"In the Beginning, God"
Let's start with a quiz. Raise your hand if you think the following statements are
true: Big cats were not always carnivores. Dinosaurs were created after birds. The sun was
created after all plants. Humans had to work even before sin. (According to the text, all
are true.)
1. What the Bible does NOT say about what God did in the beginning. Some people say the
universe is the result of evolution, but the theory of evolution requires far more faith
than biblical Creationism. It is far more logical and rational to believe that an
intelligent Designer created the universe than to believe everything evolved by chance.
Evolutionists fight hard to keep Creationism out of the schools, but they could very
easily stop it completely once and for all. How? By producing just one verifiable piece of
evidence that macro-evolution is true. They can't! The fossil evidence points much more
clearly toward biblical Creationism, than toward random chance, as the way we came into
being. Darwin expected transitional fossils to be found. Over 100 years later, none have
been found. In fact, the fossil record points even more clearly to biblical Creation today
than it did in Darwin's day. When you hear what sounds like evidence for evolution,
remember you are hearing only what the evolutionistic secular media want you to hear.
There is always more to the story. Make up your own mind! Who are you going to believe?
Believe God, who was there, not some human who wasn't. Some people try to compromise with
the world's ideas by saying that evolution is the method God used to create the universe.
But that would require suffering and death before sin entered the world. To believe this,
we must deny the truth of Romans 6:23. Creation through death and suffering? That is
contrary to the God I believe in and serve. How about you? Other people try to make the
Bible and evolution agree by saying that the six days of creation were not literal,
24-hour days but were long periods of time. They even point to 2 Peter 3:8 for support.
But throughout Scripture, every time God numbers a day, He is talking about a literal
24-hour period. Why would God go to so much trouble to describe a 24 hour day if that is
not what He meant? Still others say God started the process and left it to evolve on its
own, like a watchmaker might wind a watch. Is that the kind of God you want to believe in?
The Bible reveals to us a God who is actively involved in the universe and cares about the
tiniest details of our lives. Matthew 10:29-31. If you have fallen for these lies of the
Devil, I urge you to repent and ask God to give you faith to believe the truth of His
Word.
2. What the Bible DOES say about what God did in the beginning. (1) The verb
"create" is used only to talk about what God does. No one else ever
"creates." Others can make a new thing out of existing things, but only God
creates something out of nothing. Let's see what God created on each day.
(1-5) Day One: (2) God was not finished yet. (5) "evening and morning" day
begins with evening.
(6-8) Day Two: This water above the sky was probably a canopy, like our atmosphere, but
much thicker and much more protective.
(9-13) Day Three: Notice that the plants were created already mature and bearing seed.
This is creation with apparent age--the tree that was only a few hours old looked like a
full-grown, mature tree.
(14-19) Day Four: Notice that the plants (which require sun light to live) were created
on day three but the sun was created on day four. This would be completely impossible if
the "day" were a long period of time rather than 24 hours.
(20-23) Day Five: God filled the seas and sky with life.
(24-31) Day Six: God created all the land animals, including dinosaurs. And He created
humankind. (28) Humans had work to do that first day; see 2:15. We are still responsible
for taking care of the creation, but we must be careful to worship the Creator and not the
creation. (29&30) All animals were vegetarians. There was no death and no suffering
until after the Fall. (27) Since you are created in the image of God, you are important.
Act like someone who bears the image of God!
3. What are you going to do about what God did in the beginning? Let's return to our
quiz--anybody want to change your answers? Some of you have doubted the truth of the
Genesis account of creation. Remember what Satan asked Eve in the garden? (See 3:1.) Will
you repent and ask God to forgive you for believing Satan's false religion of evolution?
We've been talking about the first creation today, but some of you need to become a new
creation in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17. Will you ask God to save you and make you a
new creation today? It is not enough to say you believe God's revelation about the origin
of the universe. You must also stand for the truth. If you ignore the lie of evolution, it
won't go away. Do the research. Learn the true facts. And then tell the truth that
God--and God alone--created the universe and every living thing. Tell your children. Tell
your friends. Tell your classmates. Tell your students. Promise God now that you will
stand for the truth.
Pastor David MultiHat@aol.com
Pastor David,
Thanks for your post and thoughts on the religion that is called the theory of
evolution. I would like to point you Creation skeptics to a book by Michael Behe called
Inside Darwin's Black Box. Behe is a micro-biologist out of Lehigh University who has been
creating quite a stir in scientific circles. Every theologian and shepherd of Gods people
ought to be familiar with this work, and be prepared to defend God's word as written.
Rick in Va
Pastor David,
How, then, do you explain a very different order of creation in Genesis 2? (Where, for
example, 'adam is created before all the rest of the animals, and the male/female
differentiation happens after all the animals are created)
I believe very strongly that God created the world. In fact, as I look at the theory of
evolution, I see even more evidence of that, which backs up my faith convictions about
creation. While some evolutionists argue that evolution happened by chance, I look at it
and realize that if evolutionary theory is even close to the mark about HOW this world
came to be, there has to be an intelligence behind it far greater than a human mind can
contemplate.
