The God who speaks Life and Order into Existence

Reconciliation United Methodist Church July 12, 2010 a Monday Meditation by Pastor Baker The God who speaks Life and Order into Existence Read Genesis 1:26-31   God is the author of all life. Like a master painter who brings a blank canvas to life, God masterfully creates the world and every living thing in the first chapter of Genesis. Yet in this case, there is no canvas. God speaks into the "formless void" and creates light (v.2). God speaks, and the waters separate from the sky. God speaks and the "earth brings forth living creatures of every kind" (v.24). For six days God creates all life by speaking it into existence. The speech and voice of God creates and brings forth life. The speech and voice of God brings order to chaos. And at the close of each day's work, "God saw that it was good." Each divine speech-act builds on the previous one until God's creating work reaches a climax near the end of the chapter. On the sixth day, after creating creatures of every kind, God said "let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness" (v.26). So God created humankind, both male and female, yet this creative act is distinct from all the others. God created humankind in the very image of God. Human beings are special and unique. Human beings have a special relationship with God and with the rest of creation. Christian writers and theologians have debated the plural address for God in verse 26: "let us make." Some commentators point out that such an address was common for a king; a type of royal "we" referring to the king and his courtiers - in this case, God and all God's royal angels, including seraphim and cherubim. A more interesting interpretation arose in Christian theology, namely that the "us" refers to the Trinity. There is food for thought here. What does it mean to be made in the image of the triune God who is a perfect community of love? The Father loves the Son as the Son loves the Father and this love is celebrated and witnessed to by the Spirit - a perfect communion of perfect love (John 15:9). In the words of St. Augustine: "Thou seest the Trinity when Thou seest love ... for the lover, the beloved, and the love are three." Humankind was created in love, by love, and for love. That much becomes clear as salvation history continues to unfold in the pages after Genesis. Humankind was also given dominion over the earth, the plants, the animals, and every living thing (28-29). The key word here is dominion, not domination. Just as God would judge the later kings of Israel by their just or unjust rule, so God will judge how humanity cares for the "created subjects" placed under our care and oversight. Human beings, both male and female, continue to have a special relationship with God and with the rest of creation. Creating God, thank you for your life giving word that brings order and life to all things. Amen. Monday Meditation  is a weekly email ministry of Reconciliation United Methodist Church written by Pastor Kevin Baker. To subscribe to other RUMC email lists, click here and go the the "Subscribe to our Lists" picture link.   RUMC P.O. Box 52326 Durham, North Carolina 27717 Reconciliation United Methodist Church