September 28, 2008–All of our Sunday School classes are focused on a creation story. Some focused on the Creation (Genesis 1) story, some on the Adam and Eve story, some both stories side by side, and still our oldest children heard about the creation or beginning of our church, St. Martin’s.
The two creation stories found in Genesis don’t necessarily explain each other. They sit there side-by-side, and many, if not most, people don’t say “What’s up with this?” I don’t know how folks deal with this when debating Evolution theory textbooks, but I digress… Once again, children seem to be perfectly comfortable with these two stories being held together.
Among the many jewels in each story, if I took a favorite pearl from each, they would be this: when God looked upon creation, God saw it was good and we are created in God’s image, to have dominion of the earth. So it is established in Genesis 1, that God liked this creation, so much so, on the seventh day God rested. Probably laid in a hammock for a few million years smiling about how wonderful it is. God loves each bouncing atom, smiling face, gurgling volcano.
And then we go on to find out we are made to be LIKE God–imago dei. So much so, we have dominion or in other words, are to be God-like over the creation. The precedent is already set, what it means to be God-like—to love, to care, to revere, to rest over this wonderful creation. Each bouncing atom, smiling face, gurgling volcano and you. As this great big story unfolds, God’s people learn what that really means.
How have we responded in our classes to caring for God’s Creation? Our Godly Play classrooms have been “green” as we can be for about five years. We use reusable cups and cloth napkins. This action was taken after a child noticed how much trash we put in our trashcan after one “Feast.”