Adult Forum: Ecology & Faith
In scripture, Creation is both a gift and a responsibility.
Genesis describes God has a cultivator; God produces Adam and Eve out of the dirt in a lavish garden and breathes life into them. The first thing he gives them after breath is the task of naming all the animals, and the responsibility to care for them. God makes a covenant with “every living creature of all flesh” (Gen 9:15).
Generations later, when the Israelites are in exile, God instructs them to care for the land. The Israelite refugees are to “build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce...seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7).
In yet another garden - the garden of Gethsemane - Jesus felt the full weight of human sin.
The first Easter morning, a grieving Mary Magdelene went to sit by the tomb of her Lord. When she saw Jesus, she first mistook him for a gardener. He said to her “woman, why are you weeping?” supposing him to be the gardener, she said “sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away” (John 20:15).
Today, closer to home, God has entrusted us with the gift and responsibility of the Chesapeake Bay. The Bay is both a gift and a responsibility entrusted to our care. Our fragile backyard ecosystem brims with God’s glory and also cries out for care and protection.
This fall, the adult forum will spend four Sundays exploring the Christian ethic of caring for creation. We will hear from Biblical scholars, local conservation leaders and authors, and take a field trip to St. Luke’s, Eastport. It is the prayer of the Adult Formation Committee that these conversations on ecology and faith will take us past the parish hall, influencing our daily lives and the welfare of the city in which we live.
September 14: What does scripture say about caring for creation? Dr. Ellen Davis, Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke Divinity School, in conversation with The Rev. Alice Grant.
September 21: Panel Discussion with non profit leaders of faith: Meenal Harankhedkar, Executive Director, Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake; Alden Stoner, CEO, Nature Sacred; Susan Thaxton, COO, Annapolis Maritime Museum and Park.
September 28: Tour of the Restoration of Nature area on the grounds of St. Luke's, Eastport: conversation with St. Luke's Environmental Committee regarding the environmental restoration project.
October 5th: Restoring the Bay and Finding Hope: Tom Horton, environmental journalist, professor of Environmental Studies at Salisbury University, and columnist for the Bay Journal.
-The Rev. Alice Grant