We humans are the only passengers on the ark to whom God has loaned the capacity to damn rivers, refine fossil fuels, split atoms, drain wetlands, and launch satellites. At the same time, we are the only passengers on the ark who imagine that we can live without our neighbors. A steward is, before anything else, a passenger on the ark, standing with fellow creatures under the sign of God s love for the whole creation. It does no good to speak of checkbooks and pledge cards if we forget where stewardship begins. It begins in the Garden of God s delight and continues under the bow of God s cosmic love.
Good stewards are good neighbors to the whole earth.
Poor stewards are those who forget where they stand when they see the bow in the clouds. While there is yet time, let us remember where we stand. Let us be stewards of the earth as heirs of God's covenant with all life.