RevCoachAtkinson

Sunday, January 19, 2014

To Till and To Keep

To Till and To Keep

A sermon delivered by Rev. Peter T. Atkinson

January 19, 2014

at Gordonsville Presbyterian Church, Gordonsville, Virginia

Genesis 2: 4-9; 15

Matthew 22: 34-40

Let us pray,

Help us to see despite our eyes

Help us to think outside of our minds

Help us to be more than our lives

For your eyes show the way

Your mind knows the truth

Your being is the life.

Amen.

Today is a cool day in the life of the church because it is the day where we install new elders to the session, and for the second year in a row, we are ordaining a new elder, laying hands on, with that connection to history, with all its weight, with all its tradition, with all its responsibility, Ben you'll feel all that, and you and Margaret will be setting forth, beginning a new path of service and leadership. It is extra special this year, as it was a year ago, because a child of this particular church is now taking that next step. It is special for the church, and it is special for his family, it's special for him, and it's special for God. It's a proud moment because it is a commitment of a life time, a selfless one at that, a commitment of service, selfless service, of much time, sometimes full of frustrations, but filled also with the great honor of getting to take a new and dedicated walk with God, for that is what being an elder is above all. . . taking a walk. . . a walk reminiscent of the primordial walks in the garden of Eden, between Adam and God, walks that would take place in the cool of the day we are told, walks that God cherishes, and misses greatly when we decide we don't want to walk them anymore, which is a phenomenon we'll talk about some next week, but for now though, let us focus on the perfection of the garden, the newness of life, and our unfallen state to get a glimpse of what God's perfect idea for the call of humanity truly is.

In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, ⁵when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; ⁶but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground— ⁷then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. ⁸And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

¹⁵The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. ^{^[1]}

If we take the two accounts of creation in Genesis 1 & 2 together as one cohesive story, we see in close view in Genesis 2 what we get a distant survey of in Genesis 1. Here we are magnified on the 6th day, and God has made the home, the oikos, especially for human beings in which to dwell, and live, and thrive. And now for human beings, the pinnacle of creation, God decides to get his hands dirty. We get a glimpse of closeness, and care, not simply the distant God sending out his Word and speaking light, and it coming into being, calling things good, but God personally forming us from the dust of the ground, and especially breathing into our nostrils the breath of life. It's close, it's intimate, to quote Casablanca, it is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, a relationship framed in perfect purpose, meant to be close a partnership, dare I say love, put in a garden of perfection, with all the trimmings, food, pleasant to the sight and good for nourishment, with only one limitation, one rule, one boundary, fullness of life, relationship, paradise, but one line never to cross, there also stood looming large in the midst of the garden the tree of knowledge of good and evil, one temptation in the middle of paradise. As I said we'll get into that misstep crossing the line next week, that world changing, watershed moment, but today as if it had never happened, we're there in paradise, working with God, for he has made us it says to "till and to keep."

What does it mean to till and to keep, how does that work within the labor necessary for the creation and cultivation of a garden literally and of a faithful world figuratively. If we are to till and to keep, what else is necessary for the garden to flourish, for there is more to it than simply tilling and keeping? What is our job? What is God's job? How is the partnership to work? On a sports team, or in a band, or in any working group, there are roles, defined and working together side by side if the group or partnership is to function. How are these roles divided between creator and creation, God and us. If we think about it, within the context of the garden metaphor, there are circular cyclical steps within gardening. There is tilling, and then there is sowing and growing, then there is keeping, then finally reaping, and then repeat, repeat, repeat. It is interesting to look at this formula of the partnership between humans and God in the garden, and then of course its many parallels in our world.

Tilling is the breaking of the ground, the making of a foundation, making a place for the seeds to be planted within the Earth that God has made. The Hebrew word for it is Awbad, to till, to work, to serve, but with the object of the verb being the ground, to work the ground, to serve the ground, so to till the ground makes the most sense. To till the ground. I get that. It makes sense to me. It seems to mirror some of Jesus' parables. Often Jesus speaks about seeds and where they fall, that they may fall on the path, that they may fall on the rocky ground, and neither take root and flourish, but seeds that fall on cultivated soil, tilled soil, then those seeds are the ones that come to full fruition. I like the image of tilling. I like that humans are to till. It is of course interesting that the ground we are tilling is the very same ground where God made us, the very same ground with which He made us. . . In Hebrew Adam of course means man, but Adamah is ground. . . even in language man comes from the ground. so We till the ground, the metaphor of ourselves is hard to miss, we till, and then. . .

