Genesis 9 – Rainbow in the Dark
Posted by Chris on February 10, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons
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Travis Campbell, campus minister for the Lions for Christ at UAFS, preaches from Genesis 9.
Genesis 7-8: Comfort and Covenant
Posted by Chris on February 3, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons
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What comes to mind when you hear about Noah’s Ark? Do you think of a children’s story? Do you think of creation science? Do you wonder how dinosaurs fit on the ark? Do you think of a bathtub toy?
Q: What is missing in this picture?
What is missing in this image of a Noah’s Ark play set? The answer is God. Noah, Mrs. Noah, nor their family are the central characters of the story in Genesis. The animals do not even play a prominent role in the unfolding of the action. God is the main actor. God calls for the construction of the ark. God commands the animals. God unleashes the big flood.
The flood in Genesis is unique. The Hebrew word used for flood in Genesis (mabbul) is only used here and in Psalm 29:10. There are other words for flood that could be used, but this word (mabbul) is reserved for this one flood. Perhaps it is because this is more than a flood. Genesis is not attempting to explain some sort of natural meteorological event. Instead, this is an actual “Act of God.”
The mechanics and details of the flood are not important to the story, rather the why of the flood is what matters for the message. Notice why this flood happens: 1) The Fountains of the Deep Erupt, and 2) The Windows of Heaven are Opened.
That doesn’t sound like a natural event. How would this get reported on the Weather Channel? Can Doppler Radar detect activity in the Windows of Heaven or the Fountains of the Deep? Remember in our introduction to Genesis, that the meaning is what we after, more so than the mechanics. The meaning of erupting fountains and windows opening is that God is pulling the pin on creation. He is taking his hand off the wheel. God is loosening the boundaries between earth, ocean, and sky that established the creation in Genesis 1. God is removing his hand that sustains those boundaries and releasing chaos. God is “un-creating” the world. Consider what this means. The world may return to its pre-creation state of formless and void and all God has to do is step away.
Blotting Out
The meaning of the biblical term “blot out” is that God is erasing creation. That term blot out may not be as familiar to us since pen and ink is an ancient art. A more contemporary expression might be that God is deleting.
The super-flood is also the kind of un-creation that will snuff out the breath of life. The spirit of God breathed life into the world. Now God is snuffing out that breath. He does this because he is grieved by the violence that is torturing the earth and the evil imagination in the human heart.
New Covenant
Family Lines — February, 2013
Posted by Debbie on February 1, 2013 under Bulletins, Front Page Announcements
Family Lines — February 3, 2013
Family Lines — February 10, 2013
Genesis 5-6: Song of the Sword and the Grief of God
Posted by Chris on January 27, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons
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In Genesis 4 through 6 there is an upward crescendo of the noise of sin and a deepening of God’s grief. The good creation of God continues to suffer the damage of sin.
The Song of the Sword
Genesis 4:23-24 is called the “Song of the Sword.” It is a boast by Lamech, a descendent of Cain. He is promising that he is far worse than Cain ever imagined. The Song of the Sword is evidence of how damage has been done in creation since Cain. Fear, hatred, vengeance, and death have become a destructive cancer. Still, the beauty of creation is not utterly wiped out. There is thriving, artistry, and beauty in Cain’s children. Lamech leaves behind a double-edged legacy of violence on the one side, and beauty on the other.
In the midst of this deteriorating situation, a child is born and there is hope. In this instance it is Seth, a child born to Eve. Her grief and her hope are mixed. She grieves the loss of Abel at the hands of Cain, but give thanks for the new life in Seth.
A Child of Promise
The family of Seth represents hope. They are the hope that God will work his life-giving agenda through them and that he will renew the creation in all of its goodness. In Genesis 5, there is a different man named Lamech. He has a child that he names Noah, which means “Comfort.” This name represents the hope that through this child, God will continue to empower humanity to be fruitful and multiply.
The agenda of being fruitful and multiplying prevails over the agenda of fear and violence.
Rise of the Giants
Genesis 6:1-4 is a bizarre text. It has sparked the imagination of believers for centuries. Entire stories have grown up out of the mention of the Sons of God and the Nephilim, or “giant ones.” However one chooses to interpret Sons of God, daughters of men, and Nephilim, the text points to the fact that a boundary between heaven and earth has been crossed and consequences follow. Whatever is going on exactly, God has a problem with it. This mingling of heaven and earth is not the way it is supposed to be.
The spirit of life that comes from God is being abused. As a result, God withdraws this spirit of life.
