The reading from Genesis this Trinity Sunday (Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a) has a lyrical, lilting pace to it; a beautiful reassurance that when God created, there was order, there was light, there was life.
We don't view the passage as factual; it is an attempt by the writer to explain the presence of God in all of life, in all of creation. We dare not see this as science, but as a loving attempt to explain (for our forbears) the inexplicable: who are we in relationship to the world, to each other, and to God?
From this writing we learn of God's love for all - the light, the dark, the water, the sky, the stars, the earth, the animals in the water and on the earth, and in this narrative, humanity, created on the sixth day, male and female, in the image of God (imago deo).
Yet there are some troublesome words in the text, words that have been understood for centuries as giving humanity a dominance over the created order that was not given to us in this reading from Genesis.
The words "dominion" (Genesis 1: 26) and "subdue" (Genesis 1:28) have been used to explain the systematic destruction of species to suit our human needs and desires.
Dominion should be understood more as a sharing of power with God; an understanding that we are to be caregivers and caretakers of what God has created. Subdue can imply that what God created wasn't perfect, and needed humanity to bring order. Nothing could be further from the original intent of this holy writing!
Science has taught us that we cannot live on this planet without cooperation with all creation; our faith should see that as an imperative also - God saw everything that God had made, and indeed, it was very good (Genesis 1:31).
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