God plants seeds, brings nourishing rains. The crops grow. They thrive and prepare themselves to give life. And then we are on again, we are to keep them. Keeping is interesting. There is work here, it's care, it's love, it's protection. It's stewardship. It's a responsible hand. The Hebrew word is Shamar, to keep, protect, guard, remember. . . it is interesting because it is the same root as a word that means commit to memory through repetition, the Jewish Shema, was to be written everywhere and repeated all day, to love God with all your heart, mind, and strength, and so "keeping" here is a repetitive constant thing. Keeping. And then finally, its back to God again, God reaps. God takes the finished fruit, he knows when it is time, and only he does. He knows when it is time to call.

So our two jobs, Tilling and Keeping are in and around the things that God does, all necessary, a part of both, God doesn't necessarily need us to do it, but has invited us into relationship for this very reason. In Genesis 1 it talks about humans being made in God's image for the special purpose of having dominion, but here in Genesis 2 we get a glimpse of what that dominion means. It is not a non-connected ruler, taking over for God to do what we like, ruining the land, destroying the world because we can, but instead we see here that we are to till and to keep. Let's look at these two now as symbolic, not just as a garden, but in the world around us.

There are so many ways that we can till the ground that is here surrounding us, making ourselves and others ready for God to enter into lives. How are we living to do this? Especially as Christians, are we making the ground ready for God's work, or do we sometimes make it so that the seeds can't be planted? As Christianity gets more and more marginalized in our society how much of that is based on some of the missteps that Christians have taken, some of the battles that we have fought, that have actually resulted in turning people away, making it harder to plant seeds, instead of making deep and fertile rows, we've left hard and shallow, rocky narrow roads, like concrete, coldness, cold hearts, impenetrable. You could say that in the 2000 years of Christianity we have tried to do more than just till, we've also tried to plant, ourselves. Are crusades and inquisitions and blue laws, state religions examples of humans overstepping their role, doing more than just tilling, trying to plant as well, and in such destroying the soil we are supposed to be cultivating? How can we learn from this? Can we allow ourselves to simply till, and then let God do the planting? What would that look like? It would certainly require faith wouldn't it? Faith rather than legislation. Education and caring, the hard work of tilling the soil, rather than force. To just be able to lay the ground work and have God step in and do the next piece, to believe that God will do his work, the active work, only God can do. And then it would be our turn again.

The keeping. . . how are we doing at looking after what God has planted? Are we nurturing those around us, are we loving them, are we caring for them, or are we trying to rush them toward their bringing fruit, seeking to reap the harvest on our own terms? Interesting how we again within the metaphor often try to infringe on God's work, by overstepping our own. We seek to get people ready to be productive, we think about what they can do for us, what they can do for the church, what they can do for the world, rather than simply loving them, keeping them, for them, for their very well being, knowing that God has a plan for them, not us, and that when it is time God will call them to action, call them to begin their own tilling, their own keeping, and the cycle begins again.

Today we recognize that God has called two new tillers and keepers, one for the first time in this official role, and another poised and ready to work another season in the fields. At each step of my own ordination path I was given a charge, a few words that put the step into perspective for me. I was blessed to have a dear friend and mentor give those for me, and they all meant something because they simply tilled the soil for what God was doing, and they let me know that I'd be kept in care along the way. Margaret, Ben, the same is true for you, and now you are called to be active elders in this church. It is a fine act of ministry, important and crucial within God's plans for this church. Remember each step of the way that God is the one who reaps, and so God has called you, not the members of this church, not me, not the nominating committee, but God, for now you have come to fruit, and God has picked you, with his own hands, getting them again dirty, ready for the walk, like Adam. . . you will be asked to till. . . and to keep. Here in this church help to cultivate places where God can plant seeds. It's a great place to start. . . know that you do not have to do it all, making the row is enough, God will take the next step. Look for those seeds that are planted by God around you and foster their growth, keeping them, loving them, serving them, helping them grow, and then let them flourish, and be called as you were.

The other great aspect of the Garden metaphor is that it is a long term process, one that requires faith and patience each step of the way. Know that God is with you, know that God is working, remember always that it is a partnership, a relationship, so when the cool of the day comes, each day, take some time to walk again with God, when the time each week for Sabbath and rest comes, rest with God, too. You'll need those walks and you'll need that rest, take them, God has prescribed them both for each of us. Don't rush the work for the work is what it is all about, not the ends, the end of the cycle is in God's hands, focus on your work. . . our work together. . . simply tilling and keeping. . . together. Amen.

