Learning from Job

The Book of Job has fascinated people for centuries. I think it appeals to so many people because it treats one of the ultimate life questions: "Why do the innocent suffer?" This question can be spun many ways and made the foundational point for "The Problem of Evil" or "Theodicy" - which fundamentally asks, "Is God good/just?"

From my perspective, a reading of Job doesn't fully satisfy these issues, but some good points are made. Usually the section that gets the most attention is that of God's response to Job in the last few chapters of the book. God answers Job by asking Job, "Where were you when..." and lists several chapters worth of details about creation. Often this is understood as God "smacking Job around" or simply telling Job to shut up and realize that God is God and Job is not. That might be part of what's happening, but I don't believe it's the whole.

More than anything, I read this section as God laying out for Job the intricate connections of creation. It is clear that God has gone to painstaking ends to make things "just so." If any of the variables were off, it could all go awry as so many parts depend on one another. Ultimately, God is communicating with Job that God has the utmost care for EVERYTHING in creation - including Job and humans, but not just Job and humans. Everything in creation matters to God.

I invite you to read those few final chapter for yourself or with a group. Discuss the connections, and feel free to share your thoughts on this reflection.

February Focus: Creation is Connected

Recently our material has centered more on specific practices. This month we want to focus a bit more on the spiritual side of creation care. Of course, we want the spiritual to impact the practical and the way you look at things to shape your behavior, as the two are deeply connected.

This month is all about connection. We are focusing on how creation is connected and our connection with it. In a post last year which featured an Earth Day letter to a local newspaper I wrote: "'The environment' is not something separate from us. We are all part of the environment - intricately woven into it and inseparable from it." When human beings forget that we are part of creation and treat "the environment" as something separate, something we can decide to care for or not, we can do untold harm.

This month we will highlight this connection through scripture and other sources, and we hope you will feel more connected with creation through these readings and thoughts.