Morning Devotional 042226 Happy Earth Day

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

April 22, 2026

Genesis 1:20-31

²⁰ God said, “Let the waters swarm with living things, and let birds fly above the earth up in the dome of the sky.” ²¹ God created the great sea animals and all the tiny living things that swarm in the waters, each according to its kind, and all the winged birds, each according to its kind. God saw how good it was. ²² Then God blessed them: “Be fertile and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” ²³ There was evening, and there was morning: the fifth day. ²⁴ God said, “Let the earth produce every kind of living thing: livestock, crawling things, and wildlife.” And that’s what happened. ²⁵ God made every kind of wildlife, every kind of livestock, and every kind of creature that crawls on the ground. God saw how good it was. ²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth.” ²⁷ God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them, male and female God created them. ²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and master it. Take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, and everything crawling on the ground.” ²⁹ Then God said, “I now give to you all the plants on the earth that yield seeds and all the trees whose fruit produces its seeds within it. These will be your food. ³⁰ To all wildlife, to all the birds in the sky, and to everything crawling on the ground—to everything that breathes—I give all the green grasses for food.” And that’s what happened. ³¹ God saw everything he had made: it was supremely good. There was evening, and there was morning: the sixth day. 

Good Morning! Happy Earth Day!

God created a magnificent dwelling place, created humanity, and gave humanity dominion over the place and all the plants and creatures. The recent Artemis II mission gave us new views and images of our beloved planet. I pray that the images will spark renewed interest in caring for our planet. 

We are fruitful and multiplying, so as the population continues to grow, we, as a people, continue to wage war on our resources. Recent generations have worked on solutions to replenish and renew our land, but money seems to take precedence over solving the needs of a declining ecosystem. As with most things, we are challenged to find a sweet spot that lies between the extremes. We want to reduce pollution, but we want to continue to use and have the things that create it. A trip to the local dump is an adventure to examine the excesses of living in the 21st century. 

As residents of Virginia, we are blessed by majestic mountains, flowing rivers, abundant trees and farmland, and wide oceans. Each day, I step outside and view God’s creation that surrounds me. I can’t imagine living in some of the countries where masks must be worn daily to keep from poisoning the lungs of those residents. 

How long will we drag our feet and watch our earth struggle to overcome its abuse? O God, help us to take responsibility to care for your handiwork that you entrusted to us.

God of Wisdom, you bless us abundantly! Open our hearts and minds so that we might earnestly work to restore the earth. Thank you. We love you. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Thought for the day: God calls us to care for our planet.

Every day is Earth Day! Pastor Liz