The next theme that Howard Snyder talks about in his book "Kingdom, Church, and World." is The Promised Land.
Most of us recognize the importance of Land in the Old Testament. When God made a covenant with Abraham, He promised that He would give them the land of Canaan. He promised Jacob the land (Genesis 48:4). God promised that the people would have a land where they could dwell in peace ... a continuation of the theme from yesterday - Shalom. (Leviticus 26:6)
Land - just as it is for most of is - symbolized belonging. When you settle in the land, you belong there, you put down roots, you make it your home.
One of the things I see quite clearly traveling in and out of Iowa is the farmer's ties to the land. They care for the land - it is their business, but even before that, they took care of the land. When they discovered that they were destroying it with their farming techniques, they went to great pains to reclaim the land, to restore it to health.
Now while the Promised Land was an Old Testament ... Jewish thought, God still promises His people a safe, peaceful place. However, rather than just a small location near the Mediterranean Sea, we are now given the entire earth. The Greek word in the New Testament is "ge" and it is used 248 times. We recognize it as the beginning of the word geography ... the land ... the earth.
Jesus says "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5). Jesus is talking about the Kingdom of God here. This is the Promised Land ... the whole earth. This inheritance is a promise of blessings, fulfillment, of shalom.
What is our response? Well, what do you know ... we ARE called to tend to the earth, to care for it, to be good stewards. The Kingdom of God is happening now, where we live. And while one day this earth will be transformed, today we are to care for God's creation. It is our inheritance, it is our gift.
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