp\u00adle who bear my name rep\u00adent, if the peo\u00adp\u00adle pray to me and seek my near\u00adness and return to me, I will hear them in hea\u00adven and for\u00adgi\u00adve their sins and heal their land\u00bb (2 Chro\u00adnic\u00adles 7:13f NLB<\/span>). The spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon of the peo\u00adp\u00adle is the root of all evil. Lack of humi\u00adli\u00adty is evi\u00addent in the way we tre\u00adat others. The first requi\u00adre\u00adment for the res\u00adto\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon of the earth is humility.
\nThe\u00adre is an unre\u00adflec\u00adti\u00adve Wes\u00adtern pri\u00adde. We act as if the world can be fixed by adop\u00adting Wes\u00adtern cul\u00adtu\u00adre. This approach is doo\u00admed to fail\u00adure. Humi\u00adli\u00adty helps us to ack\u00adnow\u00adledge that God has pla\u00adced wis\u00addom in the minds and hearts of all cul\u00adtures \u2013 and we need all of them to sur\u00advi\u00adve. Wes\u00adtern influence on dif\u00adfe\u00adrent civi\u00adli\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adons has ushe\u00adred in colo\u00adni\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon, mono\u00adcul\u00adtu\u00adre, defo\u00adre\u00adsta\u00adti\u00adon and much inju\u00ads\u00adti\u00adce. Our beha\u00adviour betrays that we ima\u00adgi\u00adne our\u00adsel\u00adves to be God over crea\u00adti\u00adon. We must con\u00adfess and rep\u00adent of this sin\u00adful beha\u00adviour. True humi\u00adli\u00adty under\u00adstands that the fact that we are crea\u00adtures is very good. Humi\u00adli\u00adty ack\u00adnow\u00adled\u00adges God as Crea\u00adtor and human beings as crea\u00adtures. We belong to the fami\u00adly of crea\u00adti\u00adon with a spe\u00adcial respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty: to bring the rest of crea\u00adti\u00adon to flower, to nur\u00adtu\u00adre it and to pro\u00adtect it. Let us walk through natu\u00adre kno\u00adwing that the plants, trees and ani\u00admals are our elder brot\u00adhers and sis\u00adters. This may sound a litt\u00adle stran\u00adge, but it is immense\u00adly hel\u00adpful for our atti\u00adtu\u00adde towards co-creation.
\nIn addi\u00adti\u00adon to humi\u00adli\u00adty, we have ano\u00adther lever: we can advo\u00adca\u00adte for just sys\u00adtems and struc\u00adtures through just poli\u00adci\u00ades. Espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly we Swiss with a strong demo\u00adcra\u00adcy are always given the oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty to take respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty for our older brot\u00adhers and sis\u00adters in creation.
\n
\nBut the key in the heal\u00ading of the land is the child\u00adren of God who will reve\u00adal them\u00adsel\u00adves. Many of us call our\u00adsel\u00adves child\u00adren of God. \u00abBut to all who recei\u00adved him and belie\u00adved in his name, he gave the right to beco\u00adme child\u00adren of God\u00bb (John 1:12 NLB<\/span>). Do we rea\u00adli\u00adse that we have a pio\u00adnee\u00adring role in the res\u00adto\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon of crea\u00adti\u00adon? As crea\u00adtures made in the liken\u00adess of God, we learn of His kind of rule, that of a good she\u00adp\u00adherd caring for His sheep. Clo\u00adse to Jesus, it is a mat\u00adter of taking off that tone and play\u00ading in this world.
\n
\n
\nQues\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead the Bible text: John 20:1\u201329<\/p>\n
\n\tWhy does the who\u00adle of crea\u00adti\u00adon suf\u00adfer? What respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty does man bear who did not put his trust in God?
\n\tWhat is the solu\u00adti\u00adon for the redemp\u00adti\u00adon of crea\u00adti\u00adon? What does it mean to be a child of God in this context?
\n\tWhat does humi\u00adli\u00adty mean? What pos\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties do we have as indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adals regar\u00adding just struc\u00adtures in this world?
\n\tWhat are your learnings?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"