^{^[1]}The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1989 (Ge 2:15). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Us

Not All Myths Are Created Equal

Part 2: Us

A sermon delivered by Rev. Peter T. Atkinson

January 12, 2014

at Gordonsville Presbyterian Church, Gordonsville, Virginia

Genesis 1: 1-27

Matthew 22: 34-40

Let us pray,

Help us to see despite our eyes

Help us to think outside of our minds

Help us to be more than our lives

For your eyes show the way

Your mind knows the truth

Your being is the life.

Amen.

Last week we started this crazy journey, looking at Genesis 1. We started our focus by looking at God as the creator of the world, looking at what God does when he creates, looking at how within the tradition nothing else can do what God does, no other being as the same ability to create as God. We looked at how God holds back the waters, he brings order where there was chaos, he fills the void with life, and most importantly he brings darkness to light. He does so on the first day, and does every day since, in all of our lives just when we need it most. But to review let's take a look at the text again. . .

¹In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ²The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. ³And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ⁴And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

⁶And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” ⁷And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so. ⁸And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

⁹And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. ¹¹And God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth.” And it was so. ¹²The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ¹³And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

¹⁴And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, ¹⁵and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also. ¹⁷And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth, ¹⁸to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

²⁰And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the firmament of the heavens.” ²¹So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²²And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” ²³And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

²⁴And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. ²⁵And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the cattle according to their kinds, and everything that creeps upon the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

²⁶Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” ²⁷So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. ^{^[1]}

After creating space, the area where the creation was going to take place, God took great care in setting it up for humans to live in it. Step by step God fills the world with each detail, leading toward his creation of us, human beings. The story seems to center around the creation of human beings, and if that were not enough it centers around the creation of a special unique and important status for us, it also says that we are created in the image and likeness of God, one of the strangest, most talked about, aspects of the Bible. So many people have an opinion about what it means to be made in the image of God, but most find that, no matter their specific vision of it, find that it is an important and special status, one that sets up the rest of the story, why God is upset when Adam and Eve hide from him, why he makes covenant after covenant, and finally why he sends his only son in order to redeem us as Children of God, yes made in his image. It's central to what Christians believe about the world, but it's so common to us that we take it for granted, and we take for granted that the rest of the world sees humans in the same way, but outside of the three Abrahamic religions, which share this creation story, there is a very different view.

I had said last week that this sermon was originally just the second half of what I talked about last week, and it is. I finished last week comparing the actions of God in this story, to the other creation myths and the role of God they saw. It's what gave credence to the title of my sermon, that not all myths are created equal. And while the concept, person, and characteristics of God are certainly unique in the Genesis account of creation, the point I really wanted to make was this one, that other myths see the value and importance of humans very differently, and that distinguishes for me greatly why I find the Genesis account of Creation, the view it depicts, so important, so striking, so valuable, and of course representing truth as I see it. Humans are important, we are special, each of us, each of us individually a reflection of God, a special glimpse of the love that made this world. It is central to our faith, it is central to our vision of how the world operates, our role in the world, and maybe most importantly it is central to our hope.

But we take for granted that the rest of the world thinks this way, sees humanity this way, sees the individual this way, sees each manifestation of human life as a loved, important, purposed, unique, blessed reflection of God. Last week we looked at how some of the other major religions and philosophies of the world see the role of God in creation, now I want to take a look at how some of them see the role and import of each human life, you may be surprised at just how unique the Genesis view of humankind is.

We can start with the Greeks, they seem to be such humanists, but their view of the place of humans in the world is really interesting. Their Creation myth has one of the Titans, Prometheus making people, just to spite, Zeus, so Zeus, the king of all the gods, is hostile towards humans on most days. The end result is that human beings are merely a tool for the gods, a pawn in their game. Humans then are left to try to find their own way through a world of conflict. This negative view of humanity lends itself to philosophies of hopelessness and manipulation. You'll find that Greek and other Pagan religions are very much about people trying to manipulate the forces of the world to benefit themselves. There is no benevolent and loving god, rather just a bunch of hostile, conflicting, callous forces that can be manipulated and controlled. The place of humans in the world is actually very similar to the atheist view that we are simply a cosmic accident, a mistake, a fluke occurrence, with no real unified purpose, no sense of identity, no responsibility towards life or each other, just here existing, scratching, clawing, fighting, to simply exist and live. . . how often is the role of science in today's world not to study the natural world and the way it works, but to change it, to control it, to make it work the way that we want. . . not a perfect haven created especially for each and every human to thrive, but a world that the strong shape to their own control, leaving the weak to serve at best, wither and starve at worst. . . it really is a bleak view when you think of it, isn't it, false freedom, self made chains.

