Reflections: Stewards of the harvest

“God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.”
Genesis 1 vs 28 & 29

Most of us in modern times are not as deeply involved in producing food as the majority of people were in the past. We might grow a few tomatoes or apples and enjoy the fruit of our labours in season, but for the rest of the year we know we can depend on supermarkets for food of every kind. But over the last few years shortages and disruption caused by Covid 19, political uncertainty and wars have reminded us that we shouldn’t take this for granted. The impact is much worse for those who were already struggling and for those in less wealthy countries. Some are already suffering the effects of the climate crisis, which are only going to get worse unless big changes are made.

Genesis 1 shows God providing for human needs by giving us the earth. But that doesn’t mean we can abuse the trust God has placed in us to care for our planet, or to consider the needs of the generations that come after us. Understanding where our food comes from and the effects of our choices can help us take better care of our world. How might you find out more?