Most honest scientists will acknowledge that science can speak only about HOW, not
about WHO, or even WHY. I don't know for sure how the world was created, although I lean
towards evolutionary theory, but I know who created it. That, for me is what matters. And,
given the two very different creation stories in Genesis, and several other different
references to creation in the Psalms and in Job, it seems to me that the WHO and the WHY
questions are what are important in the Bible, not the HOW.
What does Genesis 1-2:4a tell us? That God created the world. That God made order out
of chaos. That all natural phenomena, like the sun, the moon, etc, are created by God, and
are not gods themselves. That we, as human beings, are created in the image of God. That
all of creation is good. There is, of course, much more; this is just a start.
Peace,
Lorinda in IA
Last week I stood underneath the skeleton of a Brontosaurus, touched the skull of a
T-rex, saw fossils that were millions and millions of years old. The awesome nature of
creation will never be captured in a theory of evolution nor in a theory of creationism.
Faith has never been, nor will it ever be, an issue to be proven. To attempt to do so
brings our faith down a level, to that of fact and science.
Those who insist on a God that must be proven will always be lacking, always on the
defensive, always trying to add to the Bible what the Bible does not seem to care about.
Faith is the "assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not
seen." Those who turn faith into evidence made of a precarious collection of the
facts have, themselves, taken on a position for which only God is qualified to occupy. And
they will be forced to turn the Bible into an idol that is worshipped rather than a source
for those who want to hear God's Word.
Jesus had great trouble with the Pharisees. One reason was that they could not get
beyond the literal meaning of the figurative images and parables Jesus told (this temple
will be torn down and rebuilt in three days.)
If the author of Genesis were around today and were able to hear the debate between the
evolutionists and the creationists, he would probably shake his head in dismay and say,
"And God made the dinosaurs."
Fred in LA
Another Good resource for Creation vs. Evolution
"Defeating Dawinism by Opening Minds" by Phillip Johnson
He also wrote "Darwin on Trial"
He is a laywer using scientific logic to defeat Darwin's claims to disorder.
Bruce in Wisconsin
I don't know why, but I feel a need to add my two cents. I appreciate Lorinda's
reminder about the WHO of creation and not the HOW.
I typically come here for stimulating, thoughful ideas that spark my own creativity
(interesting choice of words for this week's text.) I'm disappointed this week to come and
see an argument of pursuasion on an age old and might I add boring discussion of I'm
right/you're wrong.
As Lorinda mentioned and as David began (but quickly left) God is the subject of the
action. No where in the text does it suggest that God and the act of creation are the
objects and we humans are the subject.
What's powerful for me in the text (on Memorial Day and Peace with Justice Sunday) is
that the text provides for humans having "dominion over the earth" and to
"subdue the earth and be fruitful." It does not say we have dominion over other
humans. It does not say that dominion and subduing is about raping creation.
The issues of peace with Justice and memorializing for me are powerful ones as I think
about our role and our "assignment" from God in the creation.
As we continue the "discussion" I hope we will not try to convince one
another of our views on theories (which feels like trying to subdue one another). I hope
to glean from this exercise some of the "creative energy" that we typically
share.
Thanks for the soap box (I'll step down now)
Kelly in Tacoma
I ran across this quote recently: "If evolution is true, how come mothers still
have only two hands."
Fred in LA
Yeah Kelly in Tacoma! Check out verse 1:31. My Everett Fox translation reads: "Now
God saw all that he had made, and here: it was exceedingly good! There was setting, there
was dawning: the sixth day." Fox points out in his gloss that only after the creation
of humankind was God able to look back and survey all of creation and pronounce it
"exceedingly good." This ought to to make any congregation feel very loved by
God. Our place in God's original intent was (and can still be) the lens though which
creation is wonderfully loved. A sermon could be built upon ways to keep rekindling that
special sense of being loved by God---not the least of which is rightly seeing all the
acts of Jesus Christ. What do you think?
Rene
I want to use this passage because our Christian education Wet n' Wild Wednesdays are
starting out with the creation of the water. (We're doing a theme on Biblical stories of
water -- creation, the flood, Jonah, etc.) However, I also have to figure out how to
incorporate not only the education focus, but also Trinity Sunday and Memorial Sunday. Any
suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
RevJan
Dear Rev Jan,
This seems to me to be a perfect opportunity to talk about the beginning -- and the
trinity was a trinity, even before Jesus came, even before Pentecost. The word was the
word. The spirit hovered. Father, Son & Holy Spirit. Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier. In
the begining God brought forth the primal elements. Water. Took the whole God. But which
part of God do we tend to focus upon? God ushers us into this world and into the next.
Some risk their lives to protect us in this world, we lose them early (to the next world).