Grief of God
Don’t miss this text. We too often overlook it. God is grieved that the image of God that he placed in humanity is being replaced by the imagination to do evil. An evil imagination is not what God intended. God regrets what has happened and yet he doesn’t want to wipe out creation. God is left with few options except to blot out all life. And the one hope that he can find is Noah. Noah found favor with God.
God is sympathetic with every parent who grieves because his or her child is not what they intended for them to be. God is sympathetic with every spouse that grieves over a spouse who is not the person they hoped they would be. God is sympathetic with every church leader, every teacher, ever person who grieves because the church and community is less than intended.
Our song is not a song of the sword that promises protection because of our own paranoia and pride. Instead, we will speak word of blessing and prayers of hope that will raise up people and a generation that will find favor with God.
Genesis 3-4: Damaged Goods
Posted by Chris on January 20, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons
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When sin appears, the good creation of God is damaged. But before we go any farther, let us set aside incorrect notions of sin that miss the point entirely . . .
Sin is Not . . .
1. Sex – God made male and female. His commission was to be fruitful and multiply. Historically, sex has been identified as “the original sin,” but this does not fit with biblical teaching. Sex is part of God’s good creation, but like many other good things in creation sin sometimes corrupts, abuses, or distorts sex. However, this is no reason to equate sex with sin.
2. Total Depravity – The doctrine of Total Depravity is an example of a concept taken to an extreme. The implications of this doctrine have gone beyond what anyone involved in its origin may have ever intended. The sad result is that too many believers feel like the natural state of humanity is depravity, and the articulation of this tends to be rather hopeless and crushing. In the Genesis story, humanity is not depraved. Rather, the good humans are deceived.
3. Genetic Flaw – Although rare, there are some who might contend that sin is a type of genetic flaw in our species. This is more than likely a scientific retelling of the doctrine of original sin, which asserts that sin is passed on from our ancestors. Nothing at all in the text or the story affirms that genetics has anything to do with sin.
4. A Foreign Substance in Creation – There is no substance called “sin.” It is not a new element within creation. Rather, sin is a warping, distorting, or damage of the good creation.
“Leave God Out of This”
If we follow the conversation in Genesis 3, then we gain a better perspective on sin and just how damaging it is. The serpent talks about God. He does not talk to God or with God. God is objectified.
Next, the boundaries that God established are restated as options. Those boundaries are part of God’s creative genius. When God separated things like night and day, land and sea, ocean and sky, he was creating and making the world good. When those boundaries are crossed, damage occurs. When eggs have been scrambled, they cannot be unscrambled.
Sin is, at a very basic level, a willfulness that causes damage to and within God’s creation. Sin is our attempt to live in the world on our own terms rather than God’s terms.
“If you refuse to do what is right, then watch out!” – Gen. 4:7
“Sin Lies At The Door”
In Genesis 4, we are told yet more about the damaging nature of sin. Sin’s destructive power goes beyond individual destruction, punishment, pain or judgment. Sin attempts to dominate us. God created humanity to have dominion over creation. Sin is the counter to the good dominion. Sin desires to consume us and ruin the godly dominion that shares in the creation project.
God recognizes the viral nature of sin and he warns Cain that sin is crouching at his door. He warns Cain that if he will not exert some sort of rule over the sin, which may be nothing more than not “opening the door,” then the sin will consume him.
The sad outcome is that Cain does open the door to sin and the damage follows. Because of Adam and Eve’s willfulness, there’s already a disruption in the relationship between God and humanity. There is also a disruption in the relationship between male and female. Shame enters into the equation. The exile from the garden is the first sign of the disruption in humanity’s relationship with the rest of creation.
After Cain slays Abel, the earth is tainted by blood shed in anger. Now the relationship between human beings is disrupted by violence and the need for justice. Cain is concerned about retaliation. All the world suffers due to violence and the threat of violence.
The Gospel of God’s Grace
God doesn’t back out or give up on humanity and creation. He covers their shame (nakedness). He covers over that which causes them to lie, to hide and feel shame. God transforms the death-dealing situation with life-giving options.
The good news is that God believes in us. He believes that we can overcome and do well. If God did not believe in us, then why would he call us to do better and why would he call us to be holy? That would be cruel if God were just saying these things when he knows it is impossible. We certainly need God’s help, but God is still calling to us to join in the newness.
The good news is also the fact that sin cannot eliminate the goodness in creation. It may cloud the goodness. It may stain it or fracture it, but the goodness is still present.
We are damaged by sin, but not defined by sin. We are called to overcome the sin. God is empowering us to resume our rightful place in ruling over creation. We are called to grow and mature. We may become more like our king, Jesus Christ.
