23rd Sunday after
Trinity; Nov. 18, 2012; Texts: Psalm 8; Genesis
1:1-2:3; Ephesians 6:10-17; John 4:46-54; Title: There’s Something Big in
God’s Verbs; Rev. Tim Beck
Grace, mercy and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Amen)
Our
text from Genesis is big, not just long, it’s big. Where should we start? Do we
start with our generation’s objections to the Genesis account? Do we start with
the philosophy of scientific materialism, code name: evolution? Or do we tackle
rationalism, existentialism or the new Gnosticism that conveniently claim
Genesis is myth? What’s in our race that
doesn’t want to deal with what Scripture says, but builds an imposing edifice
just to dismiss it? Is that how to come to Scripture, with our biases
reflecting the mindset of “me?” Will we ascend to heaven by our reason,
feelings or will? What if we start with
the text, including the internal claim that it is the revelation of God?
Perhaps then we can speak fairly? But we cannot answer all objections, unless
you want to be here a long, long time, until Christ returns... since people
will object until Christ returns.
Starting
with the text, where do we start? There’s so much, it’s not only long, it is
big. The first 6 chapters of Genesis contain all the doctrines of the Bible,
and our reading, the first chapter, lays the groundwork. Why not start with
another big, the focus of Scripture, Jesus Christ, and remain mindful of the
law and gospel, the central teachings in Scripture? And let’s start with faith,
since without faith no one can receive anything from God. You already believe, having heard the word of
your salvation. So you acknowledge the basic issue with the human race, of sin,
of unbelief. You know sin is not only rebellion; it includes blindness toward
the things of God. You also know the solution for sinners, forgiveness freely
given by God through Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death. You know the Triune
God’s goal for the forgiven. It is to enter heaven. It is for more than Eden
That takes us back to Genesis. We’re
talking about paradise in Genesis, not as splendid as it shall be, but perfect
as it was. So when we read this chapter, keep in mind sin is not an issue. That
means there is none of sin’s qualities or
fruit: no hate, fear, lawlessness or grief. The law doesn’t condemn because
there’s nothing set against what’s good. So there’s no need for the punishment
due to rejecting the law, namely, death. Of course, the Incarnation is not yet,
although God is, the eternal “I AM.” That’s where Genesis begins, with God, and
His speaking a beginning. In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Note three things about these first words in
Genesis.
First, the eternal God created a
beginning. He is the author of time. He of eternity, the “I AM” made time for
our world, including night and day. Second, God created the heavens and the
earth, namely all things. Nothing is by chance, an accident, a big mistake or
as Hindus say, an illusion. Third, the Hebrew name used for God in this verse
is “Elohim,” an unusual word
suggesting plurality in unity. Here’s
our first glimpse at the Trinity… God, the Word, the Spirit are all present,
saying “let us make…” and yet One
God. Then we see what God made, a material world that is good, and created
pure, holy, perfect, harmonious, and joyful. And based on these things, we
learn something about God. The very fact Elohim creates has implications. Since all creation is from His hand nothing
ever leaves His hand. He is an active Elohim. He creates and sustains. He is active within the plurality in unity and He is
active toward His creation. We rightly
call the heart of that activity by a word – love.
That’s not a word the world truly
understands from Elohim’s perspective. To make us happy we make things to serve
us, but Elohim serves us for joy. Even we the redeemed, who know the Spirit of
life, who await the new creation, get confused about the word love. We say “I
love the sensory reflection of chocolate on my tongue.” We say “I love Valentine’s Day with its
syrupy sentimentality.” We say love is hormonal spikes driving a couple to
procreate, although procreation can be an expression of love, especially later,
when changing diapers. God’s love goes beyond the loyalty of family and
friends, although we’re getting closer to understanding the word. Elohim’s love
has no contradiction between justice and compassion. So if you, sinner, really
want to know love, it is Christ crucified for you. Elohim gives Himself for our
joy.
Pardon me for talking about the
incarnation, the crucifixion, the resurrection and ascension since they are not
in today’s text although compatible with it.
Elohim is active within Himself, active for His creation, loving,
serving and reigning. He created a beginning and made the world. He’s an active
God, active in love. That’s why we consider some active verbs in our text for
the rest of this message. If we went to the nouns, you’d not get home before
the cows came home. Listen to a handful of verbs, the first one you’ve already
heard. In the beginning, God created,
He made - these two words are used
nine times in the chapter. That’s
repetitive. A point is being made (no
pun intended). The creation is not a byproduct of unplanned activity among
gods, like Thor and Loki fighting or Eros and Aphrodite getting frisky. Genesis
is not an imaginary tale, like the Thor, Loki, Eros, Aphrodite stories. It’s
true that like those stories Genesis makes a point, but it’s more than that.
Genesis relates real events as revealed by a real God for a real reason. God
created – Elohim - the Unity in Plurality made, ex nihilo… from nothing. Genesis is our beginning, the beginning of
an ordered world set in time and space, predictable, useful, living, and
beautiful. Our beginning by God’s good will is told, so that we long to know
that good will, so that sinners long to return to paradise, and through Christ,
look forward to its restoration. God
made all things, and the divinely inspired account lists one more thing that
may surprise you. The Day of Rest He made holy (we’ll return to that).