What more can one offer than to lay down one's life?
Something like that....
HW in HI
Submitted for your approval.... I call it Corporate Creation.
It all started when E. L. Gordon of The Gordon Group formed Bio Incorporated. Now Bio
Inc. was merely paper without assets; there was no business plan and Gordon transferred 10
million dollars of his own money into an account for Bio Inc. And Gordon had an idea and
he knew that the idea would work and so he decided that Bio Inc. would be the vehicle for
implementing the idea. This occurred in three months -- the first quarter. And Gordon knew
that land would be needed so he ordered that land be bought using money from the account
and it was done. This occurred in three months -- the second quarter. And Gordon designed
a factory and warehouse to be built on the land. And he saw that it would work. And Gordon
ordered equipment for the factory and warehouse: raw materials, trucks and custom
manufacturing machinery. And all these were bought and built. And Gordon knew that it
would work. This occurred in three months -- the third quarter. And Gordon searched for
experienced managers to guide and direct operations. And he found them. And Gordon made
two senior vice-presidents, one to oversee production and one to oversee distribution. He
also made other managers and gave them various responsibilities throughout the operation.
And Gordon saw that they would work. This occurred in three months -- the fourth quarter.
Gordon told the managers to hire employees in every department. They hired truck-drivers
and clerks, research scientists and factory workers and personnel of every kind. And
Gordon held a meeting of all the employees and told them he was very happy to have them on
his team. He expected them to work hard and their work would be rewarded. This occurred in
three months -- the first quarter of the second fiscal year. And Gordon said, "Get to
work!" And the factory began transforming the raw materials into the products Gordon
had first conceived. And they began selling the products, making money. And it worked. And
Gordon brought his son to the plant. He hugged him and said, "All this is yours,
every acre of land, every bolt in every machine I give to you. Let it grow and be a
powerful company on the earth. Every employee you may hire and fire as you see fit. I give
it all to you." Gordon saw all that he had made was working and he was satisfied.
This occurred in three months -- the second quarter of the second fiscal year. So the
company was complete in everything it needed. By the third quarter of the second fiscal
year, Gordon had finished the work he had been doing; so at that time he retired. And
Gordon celebrated with all his family, friends and employees because he was so pleased
with all the work of creating that he had done.
Bro Ken
Brothers and Sisters I am going to be looking at Genesis all during this post Pentecost
time. My favorite person in Genesis is Hagar. I want to revisit her. She reminds me so
much of myself: Her pride in pregnancy, her reaction emotionally to Sarah, and her
frustration over not having enough water for her son(it is the emotions and frustration
I'm talking about. None of my children have ever been possibly starving). I have always
been fascinated over the first creation account. The separating of different parts. It is
so organized. My title is "a good organizer" That's how I see God's described
action here. Just a beginning.
Shalom
Pasthersyl
Dear Jan,
I like to use the begining of the Gospel of John in connection with Trinity and the
Creation Story. Memorial Sunday is also about remembering history rememboring the past and
it's significance for now. I think it all ties in with remembering the creation story, the
Trinity (God, Jesus, and Spirit) all there all taking part. What great remembering!!
It is Peace with Justice Sunday for us and I am going to try to connect not only the
love of God displayed in creation, but also our responsibility in being gifted to be
"creatures" of God!!
This is a long reading so I have asked 7 readers to divide it up by days. With each
"day" there will be a symbol to add to the altar: a Globe for heaven and earth,
blue fabric flowing layed beside green fabric for water and land, a very large clear
container with gold fish, a large garden terra cotta Sun, a standing deer made of wire and
a large wite dove are some of the props to be added as each day's creation is read.
I am looking for a great "justice" story that inspires rather than
"giving them a scholding" for I believe we grow and learn better in a positive
environment.
Love is the Word. Love is always The Word as it was in the begining and will always be.
Some of you have written some beautiful and useful comments here. Thanks.
jmj
Patsy
I do know what it feels like to put your children to bed with water and bread which you
have made from yeast, flour, water and a little shortening, and a little jam which I also
made from some berries found in the woods. My children are now 35 and 36 but I still
remember the agony and fear that they may be hungry as I placed their tiny bodies in bed.
There was no heat in the house except for the heat from the cook stove in which I made the
bread, there was running water in a small sink, but no bathroom.
I felt so helpless in those days and I did not know God, I was not sure if there even
was a God and if there was if I even wanted to know such a God.
My determination to provide for my children in spite of a very, very neglectful husband
and father became the focus of my life. In my desperation to help them I found God,
faithful when others were not, loving and nurturing. A God who preformed miracles to help
me care for my babies.
There is more to this story. If you would like to know more contact me at:
jmj@newnorth.net
Just found another resource for the Genesis reading. It uses 3 voices for God, a
narator and others. you can view it at: users.chan-cor.com/ohcyclist/creation.html
jmj
jmj,
I tried the link and couldn't get there... Could you re-post the link. Cut and paste
the address from your browser's address line using ctrl-c (cut or copy after highlighting
the address) and ctrl-v (paste) into the DPS.