How To Read Your Bible
Posted by Chris on January 16, 2013 under Curriculum, Resources
Follow this link to a chart of the Old Testament divided into three parts known as the Tanakh. This is an acronym for the Torah, the Nevi’im, and the Ketuvim. These terms translate to the teaching, the prophets, and the writings.
The middle column is an estimation of the chronology or the setting within each book. The far right column is an approximate range of the authorship of the book. This includes the authorship of the earliest material in the book and the latest form of editing and collecting that represents the structure of the book as we have it today.
Genesis 2 – Keepers of Paradise
Posted by Chris on January 13, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons
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Genesis 2 and 3 go together. Chapter 2 is the high and Chapter 3 is the low. There are four movements across these two chapters.
- God creates man and places him in the garden
- God creates woman, thus beginning human community and the process of life – “be fruitful and multiply” is God’s agenda all through Genesis
- Man and woman break the boundaries of God’s world (his creation) and the relationships become distorted. It starts to unravel
- There is judgment and expulsion from the garden.
Because we are so familiar with the ending, we tend to read chapter 3 into chapter 2. We will be careful not to do that today. Chapter 2 is important. God’s vision of humanity living and thriving in his creation shines through the corruption of Chapter 3. Let’s rediscover it.
The Tiller and Keeper of the Garden
- God forms man and he comes to life when God breathes into him
- That creative breath is a wind – like the wind that hovered over the waters of chaos in Chapter 1
- Life is spiritual. It should not be reduced to DNA or 98.6 degrees and breathing.
- It is not enough to form the man and make him into a living being. He needs purpose.
- Man has a place in God’s creation. A purpose and destiny.
- Man has a vocation – a calling. We are co-workers with God in the care of his thriving creation
- A vocation is more than a means to earn money. The goal of life is not riches and success. Those are illusions and they may deny one’s calling.
Permission, Provision, Prohibition (Humans in Relationship with God and Creation)
- Adam’s work is not what earns his keep. God provides all things. His work is his place in the creation – and it is good when he fulfills his calling
- There are all sorts of trees in the garden. And God provides the water. And there’s no fear of flooding.
- There are two special trees in the garden – Life and Knowledge of Good and Evil
- The trees represent boundaries and trust.
- A place in the world – the man has freedom: he may eat from any tree. He has authority over the creatures in the garden.
- And there are boundaries – to keep him from dying. This is no blind command; it is a warning for his protection. All things are permissible – but this one thing is not beneficial.
The Companion and Helper (Humans in Relationship with One Another)
- Something is lacking. There is something incomplete. Man is a living being, and he has purpose, but he is unique. He is alone. If the garden is going to thrive then the man needs a companion.
- The search begins – naming and defining. Here is the power of words.
- “She is a part of me – We are different, yet the same.” Here is the beginning of human community.
- Our culture can keep telling us how different men and women are and that Men can stay on Mars and Women can stay on Venus – but God’s story says that we are made of the same stuff. By God’s design we are meant to be a community to overcome loneliness and to work together!
- There is no shame, nothing hidden in the first human community. It is good.
Gender Politics
There are politics surrounding gender. Issues of equality, women’s rights, parental rights, role of women, (role of men?), family issues. Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus! Cultural consensus tells us that men and women cannot understand each other. There is tension between men and women – in the workplace, in politics, at home, and maybe even in the church. But the story of Genesis 2 gives us a much better vision:
- The story of Genesis 2 reveals that God’s intent was for man and woman to complete each other.
- There may be something to the sentimental notion that woman was made from man’s side. Not to rule over him or to be ruled by him, but to rule beside him over all the creation that he and she were created to keep.
- God’s vision: neither gender has “more rights” than the other, neither gender is more important. In Genesis 2, there is unity.
- Before we jump to 1 Tim. 2:11-15, we should note that Paul is commenting on Genesis 3, not Genesis 2. Paul is concerned with the deception and the beginning of sinful corruption. Paul is commenting on the current situation, not the intent of God. Paul is commenting on the conditions, not the idea.
- Man and Woman are both necessary for God’s thriving (fruitful and multiply) agenda.
- Both man and woman are necessary for life. Man and Woman give life – side by side.
- In God’s original vision there is no shame between the Man and the Woman.
- In marriage the two become one flesh – there is unity.
- As God’s people, we strive for God’s vision – not our preferences, not our own biases or experiences..
- We must hold up God’s intent for man and woman. This includes man and woman in marriage as well as man and woman in community.
- Relationships of unity in marriage. Recognizing the unity and oneness.
