Fauna

The scriptures begin with God’s affirmation that all of creation is “very good,” and as the stewards of God’s creation, we are called to protect its goodness. (Genesis 1:30, Genesis 1:28, Jeremiah 29:5-7) Every species, indeed every being of every species, is precious because it is made by God. All reflect an aspect of God. “How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.”
(Psalm 104:24) 

 We lament that God’s creatures are disappearing from the Earth at a rate we can scarcely comprehend. From humble insects to majestic mammals, from microscopic plankton to towering trees, creatures from across God’s dominion are becoming extinct, and may never be seen again. 

The second Sunday in the season of creation acknowledges Fauna. Fauna refers to the all the living species on planet Earth—in the wild, in our lives and in our soils.  In Genesis One, all living species emerge from Earth who is their common mother.  In Genesis Two, the first human and all animals are created from clay and the breath of God.  In Job 39, the kingdom of the wild is God’s special concern, no matter how remote or mysterious. 

 Luke 12:22-31

22 He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?26 If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. 30 For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.