In the East it's similar. In the Taoist myth about creation, Pangu and the creation of the world, humans have no elevated status, but are simply, like everything else a piece of the unity of the connected universe. Actually in some versions of the story humans are the parasites living on the giant who dies to make up the world. Also bleak.

Hindus and Buddhists do value the individual to some extent, but with reincarnation, it's not each unique manifestation of life that is important but the infinite cycle. Each individual life is regarded just as clothes to be tossed aside, each life is not important, but rather the path itself, individuality is something to be thrown aside, rather than to be celebrated.

So there is a uniqueness to the worldview that does say that each human being is made in the image of God. That's what the story says. . . but what does life tell you? If we had to look at how society, our society answers this question, what do we believe? How do we show it? What does it mean real time? What does it mean for how we treat each other? What does it mean for how we see each other? Can statistics really ever serve us? Can demographics ever paint a worthy picture? Can systems that protect a majority while allowing some to fall through the cracks be considered good? What does it mean for policy decisions? What should be our central focus as children of God made in His image? How are we doing with that focus? They are all good questions to ask. If we were writing the myth today based on how we see the world. . . where would we put human kind? All humans? Each human? Every human? It would probably be easier to lower the status, lower the pressure, ease up on ourselves a bit, pretend that each one doesn't really matter. It would be easier, maybe more efficient, maybe more conducive to business. It would be easier on ourselves if we didn't have to rise to the level of image of God. It would be easier in our relationships if we didn't have to value each other as brothers and sisters made in the image of God. It would make life simpler if we were just cosmic mistakes, or parasites, or if we were just made out of spite in some cosmic game we don't know how to play.

But instead we are made in the image of God. It means something different to all of us. There are probably different levels of understanding, but it is hard to deny that it is an elevated status, it's hard to deny that it is a status of love, its hard to deny that it doesn't mean anything. It's hard to deny that the world, the 6 days leading up to our creation, doesn't seem to just fall in place, each detail, leading to, and taking care of our needs. All of it together is pretty awesome, pretty amazing, full of love, and then you add Jesus to it.

It is hard to see the world that way and not be grateful. Is it possible that seeing the world another way, one of those other ways misses that gratitude part, and perhaps there is the simple place where the world view starts to get skewed. Gratitude, it is the beginning isn't it. In the beginning God created, the heavens and the earth, the light, the sky, the stars, the land, the rivers and the trees, the birds, the bees, the wonders that surround us and then even us, even you and even me, special, unique, each and every one of us. May we see the world that way, may we see ourselves that way, may we see each other that way, and may we be grateful, for in that gratitude is the start, the beginning of faith, and as we will see as the story unfolds the beginning of love beyond our imagination.

^{^[1]}The Revised Standard Version. 1971 (Ge 1:1). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Who Are We?

Who are we, we ask, do we keep asking,

Not knowing because the answer is so simple?

Who are we, we ask, do we keep asking,

Not knowing because it's right there in and around us?

Who are we, we ask, do we keep asking,

Not knowing because we don't like the answer?

But there is the answer, it's here, there, and everywhere,

You are mine, I made you, I love you, be free. . . and love

For love is fruitful and multiplies. . . and love

It's what made you . . . and love

Remember. . . Love.