- Relationship without shame and with integrity. (In 1 Cor. 6:14-16, Paul references God’s idea vision in Genesis 2)
God can be trusted!
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- God has boundaries for humanity, and he has a calling for humanity and he has given much freedom and permission.
- God says, “Work the garden with gladness and joy – trust me.”
- God says, “Enjoy your community, be thankful for everything you’ve been given – trust me.”
- God says, “Beware of trusting in your so-called knowledge, it just might deceive you – even worse it may kill you!”
Genesis 1 – Mechanics or Meaning?
Posted by Chris on January 6, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons
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Genesis comes to as more than mere facts; it is good news. It gives us our story and reveals the truth about who we are, what we were meant to do, and how we are supposed to live with one another. It is good news because it reveals the truth about a creator God who never stops creating and even recreates anything in his creation that is warped and damaged.
But if we are going to hear Genesis as good news, we will need to overcome the fear of Genesis being reduced to a fairy tale or myth. When the scientific method took hold of western civilization only a few centuries ago, the anxiety that Genesis would be dismissed as pre-scientific mythology to be discarded as superstition began. So, for the last 200 to 300 years, well-intentioned Christian believers have attempted to reinforce Genesis with scientific research. That research may be useful and interesting. It is a worthy study for those who seek to connect science and theology. However, it does very little to deepen our understanding of the meaning of Genesis.
Genesis is truth. However, the definition of truth is not science. Truth is conveyed through many means besides science.
Genesis or Jenga
When we are anxious about defending Genesis from critics, we often get too caught up in the battle and miss out on the meaning of Genesis altogether. We end up dancing to the tune of the critics – that is, we play their game. And the game they choose to play is Jenga. Do you recall this game? You stack up wooden blocks and each team tries to pull a block out from the stack and hope the stack does not fall over. Critics however want to find the singular block of logic that will cause the whole of Genesis and Christian faith to unravel so that we will be left on the pile of biblical rubble and forced to concede that logic compels us to accept the enlightened embrace of atheism. Thus, in a world without religion we will all live in harmony.
That’s fine. If the critics choose to play Jenga, then let that be their business. I am more concerned about what we do, and it is distressing that we keep trying to force the Jenga blocks back in place by any means necessary; especially when it isn’t necessary. Why do I say that?
- The fort doesn’t need to be defended from science. Science is not the enemy of faith. Arrogance is the enemy of faith. (I know this because I read Genesis). There are many scientists who also have faith and that is not only true in this day and age, but has been true historically. Christian belief is compatible with any number of scientific disciplines (engineering, architecture, mathematics, genetics, biology, chemistry, astronomy, medicine, etc.)
- Why do we feel it necessary to be on the defensive? Why do we allow ourselves to get forced into the corner and answer questions that are rarely genuine? Often our defensiveness (or even nastiness) is used as evidence of the invalidity of Christian faith. It is a wicked game.
Story or Science
What if we let Genesis speak to us in its own voice? Instead of asking Genesis questions like:
- How did God create light on the first day and the sun on the fourth?
- Was it six literal days?
- Where did Cain get his wife?
- How did the dinosaurs fit on Noah’s Ark?
Instead, what if we let Genesis teach us to ask better questions? What if we let the story shape us and tell us who we are before deciding that on our own and standing in judgment on the story of the Genesis? Everyone has a story after all. Whether you tell it or not, whether you realize it or not – you have a story, and that story influences us. If you don’t know your story, other people will try and write it for you – and you may not like their story.
Genesis is our story and it does not begin with randomness or an indifferent universe, but it begins with the intentional effort of good Creator . . .
Mechanics or Meaning
Notice that God has no interest in detailing how he crafted the universe. There are no chemical recipes or biologist’s notes. There is not a specs page or technical manual.
God creates with words. By giving names and speaking things into reality, God creates. Words still have that power. When you and I use labels on people it can affect them. The attitude of our conversation can influence those around us. God speaks and he does not rest until everything is good.
Before we get caught up in the mechanics, consider what this means. Some are amazed that God can create everything in six days. I wonder why it took him more than six seconds. Why does God have to rest? Does he get worn out? No, this is not a mechanical process. There is no effort on God’s part. The significance is what matters. Here is good news.
There are six days and a day of rest because God is creating time as well as space. And God is limiting himself to our experience of time. He is entering into the creation. He desires to dwell within it and be a part of it. God is not remote and indifferent. He is not removed from his creation, rather he joins in with the creation. He enjoys it. Takes pleasure from it. He rests within it.
