A few years ago, I planted a few beautiful coneflowers in one of the sunniest spots in the yard. The little greenhouse card staked into the pot told me this was the right space for them to go. But, after a few weeks of perfect sunny days, interspersed with just enough rain, those transplants turned to absolute mush. It turns out soil is as just important as sun, and the ground where I had put them was simply too wet. For those of us who garden, knowing the proper place for a plant is often a lesson we learn the hard way.
The creation poem in the first chapter of Genesis shines a light on the importance of space. I’m not talking about a final frontier of endless galaxies. What I mean is that in the act of creation, God spends precious time establishing a specific space for each created thing to call home.
There is a very
specific order to the way things happen. In the first three days, spaces are
created— the heavens, the sky and sea, and the dry earth. The following three
days then fill those three spaces in order— the moon and stars, followed by
birds and fish, and finally land animals and people. The structure of the poem
reveals that habitats are equally vital to creation as the creatures who
inhabit them. God creates a space for all that is, and all along the way, God
calls each space and every created thing good.
All this might
remind you of that old proverb about being tidy: “A place for everything and
everything in its place.” That might be a nice sentiment if you are trying to
declutter your kitchen, but an obsession with storage solutions doesn’t really
work outside the walls of your home. Nothing good happens when we confine
people or wildlife to certain spaces simply to protect our own claim to a
place. When it comes to the lives of others, order without goodness is
oppression. We see this whenever walls block in entire communities or fences
limit the age-old migrations of wildlife. When we read beyond the first chapter
of scripture, we learn how we are tasked with preserving the habitats and
housing of our neighbors so that their homes might be a place where they can
thrive. And sometimes that means getting out of the way.
Here is one example.
Earlier this week, the Prairie Band Potawatomi established the first ever
tribal land in the state of Illinois. After purchasing bits of land for years,
the indigenous nation handed over a mere 130 acres to the Department of the
Interior to formally restore what was taken from them over 150 years ago. In
relation to this, our state senate is now considering a bill that will turn all
1,500 acres of Shabonna Lake State Park over to the Prairie Band Potawatomi,
who were the original stewards of that corner of our state.
At the end of the creation poem, God creates humankind in God’s own image, calls us good, and tasks us with continuing the joyful work of creating a world that is good for all. Every creature deserves its habitat, every peoples a free and just community, and every individual a safe place to call home.
Peace,
Pastor Chad McKenna