Love. ~ Rev. Peter T. Atkinson

The Paradox

The city standing on the hill is not
The goal. The people there do shine without,
Not for themselves the center of the plot;
For those who see, instead, it's all about.
The city shines its light unto the world;
The light itself the beacon that it gives,
That light grows dim when inward focus furled,
For love, outpouring stokes the strength, it lives!
But love that's given 's not love that is lost;
It grows the more it leaves the one whose love
Is given freely d'spite reward or cost,
Though always seen by unseen eyes above,
So shine your light and shine it not for you
And they'll be filled with light but you will, too.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

A Midwinter Reminder

A Midwinter Reminder

Rev. Peter T. Atkinson

As to the threshold question, I know no number,

But there is a point at which the cold,

Benign, clear, crisp, beautiful, turns violent,

Besieging my extremities, ever encroaching, even invading,
Like a small needle, harmless at first, perhaps helpful,
Healthful, but then the grayness spreads, a bruise,
A blemish, drying, flaking, whitening, dulling,
From prick to ache, as the invasion stays, encamps,
Pillaging, robbing the vibrant flowing resources to leave
A dead wasteland behind, and no medicine ever flows,
The piercing is instead futile, absorbed, indulgent,
Mere make-up, eyeliner, fingerless gloves;
I think I can keep it out, that the surface is me,
And that I make me. Uncovered, though, my fingertips
Turn blue, the joints stiffen, rigor pre-mortis, a taste
Of death, cold, alone, final, clock forever frozen in time.
Can I learn from Napoleon’s mistake, or am I doomed,
As all life, hot-headed, warm-blooded, lust-filled, is
To go too far, to make our hay in these those warm days,
But never enough? We forget such pain in spring time,
And so forever make November’s mistake, thinking,
I have done enough! It won’t be so cold after all!
When winter comes, we find again it is; just ask my blue fingers.
My shivering lips may just shake out one last answer,
Stuttering out in my need, a faltering, Hallelujah!

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Not All Myths Are Created Equal, Part 1: The World

Not All Myths Are Created Equal

Part 1: The World

A sermon delivered by Rev. Peter T. Atkinson

January 5, 2014

at Gordonsville Presbyterian Church, Gordonsville, Virginia

Genesis 1: 1-27

John 1:1-14

Let us pray,

Help us to see despite our eyes

Help us to think outside of our minds

Help us to be more than our lives

For your eyes show the way

Your mind knows the truth

Your being is the life.

Amen.

Sometime in the middle of the fall, as I was mired deep in the throes of lectionary preaching, looking mostly at the gospel of Luke, I decided that I wanted to preach from the Old Testament at the start of this year. I thought it would be fun to walk through the Old Testament Narrative, doing some storytelling, preaching the stories that often get relegated to Sunday School; they are familiar, though they typically remain away at a distance. We know them but we do not study them much as a whole, how they are connected, and what they tell us about God and ourselves. We often look at them from afar and see a very different God from the Gospels, but what I want to do in this series is look at these stories, see how they picture God, see how they paint the human experience, and see how these two aspects of life, God and us, despite our thinking to the contrary, hasn't changed all that much. I haven't staked out the Sundays yet, so I'm not sure how far I'll go, I'm not sure how long it will take, I'm not sure of much, but I think the Old Testament story is very much worth telling, for it is foundational to how we see God and how we see Humanity, and therefore is very important for giving us a better understanding of Jesus and the Gospel of Christ, since he is both. So let's start this morning, and this new year at the very beginning . . .

I took a risk with the title of this sermon, but I did so on purpose. I wanted to push us a bit from our fragile comfort zone, to hopefully establish a new more substantial and lasting one. Most people do not like biblical stories, especially this story to be called a myth. We have this feeling that calling something a myth suggests that it isn't true, but that is a modern notion, the ancients did not see things that way. And if you study the myths of different civilizations it isn't history that comes into question, but rather truth. Truth is the essential quality of a myth, all things else are irrelevant. So what makes a myth is the truth that it represents.

A good definition for this ancient understanding of myth is "a traditional and legendary story told to reveal truth" Traditional means closely tied to a culture, and defining of that culture. Legendary means that the story is told as if it were historical fact, it may be fact, but that is not the purpose of the story. All myths fit this part of the definition. The second part of the definition is that the story is told to "reveal truth." Truth comes in all shapes and sizes from why the sky is blue, to the idea that sons don't listen to their fathers, to bigger things like what the world is all about, and what the purpose of human life is. Genesis 1 very much fits the definition. It's a good definition because it remembers that the purpose of the story is to reveal truth, and is then geared to do so. Genesis fits into a special category of myths called origin myths, because their plots center around the beginnings of the world. The key though is that they aren't so much about that beginning, but more about the truth of the world as it is now. In other words origin myths are centered around defining a culture's worldview, and that world view is very much what it sounds like, simply what is the world like? How do we see it? Most ancient civilizations have one of these origin myths and they tend to reflect the ways in which that culture viewed the world around them, but as the title of this sermon suggests, these myths are not created equal. This is the true claim of Genesis 1, and an important distinction to make for us. . . not about science, nor history, but about the present, about truth, about our world. Yes the Big Bang Theory and its Brother Evolution also fit definition the ancient understanding of what an origin myth is, but in their claim to be historically and scientifically accurate they paint the picture of a world and a humanity that just doesn't really hold water. It seems that what Faulkner said about truth and fact rings true, that they "rarely have much to do with one another."

