Tuesday, February 11, 2025
(click here to listen to or read today’s scriptures)
Seventh day
Let the water teem, let the birds multiply, let the earth bring forth. And so it happened.
We have the opportunity for two weeks to meditate on the beginning of the world, on God’s creation in seven days, of the Fall in seven seconds, or minutes, or hours, then on God’s growing anger toward the very good creations he called man, Noah’s building of an ark and a 40 day flood that covered the earth, and finally of the building of a tower in Babel representing human pride and power, which God destroyed.
Could we just start at the beginning and notice how much he treasures, values and loves us?
Then God said:
“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air, and the cattle,
and over all the wild animals
and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.”
God created man in his image;
in the divine image he created him;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, saying:
“Be fertile and multiply;
fill the earth and subdue it.
God creates, and everything is good. Indeed, it is very good. Would that we could just stop there, at the end of chapter two of Genesis, and look back upon our story and be satisfied. Yes, it is very good.
Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing,
he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,
because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.
Such is the story of the heavens and the earth at their creation.
God provides us with everything we need. In this paradise called Eden, we will be able to live in communion with everything God makes. He makes it for US. Perhaps in due time he will explain more about to us, as we ask questions.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
and all the living things that move on the earth.”
God also said:
“See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth
and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;
and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air,
and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,
I give all the green plants for food.”
And so it happened.
Much else happened, and continues to happen, and will continue to happen, and we don’t seem to be getting back to the way God built our earth in the first place. It is easy to blame anything other than ourselves. We read about that at the beginning too (that would be in chapter 3). But the fault lies not with the stars but within us, always us, and on our best days we know it and repent, confess, receive forgiveness and move on to the next day.
When we must repeat it all again. Day by day, we see ourselves more clearly. This is the way back to Eden, as sure as anything. To find this path and follow it I must learn to forego my own uncertain wisdom, of course. God gives us direction, although discerning that becomes more difficult as I leave childhood and become responsible for my own family and my own choices in the world. In the days of Jesus, the Pharisees were known for their ability to know the will of God and follow it, but they failed over and over to learn how to be humble. Jesus calls them out.
This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.
You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”
My friend Skyler is preaching a series of sermons focusing on “Rule of Life,” which discuss four parts of our lives: prayer, relationship, rest and work. How can I develop and adhere to a “rule” about how to drink from these buckets of life?
I repeatedly remember that God’s acceptance of me does not rest on my getting everything right. His acceptance is unconditional, but his encouragement often comes when I notice my own getting things wrong. Why should I look at this every day? Because every day I fail to listen to God inside myself. I forget to ask and therefore I forget to listen!
I do not desire to disregard God and cling to human tradition. But I do it anyway. My own traditions, causes, beliefs seem right to me, whether they are … or not. I am always looking at the reflections of God around me, at least those I can see, and then I have trouble looking at God.
God did say we should not look at Him or we would die. But that was to Moses. What does he say to me? Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face? Did Helen Lemmel, who wrote that song in 1922, hear God tell her that?
When I make my confession to God, I see how I fall short. It is not the most fun thing I do, but it really isn’t an option to wait until Sunday or wait until I’ve really screwed things up. This personal examination is as important to my life every day as eating and sleeping.
God created me “in his own image.” I settle for so much less! O Lord, open thou my lips, open thou my eyes. Search me, O God, and know my heart, and lead me in the way everlasting.
(Genesis 1 & 2, Psalm 8, Psalm 119, Mark 7)
(posted at www.davesandel.net)
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