Thanks, I'd like to check it out...
Rick in Va
Thanks Lorinda and Fred (are you from Los Angeles or Louisianna (LA)?). Both creation
accounts are "mythic" in the sense of their truth is not limited to factuality
(which will not be verified by a usual element in scientific proof: repeatability). As a
child observed (a myth)is "a story that's true on the inside." But what are
these accounts to prove? I'm with the camp that says the Bible intends to answer principly
the WHY of our special relationship with God. Memorial Day used to be called
"Decoration Day", I believe, referring to the procession to cemetaries to
decorate the graves and remember past events. How different is our faith in the Triune God
that continues to bring life from death, forgive, liberate, enlighten, transform and
create. Peter in CA (California)
Rich,
Hope this does the trick for you. I am still trying to learn my way around this
computer.
http://users.cham-cor.com/ohcyclist/fishhooks.html
jmj
Nobody's even mentioned the seventh day when God rested. God blessed that day and set
it aside as a day of rest. In our run, run, run culture, I think we have some ripe hearts
and ears that need to know this good news. So, anybody have any thoughts on the seventh
day or Sabbath? Love to hear 'em. Rev. Jennifer in Mississippi
I'm focusing on the relationship aspect of all these texts: an approach that would
certainly incorporate Memorial Day, as we give thanks for those who've gone before and
ahead of us -- "may they go from strength to strength in a life of perfect
service" says our Prayer Book. In the Genesis account we hear God saying "Let us
make humankind in our image" -- offering a vision of the Divine which is in its very
essence relational: creating us and calling us into relationship.
"The Fall", of course, is where we chose the temptation of knowledge over
that relationship. Isn't that what we choose again when we focus on the details of the
hows and whens and how-longs of creation rather than celebrating the gift God has given us
and the stewardship God has called us to? We start with "In the Beginning it was
good" ... and end (in the Gospel) with Jesus' promise that "I will be with you
always" as He calls us to go out into the world and proclaim the Good News. Pretty
Good News indeed! Blessings, Susan in SanPedro
I'm taking a bit different tack on this and looking at how God went about the work of
creation:
- took it a day at at time - celebrated along the way (it was good!) - took a break
(rested 7th day) - let go of control (animals were to go and multiply, etc.--creation was
ever-changing, not once and fo all done) - trusted (Gave human dominion over earth--left
it to us)
All of which is a good model for us as we go about our work. Even grief work--can be
related to Memorial Sunday for those of us in the US.
Dave Russell Arthur, IL
Dave Russell Arthur, Thanks for your reflection. That is how I want to look at the
pericope myself. The clear organization of God's creative order. It is good organization.
It is done in chunks with a reflection at the conclusion of a day. This is a priestly
account. I also like your observation that God trusted each part to do it's own
responsibility. I ams still wanting to see how Creator God interacts with Hagar. The angel
of the Lord comes to her. None of this was planned. Does God plan the interaction with me.
Is the creation of my life an accident, a planned interaction, or a correction after
incidents? Questions I am reflecting upon as I prepare for Sunday. JmJ I would appreciated
your reaction to my reflections. Thanks for your earlier post!
Shalom
Pasthersyl
How about "Creation Story Proves Once and For All: God is an ENFJ"? [In
Myers-Briggs lingo.] Only an "E" (extrovert) would create a universe for the
sheer joy of companionship and relationship. Only a "J" would have the precision
to conceive and implement the ordering of creation. I could go on and on, but if you're
not familiar with the MBTI you're bored by now, and if you ARE, you get the point and
could probably do a better job at drawing the comparisons yourself! Just some "food
for thought" on a particularly beautiful day in the neighborhood -- Southern
California style! (A great day to be contmeplating the creation!)Blessings, Susan in
SanPedro
Susan in SanPedro,
As an ENFJ myself, I can only hope this is not true! I really need a God who is more
logical and practical than an I am! Having studied Myers Briggs stuff over the past 16
years, I've come to the conclusion that Jesus was the perfect integration of all the
opposites on the personality scales (Extrovert - Introvert, etc). What we CAN do with the
MBTI is consider the various personality types as different expressions of the God-image
of 1:27. Chris in Australia
Response to Rev. Jennifer, Tilden Edwards, Sabbath Time is a great resource on the
resting of God and creation and us. He develops the themes and theology of rest and looks
at ways to reclaim it in our time. It's good stuff. REV PL
Thanks for your helpful comments. I guess the problem for me, being a military brat, is
that Memorial Day always honored our war dead. Not that that's bad, but I do believe Peace
with Justice Sunday was 'created' to counteract some of the focus on and glorification of
the military.