Having said that by way of preface, I'd like to jump right in to the text. I want to focus on the two sides of this story, one today and one next week., They are each central to its claim and formative of the Christian Worldview as depicted by the Biblical revelation, and I will raise some of the other origin myths of the world at the end to help us distinguish that Biblical claim. Many people believe that all religions and world views are basically the same, but I think you will see that they just aren't the same at all. The first side of the creation story is the role of God, what it means to create, how he creates, and what creation means, this will be our focus this week. Then the second is the place and role of us within that creation, which we'll get to next Sunday.

The Bible does not wait around to drive home it's central message. All through Advent we looked at how so much of the Christmas story calls out that God is in control, and it is there from the beginning. The first 5 words in English, and three in Hebrew. "In the Beginning God Created" or in Hebrew "Beresheet" (Beginning), Bara (Create), Elohim (God)." I want to focus on that middle word, Bara, the verb. It's translated as creates, but there is more to it, because it is a verb that only God can be the subject of, no one else can "bara" other than God. The Hebrews had a different word for the kind of creating that people do, but God is the only one that can Bara. Here we have one unified creator, doing it all, there is no help, no other forces, just God, and only God baras.

So the big question then is what does it mean to create, what does it mean to bara? It says that God creates the heavens and the earth. Great, but what was there first? In English it says in most translations "formless and void, with darkness upon the face of the deep." But what does that mean? Formless and void to me is hard to imagine. Is it something or is it nothing? I'm not sure, but in the original Hebrew language there is a really interesting image. It's a compound word, To'u-vovo'u, two words that have great poetic imagery. Hebrew has to use figurative language often because they just don't have words for things, especially abstract things like "formlessness and the void." So they use images. So the first half of the world is To-om. . . it's onomatopoeia. . . this is the part that means "void" . . . . onomatopoeia, means sound words. . .like buzz or crash, where the meaning is based on what they sound like. . . many ancient words are like this. So To-om is a sound. . . it's the sound of a rock being thrown down in the bottom of a well. . . "To-om" do you see how that is void, the empty, hollow darkness, like the bottom of a well, and there is water. . . important, keep that water image in your head. The next part "vovo-u," is actually a word that means chaos monster like a dragon, crazy and out of control. So these are the images that come together in the pre-creation world. Emptiness, darkness, and disorder. God then bara's, filling the emptiness, bringing light to the darkness, and bringing order where there was chaos. Pretty cool image huh, do you notice the Trinitarian sense of it? Do you hear the connection to John 1 that we read as the gospel passage, especially the "light shining out of the darkness." It's impressive. . . impactful.

So God's first act of Creation is to speak, more connection to John 1, speak, sending out his Word, and it says "let there be light" and it was light. There is the Word, but the spirit is there as well, look "the spirit of God" the Hebrew word is "ruach" breath, wind, is on the face of the waters." In the beginning was the word, father, son, and Holy Spirit, let there be light, and it was.

The cool imagery continues, showing what God does, day 2, the firmament, dividing the waters from the waters. It's cool because the word for water in Hebrew is "Shamayim", but do you know what the word for sky is, yes, "ha-shamayim," which literally means "the water." So God separates, water from the water. Makes sense right, they are both blue, and water does fall from the sky at times. There is logic, there is truth, they are describing the world around them, describing truth, the truth of a God who is unique, single, one, unified, with a will, a purpose, a plan, in control, creating an ordered world, and calling that ordered world Good. The next few days of creation go to show God meticulously building a home. All pointing towards the 6th day creation of human beings. Breathing life into us, and shaping us, both male and female in his own image. We'll get to that next week.

But now I want to compare this world view to some of the others in the world because the distinguishing features can give them even more emphasis. Many believe that most of the world's origin myths were written about the same time, in what is called in history the Axial age: the period of the exile for the Jews in Babylon, the Greek Golden Age and their rivals the Persians, the Vedic Period in India, and the period of the Han Dynasty in China. These all roughly take place at the same time. These are each of the main centers of civilization known as the fertile crescent. From all of these centers you get very unique world views, and each is reflected in their origin myths, and each is different from the Biblical. It's important because these world views, sometimes by different names are very much still around, and some have found their way within our own Christian understanding, for better or worse.