And God has established an order. Again, this is not about mechanics. That’s what the Deists thought. They believe that God created a perfect machine that could run without God’s input. However, God is not a mechanic. Genesis 1 says that God declares everything good. The order is about purpose. Everything has meaning.
Family Lines — January, 2013
Posted by Debbie on January 3, 2013 under Bulletins, Front Page Announcements
Family Lines — January 6, 2013
Family Lines — January 13, 2013
December 26
Posted by Chris on December 26, 2012 under Front Page Posts, Sermons
The humblest day of the year has to be Dec. 26. At least Dec. 24 gets to be Christmas Eve. All the other dates between Thanksgiving and Christmas are the “Holiday Season.” There’s great anticipation and much preparation in those days. The spirit of Christmas is there; but Dec. 26 is different.
Some calendars will say it is Boxing Day. Boxing Day is an excuse for Brits and Canadians to take time off. In the United States, Dec. 26 is not an exciting day. In fact, it can be a depressing day. It is the beginning of the “Let-Down Season.” The decorations go away and along with them go all the holiday cheer and good tidings. Early on the morning after Christmas, sales become testimonies to greed and selfishness. The advertisers have picked up on this post-holiday let down and have even tapped into the after-holiday cynicism. (“Haven’t you had a little too much Christmas?”) Get ready, because the fitness ads are right around the corner.
In the lectionary tradition, the year is not ending with Dec.26; rather it is just beginning. All the preparation and anticipation is coming to fruition. Let’s learn from this. We have spent the last month or so talking about Christ: about his first coming into the world and his second coming into the world which is yet to come. The question before us on Dec. 26(or on any other day) is “What does Immanuel (God with us) mean today?”
John the Baptist had a Dec. 26 moment. He was wondering if all the anticipation and preparation had come to an end. John had dedicated himself to a hard life: An outdoor life of living in the desert eating grasshoppers and honey. He was decked out in his camel hair shirt and his old leather belt. He was a voice crying in the wilderness. John was a prophet – like Elijah (he dressed like Elijah) and his message was point blank – “The Lord is coming, so get ready now! Turn from wickedness sinners and repent! Be baptized, washed clean!” John’s message was tough, but he had a vision that after him would come the Day of the Lord. The one who would come after him would be the Son of Man, which meant the judge of all the earth. The one who would come after him would be the Messiah, which meant God’s chosen king. This was breaking news and John was the herald of this arrival.
On John’s Dec. 26, all those rough years spent out in the desert and his bold proclamation (He pointed fingers at kings and called them sinners) is coming to an end. John is in prison and he thinks he will probably be executed. Was it worth it? Was all the preparation and preaching in vain or in faith? Was Jesus the one? John had to know. Maybe he doubted. Maybe he wanted to see the fireworks start. That’s a Dec. 26 moment. He’s looking back. You might even call it a Dec. 31 moment, because he is looking back and asking, “What was it all about? What gives it meaning? What puts the seal on my life and validates it?”
Two of John’s disciples approach Jesus and ask him “Are you the coming one, or do we wait for another one?” That is John’s Dec. 26 question. He wants to know if he can look back at his ministry and connect it with Jesus, or should he should pick up and start getting ready for the next Christmas. After all, Dec. 26th is also the day when we pack it up and start looking forward for the next Dec. 25th. But John wants to know if that is what he has to do or if he can go to the executioner knowing that he had seen the one he was preaching about.
Jesus’ answer is to let John and his disciples judge for themselves. What have they seen and heard? The blind receive their sight, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the dead are raised and the poor have the good news brought to them. Jesus asked them to weigh the miracles and all those signs of grace. Is that Messiah work? Jesus’ reply asks another question, “Well what did you expect?” What sort of Messiah were you looking for?”
Some will focus on the birth of the Messiah on Dec. 25. That picture of the Messiah is of a child wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. But the Dec. 26 Messiah must be one that can respond to prisoners and doubters and faithful. It must be a Messiah who can give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, cleansing to the sick and life to the dying!
What kind of Messiah were you looking for? The good news of Jesus is that the kingdom of God is about judgment, but it is also about graciousness. The reign of God is here and is being established; all we wait for now is the victory party.
We prepare for the second coming (as John did for the first coming) but we do not have to wait for the Second Coming for these things to happen. We do not have to pack up our expectations and wait for another Christmas. We don’t have to wait for another Savior to come. The good news for Dec. 26is that we can start living in the kingdom of Christ now, being joyful, being healed, being forgiven, being patient, being free, and traveling safe along the Holy Way. We are not ending a season, but we are invited to begin enjoying the journey and the time and nurture it takes, enjoying the rule of God and the fellowship of the people around us.