Our second verb is hovered, the Spirit
of God hovered. Picture a dove resting over its young, but more than that. This
enveloping activity is creative, life giving.
The Spirit is synonymous for the breath that gives life. For example, Jesus breathed on His
disciples and they received the Holy Spirit. For a Genesis example, God
breathed into Adam and he became a living soul. Scripture itself is inspired,
breathed out by God, so that it is both true and life giving. God’s creative
word does what He says.
Our third verb is God said.
This verb is repeated 10 times in our text for a reason. The point is
when God speaks, it happens. The word
spoken by God is dynamic, efficacious, powerful, doing what it says; for
Elohim’s speech creates from nothing, ex
nihilo. You and I don’t really create. We just rearrange what is given us,
the gifts God gave us. But He speaks and it is so. John chapter one draws from
Genesis one as an example: In the
beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. All things were made through Him. Elohim
created, the breath of God hovered, the Word said… This has deep implications. One is a
sacramental nature to the faith. God creates faith by speaking His Word, the
Spirit moving, Christ working. So the Word with water creates faith and gives
new life. So by the words of consecration Christ’s body and blood is present
for our reception, giving the forgiveness of sins. So God appoints pastor by means of the
congregations to speak Christ’s word, and it is so. You are given the gifts of
God in reality.
Our third verb is “saw,” God saw. We might call this follow-through. After
speaking the creation into being He remains involved, approving His work, for
He saw that it was good. He sees what is good. After the fall He also sees the
absence of good, the void of good called sin called evil; and in seeing He
judges but also redeems. He sees the end
of it all, including the redeemed of the Lord, those chosen from the foundation
of the world that will dwell in paradise with Him forever. He sees and He sees
to it.
The fourth verb is “called,” God
called. He made, He said, He sees and calls us His own from eternity. In this
passage calling indicates ownership. He names things what they are, as they are
meant to be. His call establishes order, a good purpose and direction,
relationship with Him and relationship within the created order. His call, His
naming, is so that we may know the glory of God, and after the fall, that we
who believe may be restored to joy.
A fifth verb is “blessed.” God blessed
the living things. He blessed, giving the ability to be fruitful and multiply.
Don’t believe the doomsday folks who say being fruitful and multiplying is a
curse on the earth. It is what the earth is for. But cursed is the greed, power-lust, war,
refusing to help one’s neighbor; the cause of most human suffering coming from
human hands. In Eden
Our next to last verb is “finished.”
When God finished the world was not ½ baked. His work was sufficient, perfect,
a reflection of holiness. It was finished. There was no need for perpetual
change, no dialectic requiring conflict, no revolution out of a gun, or red
claw and killing tooth. The finished work expressed Divine faithfulness, a
picture of peace, justice, love, strength, humility, and kindness. That is the
world Elohim created, before sin, before the curse, before the Dark Age set
in.
When it was finished, God rested. That
is our last active verb, God rested. He
didn’t put his feet up on the couch to nap away Sunday afternoon. This rest
belongs with another word, with the word Sabbath... Sabbath rest. The Creator
communes with His creation, His creation rejoices in Him. He gives Himself for
its joy, and to the crown of creation He gives this blessedness, the seventh day He – made – holy. The seventh
day, the day of completion, the day of rest, of paradise, the finished work is
for blessedness: the seventh day is for worship. The purpose of the creation is
to receive the blessings of the Creator, which is worship. Adam and Eve were made for God as the creation was
made for them. That is what we, the
church look forward to, a restoration of what was first made holy, righteous,
in joyous fellowship with the Creator. Adam and Eve were made in God’s image,
in the likeness of Elohim. That image is
not will, reason, and emotion as wonderful as those gifts can be. Your parrot
may have a bit of reason, your dog some emotion and your cat plenty of will.
Elohim, the unity in plurality’s image, is of this nature: an active relationship
of righteous love, of faithful service. It is holiness and burning compassion
active in love. The first couple were created to rejoice in the Lord God, and
to rejoice in each other, in their offspring, and in care of the creation, to
love in that image. That is a picture of
paradise, of Sabbath rest, of peace with God, of rejoicing in Him. It was a
finished work, until man broke it.
So the rest of Scripture deals with
redemption, with the promise of a Savior. And at last, the Son of God made man cried
out, “It is finished.” That cry ushered in the new creation, our redemption,
the future revealing of our inheritance as the sons of God, an invitation to
paradise, to Sabbath rest. That cry
restores our eyes to see in these few verbs a picture of God as He is toward
His creation. Creation is presently subjected to futility in hope, so that our
fallen race might repent and receive life that is eternal. Creation will be set
free from its bondage to decay, and the church shall be revealed for who she is.
Let us pray “Maranatha,” Lord come quickly. And today taste what shall
be, receiving in our Lord’s body and blood the promise
of the marriage feast of the Lamb. By faith in such promises we enter paradise,
awaiting the fullness of that Great Day. Christ said “It is finished.”
