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Genesis 2:15 (MSG) God took the Man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order.

Genesis 2:15 sets the course for the human race…work the ground…be productive…that;s easy…but how to remain productive…the next part tells us how…

The second direction to Adam and Eve shows them how to stay productive.

They where to “Keep it in order” What does this mean?

Shaw mar: to guard to protect to attend to. To preserve or reserve

The second Adam…Jesus describes he and the father maintaining the creation:

Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God.

Allows rain to fall on the righteous and the wicked…

God maintains his creation day in day out.

Most of us, as God’s image bearers naturally feel drawn to maintain what we have…maintaining our piece of the earth…our person, and our living space.

Pruning, weeding, painting, cleaning, are maintenance tasks that glorify God because we are maintaining what he ultimately owns in a sustainable way. We should not look at our maintenance tasks as a time filler till we retire to the new heaven and new earth and experience heavenly leisure.

Without becoming a worshipper of the creation more than the creator, we can do our part for the environment…God’s good earth.

Do I print drafts on one side clean paper…

Do I consider walking or riding my bike to the store instead of starting my car.

Am I being careful how much water I use when I’m shaving.

Am I burning the dead tree in my fireplace instead of turning on the furnace.

But on the other hand creation shows a certain extravagance…there are plants that bloom where no human will see them.

The Parable of the Sower and the seed shows us we must persist in sewing good seeds…regardless of the ground we are on at a given time…and to do it extravagantly.

With the freedom God has given us we can maintain or mismanage what he’s given us…we can plant a variety of actions and thoughts…

Galatians 6:7-10 (MSG)

What good seeds do we sow to maintain what God has given us?

The heart of Jesus beats stronger as we garden in harmony with his purposes. A big part of the heart of God is expressed in:

Luke 4:17-19 (MSG) ¹⁷ he was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written, God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free, ¹⁹ to announce, “This is God’s year to act!”

Seeds of Good News…not just the gospel…good news stories to those in a poor negative attitude absorbing a steady diet of often negative media

Seeds of pardon or forgiveness…to those who we might hold prisoner to their bad actions toward us or others.

Seeds of seeing the big picture … to help people see beyond the day to day minutia of their personal lives.

Seeds of acceptance and attributing unsurpassable worth to those who have been severely burdened and battered by life even within the boundaries we sometimes must set for theirs or our own good.

We are little words in the sentences that God is speaking to humanity. Through us he is planting little seeds good news, forgiveness, big picture, and acceptance in the lives of others.

We caring for the Earth…cause that’s what we see

We care for God who made what we see

We care for Each Others who are in his image.

This is a recipe for burnout unless we allow God to maintain us…

God even maintains those who follow him…

John 15:1-2 (MSG)
¹ “I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more.

He maintains us through troubles.

Romans 5:3 (MSG)
³ There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.

As we both maintain and experience God’s maintenance, …

2 Corinthians 3:18b (MSG). …we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.

What will all this seed planting and maintenance result in?

What will we harvest?

Not only will we be like him in heart and mind…we will be like him in appearance and enjoy his living space…

Rev 21:2 I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband.

The City shimmered like a precious gem, light-filled, pulsing light. ¹² She had a wall majestic and high with twelve gates.

¹⁸ The wall was jasper, the color of Glory, and the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. The foundations of the City walls were garnished with every precious gem imaginable: The main street of the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. But there was no sign of a Temple, for the Lord God—the Sovereign-Strong—and the Lamb are the Temple. The City doesn’t need sun or moon for light. God’s Glory is its light, the Lamb its lamp! The nations will walk in its light and earth’s kings bring in their splendor. Its gates will never be shut by day, and there won’t be any night. ²⁶ They’ll bring the glory and honor of the nations into the City.

God links these together in his vision of the new Jerusalem. A a multicultural, multiethnic, garden city. With blooming plants and trees, in constant communion with God the central light and energy , and everyone fully cooperating in scholarship, music, architecture, cuisine, art…all synergistically interdependent. The best elements of creation drawn together in one place.

“We do not go back to the garden, and we do not go up to heaven. We go forward to the garden city of the New Jerusalem…God doesn’t start all over again. Instead, he resurrects humanity and, so to speak, resurrects the earth as well into resplendent eclogoy of vitality and beauty in which all live in mutually beneficial relationship with each other.” John Stackhouse, Making the Best of It, (New York, Oxford University Press, 2008) p 200-201.

As more of humanity returns to their primordial purpose…as more people see their role to be gardeners of the earth and others…we get a greater glimpse of what God has planned when he unites heaven and earth. The bringing together of gardeners in rural and town areas.

“Each sector of society…maintains a central concern to improve the earth, to garden the world. The individual human being matters and he or she is called by God to play a part that matters in the great garden of the world…the world is importantly better or worse depending on how each of us lives in it…” Ibid. p 231-232.

“God expects us to garden and reclaim the whole world with him…” Ibid p, 227

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Matthew 25:37-40 ^37-40“Then those ’sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

Mark 10:13-16 ^13-16The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: “Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.

Luke 10:38-42 ^38-40As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. “Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.”

^41-42The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.”

John 5:39-40 ^39-40“You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want.

Matthew 6:33 ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

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Psalm 60:12 ¹² With God’s help we will do mighty things,
for he will trample down our foes.

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Genesis 2:15 ¹⁵ God took the Man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order.

Genesis 3:19 ¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

Romans 12:1 ¹Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Luke 19:12-27

^12-13“There was once a man descended from a royal house who needed to make a long trip back to headquarters to get authorization for his rule and then return. But first he called ten servants together, gave them each a sum of money, and instructed them, ‘Operate with this until I return.’

¹⁴“But the citizens there hated him. So they sent a commission with a signed petition to oppose his rule: ‘We don’t want this man to rule us.’

¹⁵“When he came back bringing the authorization of his rule, he called those ten servants to whom he had given the money to find out how they had done.

¹⁶“The first said, ‘Master, I doubled your money.’

¹⁷“He said, ‘Good servant! Great work! Because you’ve been trustworthy in this small job, I’m making you governor of ten towns.’

¹⁸“The second said, ‘Master, I made a fifty percent profit on your money.’

¹⁹“He said, ‘I’m putting you in charge of five towns.’

^20-21“The next servant said, ‘Master, here’s your money safe and sound. I kept it hidden in the cellar. To tell you the truth, I was a little afraid. I know you have high standards and hate sloppiness, and don’t suffer fools gladly.’

^22-23“He said, ‘You’re right that I don’t suffer fools gladly—and you’ve acted the fool! Why didn’t you at least invest the money in securities so I would have gotten a little interest on it?’

²⁴“Then he said to those standing there, ‘Take the money from him and give it to the servant who doubled my stake.’

²⁵“They said, ‘But Master, he already has double . . .’

²⁶“He said, ‘That’s what I mean: Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag.

²⁷“‘As for these enemies of mine who petitioned against my rule, clear them out of here. I don’t want to see their faces around here again.’”