Pastersyl, three years ago, I preached on the OT stories during the summer. It was one
of the best preaching series I've ever done. I so enjoyed reading the stories again and
reflecting on them. Good luck. You might check out "The Five Books of Miriam, A
Woman's Commentary on the Torah" by Ellen Frankel, Harper, San Francisco, 1998. ISBN:
0-06-063037-X (pbk.)
jmj: Please don't limit your sharing to those who e-mail you. This forum is for that
kind of sharing whenever you feel its appropriate, and comfortable for you.
I titled my sermon and It Was Is Good (where I did a strikeout on the Was). We have so
much these days to point to that's not good, let's remember that God created this world,
and what God makes is Very Good. It is our responsiblity, and with God's help, we can
restore the relationships, the ecology to the Very Good God intended.
Pray for my I have laryngitis tonight (Friday). I will need a small miracle to be able
to preach with out our now dead sound system on Sunday!
RevJan
Hi all.
Thanks to jmj for the link to the Choral Creation reading! I'm printing it off even as
I write this! Will use it someday....
While I was looking up the site, I read a few of the comments about this story. (I'm
sure many of you have, too!) I was struck by the portion which discussed "order"
in creation. NOT the order in which everything was made, but the sense of order which
came/comes out of chaos, order in the sense of meaning, purpose.
I think I might want to mention that tomorrow. Order, meaning, purpose, focus, in a
dis-ordered, meaningless, ambiguous, unfocussed world and life. We are not promised
"order" in the way we usually say we want it - not everything makes sense, even
for, maybe especially for, Christians! But in the midst of the senseless, we can still
have hope for the ultimate victory of Love.
One more thought. This beautiful creation story shows pretty clearly that God is an
artist. I think that's our call in this story, as well as through our baptism (see Matthew
28). We are created by The Artist, and then, through the waters of batism, we are called
to be artists as well.
Called to be artists in the art of living authentic human lives.
Rick in Canada, eh?
Hi. I've enjoyed reading your comments the last few weeks. It's my first time to write.
I like the idea of breaking up the Genesis reading and putting symbols on the altar. For
those of you who don't plan ahead, like me, one way to break up the text is to have the
congregation sing the chorus "all things bright and beautiful ... "after each
day. As long as you have an understanding accompanist/choir director. Last minute stuff is
okay in small churches where bulletins are for announcements only and not the order of
service!
What is our model for "sabbath"? We equate going to church with observing the
sabbath and for many it is work! How do we rest? Thanks for the observation that God took
time each day to say "it is good." Not the same thing as 'how much I've
accomplished!'
Hope all have a 'good' Sunday.
elaine
Pastrsyl,
This is very late. Too Late for Sunday, but I had a dear lady from my smaller church
who has been struggling with letting go of a life that was being over come by lukemia. She
died this morning.
anyway, back to your question "Is life an accident, planed, or corrected
incidents." If I had to choose from these three options, using my own life
experiences as a guide I would say a correction of incidents.
Many crurel, hurtful and unloving events took place in my life from conception on. I do
not believe that God planned any of these things. However, I have been more and more
certian that God has been there for me again and again, even before I "knew"
God, correcting the events, transforming them and finding often an even better way inspite
of all anyone has done.
God has given us free will which accounts for the sin in the world. We often choose
that which does harm to others, sometimes out of ignorance, selfishness, or the
circumstances of our upbringing. When you are a victum of anothers sinful acts I have
discovered that God is there at one time or another to pour into us a healing grace that
can transform the foulest deed into a gift. Living life is about letting yourself see the
good that God is able to put in your life in spite of all the bad that is there because of
others and evne sometimes because of our selves. The power that raised Jesus Christ from
the Dead is the same power which lives in us to day to raise us not just at the end of our
life, but at every step along the way. No time for self pity, just time to forgive and
recieve the gift of love into our heart and then give it away to as many as we have
opportunity. This is Gods great way of continunig creation. God's work of creation is not
over but continues. you call it correcting iccidents I call it recreation. It as all the
same I think. Aren't we glad to be part of that continueing act of creation!!! The Power
of God is always here to heal and make whole no matter how many pieces you have been
broken into or how many times you have been broken.
There is a story about an acient clay water jug that was excuvated piece by peice,
glued back together and now has a pominate place in a seminary in Ill. It is a vessel of
great value today. When it was created many thousands of years ago it was just a common
ordinary water jug. It can hold no water today, but it is of even greater value. It has
survived!!!
Hagar survived. She lived to start another life, thaks be to the God of Creation. If
she can live so can we!! Amen!!
Think of Hagar, turly a woman scorned and mis-used, although the birth of her child I
understand was not so uncommon in those days. But Sarah sure did do her wrong. Still there
is a whole nation from the fruit of her womb also. We as Christinas often scorn that
nation, but it does worship the God of Abraham and Moses just as we do. Granted we have
Jesus which puts another slant on it, but if we could talk to each other one to one
Muslum, or Christian we could find that there are many more things that we agree upon than
disagree. Our goverments disagree but we as people have more in common than not. I am
looking forward to a trip to Africa in Dec. where I will have opportunity to be in dialog
with those of the Muslum faith. Now all that was an aside, the point is that Hagar and her
son also became a blessing. we Can see this when we can get our political view points out
of the way - maybe!! Isn't that what peace and justice is all about??
