SCRIPTURE: Genesis 1:1-2:4a*(edited)
TEXT: 1In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, THEME: We are all connected by God’s DNA. INTRODUCTION In this season called Ordinary Time, we are going to highlight the stories, that contain examples of faith. The stories reveal truth, and give us examples of how to live through difficulties and celebrations. The first story in the Bible lays a foundation for our relationship with God, creation and each other. It begins with God as the source of everything. Creating the Heavens, creating the earth, creating all things that exist; inanimate and alive. There is no cosmic power greater than God. There is no cosmic force other than God. SCRIPTURE The account of creation by God, is not making a scientific statement of how things came into being. But it is saying that what comes forth is a result of God’s activity, from an impulse of love, and goodness. Richard Rohr, in his daily meditations, took on God’s creating all things. He makes the observation, that If all things are created by God, then all things are created from out of God’s DNA. A beautiful illustration, as it were, as we are connected to all things through God’s creating of us. So instead of using this text as a scientific thesis of how things came into being, we can look at the creation story, as a sociological thesis on how we are all interrelated with each other. God is connected to what God has created. Everything is in relationship to everything else, and God is in relationship with us. We are in relationship with God, with others and with creation. We are interconnected with God, ourselves and creation. As they say in the Lion King, it is a “Circle of Life”. Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk, who teaches and has written on the subject of gratitude. In an On Being interview with Krista Tippett, he weaved interconnectedness with gratitude. He says, “I remember, the grace that Buddhists pray before a meal starts with the words “Innumerable beings brought us this food. We should know how it comes to us.” And when you put that into practice and look at what’s there at your table, on your plate, there is no end to connectedness. In the end, for instance — most people don’t think of it, but in the end, we always eat earth. We eat earth, not in an abstract way; in a very concrete way, this humus is what we eat. Or crystals: when we eat salt, it’s pretty obvious that comes out of the earth. That’s earth, directly. When we eat vegetables, well, the vegetables were nourished by all the nutrients in the earth, and then now we eat them, or the fruits of these plants. If you eat meat or fish, then they were nourished by vegetables, and they were nourished by the earth. Always comes back to earth.” The dominion described in the Genesis Text, is of the fish of the sea, birds of the air, cattle, wild animals, creeping things, is an interconnectedness. We effect, as well as have a responsibility in our relationship with creation. Usury may be on one side, but there is also stewardship and fostering on the other. This extends to our treatment of the earth, with global warming, deforestation, pollution, and burning fossil fuels. Extend this even further and it includes our treatment of each other. APPLICATION We are interconnected by a common Creator, how do we live in relationship with God, creation, each other and ourselves? The events of the past week demonstrate how we do not treat each other with respect, dignity, honor or goodness. For some, but not for all. I’ve been watching Seth Meyers. Last week instead of doing his usual monologue he had his staff writer, Amber Ruffin share stories of her run ins as a young black lady with law enforcement. The disparity of treatment, and rage she has experience is unmerited. When any segment is of our population is seen as the problem, we have a problem. Law enforcement has a problem, our leaders have a problem. More than more violence can squelch. At first, I thought this was all about Eric Garner again, until I realized this was about a similar incident, where another police officer choked a black citizen to death, George Floyd. Then when no arrests were made, despite video evidence, the world was outraged. It has taken mass protest, across our nation and beyond for arrest to be made. This is the time for our United States to begin to writing stories of connectedness, of equality, of justice, of rallying for each other, of collaboration, of community, of love and goodness. The old stories of dominance and scarcity must be left behind for a time of cooperation, pooling our resources to solve a global pandemic, and erasing decisive divisions by enriching our lives with diversity. CONCLUSION If there is anything the creation story tells us, it is that we are all cut from God’s DNA. We are all in the image of God. When I saw the Bible being held up for a photo shoot in front of the church, I thought of Desmond Tutu’s words, he said of the Dutch who brought apartheid to South Africa, ARCHBISHOP TUTU: Discovering the Bible could be such dynamite. I subsequently used to say if these white people had intended keeping us under, they shouldn't have given us the Bible. Because, whoa, I mean, it's almost as if it is written specifically just for your situation. I mean, the many parts of it that were so germane, so utterly to the point for us … ARCHBISHOP TUTU: When you discover that apartheid sought to mislead people into believing that what gave value to human beings was a biological irrelevance, really, skin color or ethnicity, and you saw how the scriptures say it is because we are created in the image of God, that each one of us is a God-carrier. No matter what our physical circumstances may be, no matter how awful, no matter how deprived you could be, it doesn't take away from you this intrinsic worth. One saw just how significant it was. Most of my parishioners were domestic workers, not people who are very well educated….” When they ask who are you, you say, 'Me? I'm a God-carrier. I'm God's partner. I'm created in the image of God.'" And you could see those dear old ladies as they walked out of church on that occasion as if they were on cloud nine. You know, they walked with their backs slightly straighter. And, yeah, it was amazing. Don’t take a creationist theory of how things came into being from Genesis chapter one. Take the story of how all things are connected together, interdependent upon each other, and in relationship with each other. When God rests on the seventh day, the climax of Creation is time. Time to spend with God, and time to spend with other, because the climax of God’s beginning story is relationships. Not domination, but dominion, living in an enriching way with each other.
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