The Intimacy of Creation

Creation, intimacy and culture

I have had the convergent pleasure of meeting Jan Huijgens ^[1], reading L.T. Jeyachandran ^[2] and listening to Father Cristino Bouvette ^[3] over the last two weeks.

I have written previously ^[4] on the reflection of the Creator in His creation and its restoration by Christ even as He restores you and me. These three gentlemen gave me a picture that is even more transformative and intimate.

Jan Huijgens helps transform agriculture, first by giving back to the soil more than he is taking out, then by restoring ecological balance, and lastly by opening up the farm to urban citizens so they can get back in touch with the earth, the Creator and His Creation.

L.T. says, “Culture… can be defined as the result of the interplay of human creativity on God’s creation. Human creativity is itself part of God’s intentioned creation of human beings in His Image (Gen.1:26-28).” He goes on to say, “while the fall has sometimes turned our creativity into destructive acts, …culture, as the rest of creation, is meant to be part of the Redemption that God has accomplished through Christ’s life, death, resurrection and ascension.”

Father Cristino talks about Christ as Logos. Christ ordered Creation in the first place, is the Logos becoming flesh and, through His resurrection, embraced Creation and reconciled it back to Himself.

These three thinkers have help me see beyond the themes we have discussed before: that the Book of Creation is God’s first book expressing His identity to us, that He is clearly revealed in the Book of Creation (Romans 1) and, that all creation is held together and reconciled through Christ (Colossians 1).

We see the Trinity is intimately involved with creation. We also see that our creativity, our culture, is also intimately involved with that same creation. It is interesting that Genesis speaks about a couple in a garden; and Revelation speaks about a culture living under God’s light in the City of God.

Our response

Disaster awaits when we ignore God twice. First, by rejecting him as Creator & Redeemer, and then by destructive acts to His creation, in which He clearly is present. Such acts of the will leave us with grey hearts and a grey environment.

The better alternative is also ours to choose. First, by acknowledging that God is Creator; that creation flowed out from His Logos; that he has redeemed it, and us, to himself; and that it is all held together by Him. Then, with everything restored in proper order and worship, our creativity through our culture will be in harmony with the rhythm of creation.

You who work in Creation Care are in the most intimate relationship between culture, creation and the Creator. That relationship mimics the relationship within the Trinity itself. As you work on caring for Creation, may you sing the song of a life abundant, may you dance to creation’s rhythm, may you be embraced by the Trinity.

[1]  https://www.eemlandhoeve.nl/over-ons/ 
[2]  L.T. Jeyachandran. 2018. Culture – The Art of Understanding and Engagement http://www.christianmanager.in/article/Culture-The-Art 
[3]  Harmonious Gentlemen Podcast: The Legacy of Residential Schools and Reconciliation with Father Cristino Bouvette https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/harmonious-gentlemen/id1435063784
[4] Taking the Earth Seriously https://fathersearth.ca/taking-earth-seriously/