This is the story of how it all started, of Heaven and Earth when they were created.

Transcription

1 This is the story of how it all started, of Heaven and Earth when they were created. 5-7 At the time GOD made Earth and Heaven, before any grasses or shrubs had sprouted from the ground GOD hadn t yet sent rain on Earth, nor was there anyone around to work the ground (the whole Earth was watered by underground springs) GOD formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive a living soul! 8-9 Then GOD planted a garden in Eden, in the east. He put the Man he had just made in it. GOD made all kinds of trees grow from the ground, trees beautiful to look at and good to eat. The Tree-of-Life was in the middle of the garden, also the Tree-of-Knowledge-of- Good-and-Evil A river flows out of Eden to water the garden and from there divides into four rivers. The first is named Pishon; it flows through Havilah where there is gold. The gold of this land is good. The land is also known for a sweet-scented resin and the onyx stone. The second river is named Gihon; it flows through the land of Cush. The third river is named Hiddekel and flows east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 GOD took the Man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order GOD commanded the Man, You can eat from any tree in the garden, except from the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil. Don t eat from it. The moment you eat from that tree, you re dead GOD said, It s not good for the Man to be alone; I ll make him a helper, a companion. So GOD formed from the dirt of the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the Man to see what he would name them. Whatever the Man called each living creature, that was its name. The Man named the cattle, named the birds of the air, named the wild animals; but he didn t find a suitable companion GOD put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. GOD then used the rib that he had taken from the Man to make Woman and presented her to the Man The Man said, Finally! Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh! Name her Woman for she was made from Man. Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh. The two of them, the Man and his Wife, were naked, but they felt no shame.

2 Bristol Lutheran Pentecost 16B Genesis2:4b Mystery. It s God s mystery. You may think this story of creation is straight forward, simple, clear. But there is a lot of mystery to these words. If this version of creation is unfamiliar, the first thing we need to know is there are multiple creation stories in the Bible. The common one, where God creates in 7 days, and this second story that is different. Instead of God creating humans on the 6 th day God creates them first. Instead of just speaking and creation into appearing, God forms humans out of clay, breathes life into nostrils, plants the gardens, bends the rivers. God seems much more hands on the potter, gardener, image of God. The reason we have two creation stories? It is simple really hundreds of different religious and cultural traditions have stories and oral tales of how the world came to be. Many like the Mesopotamian creation in The Epic of Gilgamesh include God, and a flood, and other similar details to the Bible, but so many facts differ. Of course they would because nobody was around at the beginning of creation to write down if there were dinosaurs, a big bang, evolution, or what.

3 So in our holy, sacred scriptures, we have two different groups of people, from different traditions, with different authors, seeking to explain the existence of creation. And the stories get interwoven into Genesis 1 and 2. The question that always gets asked, is how can you have two differing stories, and both be accurate? And how can you have hundreds of creation stories, and all be true. Maybe, just maybe, it means the literal details of the creation accounts God creating in 7 days by speaking, or by forming people out of divine playdoh - doesn t matter. Maybe we leave it up to God s mystery. What does matter is that God creates. And still creates. And loves to create. Humans, and plants, and lakes, and animals. What matters is the underlying story in these creation accounts, not the literal details. Not the arguments of is this true does this happen or not when was Earth created. How can science and faith co-exist. Those are arguments that some people love to debate but really are not important to what God created us to be. The details are mysterious and unimportant. But not the story.

4 Because the story is one of helping, taking care of creation, and each other. The story is one of working side by side with people we just met to till the earth, to produce good food, to serve God without shame. The story is about how God gives us life, breathes into us and gives us that life to share together. Over the years, we have focused way too much on the details of these passages, detracting from the meaning, the beauty of the story that is present. For years, the way Genesis was used is that man came first, and the woman is created from the man, and is the helper, the servant, to the man. Completely forgetting that it was about humans serving God. This is one of those passages that prevented woman from teaching in the church, becoming pastors, or having any equity in societies run by the men. It seems the word helper, has been corrupted to mean inferior, weak, subservient. But we may not realize, God is called our helper. To create superior and inferior gender roles, based off of this story is taking away from the good news of genesis, the beginning of creation. God finds a helper for the human a an equal partner, to share in the work of taking care of creation. And taking care of one another as humans. Isn t that what God asks of us today?

5 To help one another, to thrust compassion and love, and care onto other humans that need it or animals that need it or the environment that needs it. God s message has been the same from the beginning. But when we get concerned with proving a point from the details of these ancient stories, we lose completely that grace message that God shows us. The same can be said about the end of the passage which is used so often for weddings, and in defense of heterosexual marriage. But the passage really is not about marriage despite the word wife being there. The story is about God making humankind, not a named person, just the general word for man or Adam, and then making another human but a different kind female. And do you think God stopped creating after those first two people? Don t you think God kept creating even more variety and diversity, making us different, making us in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and genders. Yet through all the unique people, animals, and other crazy creations this story remains a reminder, about how God still asks us to help together, work together, live together, love together.

6 It is a story about how God provides us with a responsibility to care for creation - which is not done alone. Our responsibility formed in Genesis - is joyfully carried out with other companions those we marry, friends and family, a church community, and others. Creation is a simple story but full of mysteries that won t be understand. Maybe we want more concrete details and declaration from God. Maybe we want to proof against Big Bang and Evolution. Maybe we are left confused and frustrated that such a simple story says so much yet nothing. That our questions don t have satisfactory answers. And maybe that is okay. That the wonder of creation can t be understood. Maybe the simple perspective that God creates and it is good is enough. Maybe the debates of science, gender, and marriage take a back seat to the grace that we are created by a magnificent God. Maybe there is room in our world, and in our church for working hand in hand with others those we agree with, those who are different from us, and do it all without shame. We must not forget our place as the handiwork of God s creation. God creating us in the image of Trinity not us creating God in our image. Remembering, there is awe and wonder at the biggest mystery of all, that God would love me so much, to create me. Though I ll never understand why, I still say thanks be to God. Amen.