Babylon and Greece both have a polytheistic worldview. Unlike the Biblical account they have many gods who have hands in creation, resulting in much conflict. Human beings then are caught in the balance of that conflict and often seek to manipulate those conflicting forces to best benefit themselves, called to create along with the gods, all in conflict. There is no real right, only what can be pulled off, each god has their own perspective and their own power, and you appeal to whichever one you need. Very different in perspective from the Biblical, one God in control, baraing alone based on his own perfect will. You'll find that polytheism has many similarities to atheism, in that there is conflict, individual human beings left in the balance to claw their way, nothing of substance above to set real standards, so other much more transient things set the standards like who is the strongest, smartest, or whatever the opinion is of the majority. It lacks the peace, unity, and purpose of the Biblical Claim.

The Persians altered this slightly with the idea that there really is only two Gods, and one is good and one is bad. The Good one creates and the Bad one destroys. . . again you see the distinction between this and the account in Genesis 1, though certainly the Christian notion of the devil is similar. . . we'll have to look sometime at where that aspect of the story comes in, since it doesn't seem to be present at all in Genesis 1.

In India the Hindu take the idea of God and put it within all things, believing that the truth, the eternal, the forever living is within each individual created thing, and therefore cannot die, but instead is reincarnated in different bodily forms forever. Looking for truth within, also is a big part of the Christian landscape, perhaps with the idea of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The worlds then are created, but they don't matter because they are just blips on the eternal cycle of life. I believe we're more than that.

In China there is the belief that all things are connected, that the entire world makes up what God is equally. The butterfly is a piece, the grass, you and I, we are all equal pieces of the concept of God (for lack of a better more accurate term). I believe there is difference and variety. I'll touch on it more next week.

So there are all these opposing viewpoints about the world, and how it is created. We could even bring a modern atheistic secularist world view into play, but you will find that these myths are not at all the same, nor they do not paint the same picture about what this world is all about, and how it is in balance around us. The Bible makes very unique claims, and they are claims that can offer real comfort to us. Peace not conflict, order rather than chaos, good rather than bad, eternal, timeless, in control, forever, shaping, molding, creating, baraing, bringing light out of darkness, again and again, then, now, and forever. The truth of the Genesis account is vivid, impressive, all inclusive, and believing it to be true is very much a foundation for the rest. There must be a God, a God in control, a God creating, in order for there to really be a Jesus. Like so much it is a matter of faith. We all as humans ask ourselves what we believe. I've seen the other options, seen what they do, seen how they affect life, and I just don't see how they measure up. The God of Genesis 1 creates a world that is good. . . all we need do is believe that to be the case, and we will know freedom, hope, and peace, like you cannot even believe. . . No not all creation myths are created equal. It just can't be so.

^{^[1]}The Revised Standard Version. 1971 (Ge 1:1). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Sermon Notes from Bulletin. . .

Myth - a traditional (tied to and defining of culture) legendary (told as historical fact) story told to reveal truth.

Origin Myth - a myth about the origins of the world used to reveal truth about the way the world is.

In the Beginning God Created --אלהים ברא בראשית -- B'reshit bara elohim

Formless and Void - תהו-ובהו (to-u v-vo-u) sound of a rock falling into a well and the chaos monster

water - שמים (sh'my'em) sky - השמים (ha sh'my'em)

Culture	Type	Who Creates	What is the world like
Bible	Monotheist	God (elohim)	Ordered according the will of God called good
Greek	Polytheist	gods in conflict / natural forces	Conflict, humans manipulating world to fit their will
Persian	Dualist	Ahura Mazda (good) Ahriman (Evil)	World in struggle of Good versus Evil, Life versus destruction
Indian (Hindu)	Panentheist	Manifestations of Brahman	Worlds are created and destroyed in endless cycle
Chinese (Taoist)	Pantheist	World is One	All things are connected and equal, humans are simply a part

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Christmas Concert Highlights

O Holy Night from Concert

Fum, Fum, Fum with Coralee

Deck the Halls with Coralee and Clara

Coralee singing Christmas Secret

Coralee in Blue Ridge School Children's Choir
DeAnna Directing