“Our World Belongs to God – CREATION” – March 1 2026

“Our church has been motivated to see that we owe this world a clear witness to our Lord, a contemporary statement of our hope and of the light of the gospel.  Therefore we have taken as our theme for this testimony, ‘Our World Belongs to God!’ by this theme we wish to proclaim God’s rule in a world that thinks it is out of control or that it’s controlled by human technique.”

CREATION:

7. Our world belongs to God—

not to us or earthly powers,

not to demons, fate, or chance.

The earth is the Lord’s.

8. In the beginning, God—

Father, Word, and Spirit—

called this world into being

out of nothing,

and gave it shape and order.

John 1:1-5

In the beginning the Word already existed.

    The Word was with God,

    and the Word was God.

2 He existed in the beginning with God.

3 God created everything through him,

    and nothing was created except through him.

4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,

    and his life brought light to everyone.

5 The light shines in the darkness,

    and the darkness can never extinguish it.

9. God formed sky, land, and sea;

stars above, moon and sun,

making a world of color, beauty, and variety—

a fitting home for plants and animals, and us—

a place to work and play,

worship and wonder,

love and laugh.

God rested

and gave us rest.

In the beginning

everything was very good.

  Psalm 33:6-9

6 The Lord merely spoke,

    and the heavens were created.

He breathed the word,

    and all the stars were born.

7 He assigned the sea its boundaries

    and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.

8 Let the whole world fear the Lord,

    and let everyone stand in awe of him.

9 For when he spoke, the world began!

    It appeared at his command.

10. Made in God’s image

to live in loving communion with our Maker,

we are appointed earthkeepers and caretakers

to tend the earth, enjoy it,

and love our neighbors.

God uses our skills

for the unfolding and well-being of his world

so that creation and all who live in it may flourish.

Genesis 1:26-27

26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

27 So God created human beings in his own image.

    In the image of God he created them;

    male and female he created them.

11. Together,

male and female,

single and married,

young and old—

every hue and variety of humanity—

we are called to represent God,

for the Lord God made us all.

Life is God’s gift to us,

and we are called to foster

the well-being of all the living,

protecting from harm

the unborn and the weak,

the poor and the vulnerable

Matthew 7:12

12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”

12. Even now,

as history unfolds

in ways we know only in part,

we are assured

that God is with us in our world,

holding all things in tender embrace

and bending them to his purpose.

The confidence that the Lord is faithful

gives meaning to our days

and hope to our years.

The future is secure,

for our world belongs to God.

Psalm 104:30-31

30 When you give them your breath, life is created,

    and you renew the face of the earth.

31 May the glory of the Lord continue forever!

    The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made!

Lamentations 3:22-26

22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!

    His mercies never cease.

23 Great is his faithfulness;

    his mercies begin afresh each morning.

24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;

    therefore, I will hope in him!”

25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him,

    to those who search for him.

26 So it is good to wait quietly

    for salvation from the Lord.