Friends- I wonder if anyone is as bored and turned off as I am, by the passe, outdated,
irrelevant debate on creation vs evolution. Yeeks! thought we moved on from the Scopes
trial?
love it when people engage each other with creative energy... seeking to help others
.....
been thinking about this thru the night...
any of you know James Weldon johnson...fine poet
wrote one famous piece... the Creation...
whiule it is very late...actually early here 7am...it is something for your
resources...I'll use it as part of today's sermon..
The Creation
And God stepped out on space,
And he looked around and said:
I'm lonely--
I'll make me a world.
And far as the eye of God could see
Darkness covered everything,
Blacker than a hundred midnights
Down in a cypress swamp.
Then God smiled,
And the light broke,
And the darkness rolled up on one side,
And the light stood shining on the other,
And God said: That's good!
Then God reached out and took the light in His hands,
And God rolled the light around in His hands
Until He made the sun;
And He set that sun a- blazing in the heavens.
And the light that was left from making the sun
God gathered up in a shining ball
And flung against the darkness,
Spangling the night with the moon and stars.
Then down between
The darkness and the light
He hurled the world; And God said: That's good!
Then God himself stepped down--
And the sun was on His right hand,
And the moon was on His left;
The stars were clustered about His head,
And the earth was under His feet.
And God walked, and where He trod
His footsteps hollowed the valleys out
And bulged the mountains up.
Then He stopped and looked and saw
That the earth was hot and barren.
So God stepped over to the edge of the world
And He spat out the seven seas--
He batted His eyes, and the lightnings flashed--
He clapped His hands, and the thunders rolled--
And the waters above the earth came down,
The cooling waters came down.
Then the green grass sprouted,
And the little red flowers blossomed,
The pine tree pointed his finger to the sky,
And the oak spread out his arms,
The lakes cuddled down in the hollows of the ground,
And the rivers ran down to the sea;
And God smiled again,
And the rainbow appeared,
And curled itself around His shoulder.
Then God raised His arm and He waved His hand
Over the sea and over the land,
And He said: Bring forth! Bring forth!
And quicker than God could drop His hand,
Fishes and fowls
And beasts and birds
Swam the rivers and the seas,
Roamed the forests and the woods,
And split the air with their wings.
And God said: That's goodl
Then God walked around,
And God looked around
On all that He had made.
He looked on His world
With all its living things
And God said: I'm lonely still.
Then God sat down--
On the side of a hill where He could think;
By a deep, wide river He sat down;
With His head in His hands,
God thought and thought,
Till He thought: I'll make me a man!
Up from the bed of the river
God scooped the clay;
And by the bank of the river
He kneeled Him down;
And there the great God Almighty
Who lit the sun and fixed it in the sky
Who flung the stars to the most far corner of the night,
Who rounded the earth in the middle of His hand,
This Great God,
Like a mammy bending over her baby, |
Kneeled down in the dust
Toiling over a lump of clay
Till He shaped it in His own image;
Then into it He blew the breath of life,
And man became a living soul.
Amen. Amen.
Don Hoff, elmira, NY
donaldhoff@aol.com
Date: 02 Jan 2000
Time: 02:16:00
Beginnings. That place that comes before knowing, where we stare into the haze, unsure and perhaps with more than a little fright. Yet, it's there where we must start, where every journey becomes, where every story is birthed with a thousand possibilities. And it's there where we stand naked, before we have been clothed with the certainty of experience, in the unfathomable shadow of that which has yet to be revealed. Beginnings, a reality on the precipice of a dawning. Like standing for the first time right at the end of the high-dive, ready to launch one's self into the emptiness beyond the edge but knowing the fall will be terrible. Terrible and wonderful. Good or bad, wonder or terror, the coming together of the paradoxical metaphor. But which will it be and where do the paths lead? Beginnings, a frightful place to be.
That's where she found her self, as she stood at the abyss of new experience. She had heard their stories. She had listened intently as they told the tales of life and death. Stories which gripped the attention and brought a gasp of amazement or the tear-stained face of grief. Tales of beauty and truth and mercy. Tales of horror and fear and atrocity. Their words had washed over her soul, flooding her being with their experiences of creation in all it's remarkable brilliance and drowning her emotions in the depths of the destruction, incomprehensible and chilling. And now she was here, at that place of story, at that place of life and death, here in the midst of refugees.
They drove slowly into the camp, through the small gate, and past the guard shack which had once been peopled with soldiers who would have gruffly turned them away. Now all they could see was the face of a young blond-haired girl as she peeked out from the guard-shack window, eyes wide and mouth formed in a perfect O. And before their vehicle cleared the gate, the girl quickly scampered toward the cluster of broken down buildings, excitedly proclaiming their arrival.
Their car pulled into one of the few parking spaces at the end of the broken concrete drive and before they had even departed the vehicle, small faces were pressed against the vehicle's windows. She looked all around her at the dozen or so children who eagerly shoved one another about in order to get the best view. She heard their excited laughter and joyous exclamations. She could only imagine what they might be saying, their words being so different from her own. But their intentions were clear as she stepped from the vehicles when a dozen small arms quickly embraced her in exuberant hugs of welcome.
She had heard the tragic tales, yet as she stood among them, these small excited children dancing around her, she had a difficult time seeing them in their prior situation -- beaten and battered, tortured and bleeding, desperately fleeing a horrific evil which sought to consume them in it's cataclysmic circumstance. She looked more intently, trying to see their story. And as she stared she noticed their clothes which had been worn by someone else's child. She watched as they ran and skipped about in shoes that were once new on someone else's feet, shoes that would soon be falling apart. She observed that though their smiles were genuine, their eyes never seemed to stop moving about, as if always on the watch from some unnamed fear, some nightmare which lurked just beyond this present reality.
Soon, several adults, mostly women, joined the merriment. They opened the trunk of the vehicle and the many hands quickly whisked away the boxes of supplies they had brought. Amid the joyous chatter, the containers filled with food, clothing, and medicines disappeared through the dark doorways of the broken, grimy buildings. Hands grasped hers and pulled her toward the darkness as well. She wasn't sure she wanted to go. She wasn't sure she wanted to risk the truths that lay within the tortured structure. Yet, those whom she came with were going, and try as she might, she could conceive of no other alternative. So, reluctantly she went, into the darkness, into this place which served as the home to this vanquished mass of tormented flesh.
As her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, made ever blacker by the bright wintry day of the world outside, she saw the mildewed walls and the floors which were buckling from a myriad of leaks overhead. She saw the doors stretching out down the narrow hall in front of her. Each door representing the dwelling place of perhaps two or three families, pressed together into a community of necessity, brought together in a cramped existence where privacy only existed within the confines of one's mind. Where even there, it was rarely possible to escape the sounds, smells, and closeness of the next body. Three hundred and fifty people crushed into a space built for fifty.
Her friends disappeared into one of the rooms and hands pulled her after them. After the blackness of the hall, the intensity of the light pouring through the room's windows caused her to squint in pain. She raised her hand to cover her eyes and gingerly looked about her. They were squeezed around a small table which was wedged in between several beds. Blankets, hanging from long lines stretching across the room, acted as walls which separated the tiny room into a space for two families. Plastered on the dingy walls were dozens of pictures, torn from the pages of old magazines, pictures which were meant to bring art and beauty into the dismal surrounding.
Though she had never seen her host before, it was immediately obvious that her friends knew the old woman. They embraced and the old woman motioned for them to sit at the mini-table. They had arrived at the meal time and there on the table was a lone bowl of soup. Her friends at first protested but finally gave into the old woman's pleas. They sat and faced one another over the steaming bowl as leathery, cracked hands passed spoons around the table. Then, the old woman pulled a coarse chunk of bread from a small wooden box. She looked at the bread in the old woman's battered hands. Even from where she sat, she could see tinges of discoloration where mold was just beginning to make it's mark. Breaking the bread, the old woman gave each a small piece.
Finally, she sat on a box pulled to the edge of the small table, picked up her spoon and motioned for them to eat. Each in turn, they begin to dip their spoons into the watery soup. Each in turn, they began to partake of the food before them, food which might have well been the only meal the old woman would have for that day. The body and the blood. Each in turn.
As they ate the bread and sipped the soup, the bright light streaming through the dirty window shone about them. The bright light pushing back the darkness … and it was good. Beginnings.
In hopes that we might all find God-filled beginnings. Shalom my friends, Nail-Bender in NC
Date: 04 Jan 2000
Time: 15:28:28
"God said"...The power of image-making revealed in the act of speaking...of speaking the word! "Of the Power of the Word", Hasidism teaches: "When you speak, cherish the thought of the secret voice and the word, and speak in fear and love, and remember that the world of the word finds utterance through your mouth. Then you will lift the word...Remember that you are only a vessel, and that your thought and your word are worlds that spread out: the world of the word-that is the Divine Presence which, when it is uttered, desires something from the world of thought. And when you have drawn from the light of God into your thought and word, pray that something of the abundance and blessing from the world of thought may pour over the world of the word. Then you too will receive what you need. That is why we say: ' Let us find you in our prayers'! God can be found in our very prayer.".....Will our Witness Of the Word this week be an expression of authentic prayer? What kind of relationship with God and fellow humanity is implicit in every "word" we speak? What kind of faith system and/or worldview is implicit in every word we speak? Do the words we speak confirm the "image" within, in which we have been created, such that The voice of God can be heard: "Let there be light!"...OR...Do we not need to cry with Isaiah, "Woe is me for I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips"......Do we not need to move from the front of the dark cave where we have seen shadows of the front wall of the cave and assumed these shadows were truth and reality? Do we not need to go outside of the dark cave into the bright Son/Sun...even though at first it may so hurt our eyes...Heidegger holds that in the passion of care, in what Tillich called the act of ultimate concern, hidden in the depths of every word we speak, there is revealed the "self-world" relation we each have forged. How we understand ourselves and how we see our world is implicit in every word we speak....Not only did God say "Let there be light" but in the image-making capacity he empowered us with in the power/gift of language we too say in every word/breath "Let there be light" ...but woe to us IF that we call "light" is darkness...how deep is the darkness! I pray that all of you "witnessing the Word of God" this week will be/become the expression of God when he said" "Let there be light"...that in all of your words it is the Light of Christ that will be received, seen, heard, and experienced by your laity and by the world. I pray that Pentecost this epiphany sunday will rule over Babel. PaideiaSCO meditating in the north ga mts where winds blow strongly today!
Date: 06 Jan 2000
Time: 21:30:41
Ted- you wrote <<I love the Poem "The Creation" by James Weldon Johnson and will use it again. >> I used that last year, and iut worked very well, especially if you can ghet a keyboard or organist to improvise with you... it comes across with great strength when done slowly with that musical partnership.
Can you post the poem here for those who don't have it? I know that it can be found on a web site on JW johnson......too many preachers don't know his stuff..
We'll concentrate on light.... and the confirmation by the Spirit Holy.
don hoff, elmira,ny donaldhoff@aol.com
Date: 07 Jan 2000
Time: 19:04:21
For Pastorsyl, Day and Night, Light and Darkness-- God says the light is good. And yet, sometimes it hurts our eyes. Sometimes we prefer the shadows.
Bringing the homeless into your church can shine a little too much light on a problem that we prefer to keep in the dark about. Isn't it better to keep "those people" out there in the shadows?
And yet, what a light for them! A warm place. A safe place. And provided by "those self-righteous church folks" of all people.
I salute the courage of your congregation to take this step in living in the light!
ST
Date: 07 Jan 2000
Time: 21:11:35
Ted and Don HOff! Yes, please post the poem. As a child, I memorized a poem about Creation and for years, I've tried to remember all of the lines. But I can't remember the poet or the name of the poem. All I can remember are some of the lines.....
"And God said, 'I'm lonely. I'll make me a world." "And as far as the light of the eye could see...darkness covered everything...black as a hundred midnights...down in a cypress swamp." Do these lines come from this poem?
Jude in Wash.
Date: 07 Jan 2000
Time: 21:12:07
Ted and Don HOff! Yes, please post the poem. As a child, I memorized a poem about Creation and for years, I've tried to remember all of the lines. But I can't remember the poet or the name of the poem. All I can remember are some of the lines.....
"And God said, 'I'm lonely. I'll make me a world." "And as far as the light of the eye could see...darkness covered everything...black as a hundred midnights...down in a cypress swamp." Do these lines come from this poem?
Jude in Wash.
Date: 07 Jan 2000
Time: 23:34:01
I've been looking at the Genesis passage, and noticing that at creation, God spoke and the Spirit hovered over the waters and the light separated from the darkness; God spoke again to Mary, and the Spirit hovered over her, and through her waters in giving birth, the Light separated from the darkness of the womb; God spoke again to Jesus in the Jordan, and the Spirit tore apart the heavens and descended onto Jesus like a dove, and through the waters of the Jordan, the Light of Humankind began His ministry, and the darkness fled from Him wherever he encountered it.
Lots of wonderful symbolism and parallelism. Anyone make anything of this?
Jude in Wash.
Date: 07 Jan 2000
Time: 23:40:16
light got birthed...
the Light got birthed.....
our Light got birthed........
Date: 08 Jan 2000
Time: 01:42:18
I had decided earlier in the week to incorporate the Johnson sermon this Sunday and have been reading it over and over. My puzzle: do I let it stand by itself or add to it with words of my own - though I don't know how to equal it's strength. How have those of you done it in the past??? Wish I had thought about the musical accompaniment earlier in the week - what a splendid idea!
preachercat
Date: 08 Jan 2000
Time: 13:34:32
Preachercat
Whether you comment on "The Creation" or not depends on how God wants you to use it in your congregation. Is the sermon (The Creation is a whole sermon and exegesis of Genesis and a certain style of delivery) in keeping with what you need to say? I say this because I want us to see more the message of James Weldon Johnson's piece, and not just entertainment(none of you indicated that so I'm not accusing anyone of this. I just don't want that to happen) I will say Preachercat, that commentary does take away from the presentation. I recently read one of Nailbender's stories during the sermon, and some of my family members felt the introduction I gave took away from the story.
Shalom
Pasthersyl