The World We All Want: Creation
0 Amens
Everyone has got a story to tell... I have stories, you have stories, the world has stories... stories of how we got here... stories of where we are going... stories of who we are...
The stories we tell and the stories we live reveal what we feel about the world, and about ourselves. Almost every story I can think of has someone looking for something, and someone or something trying to stop them. Every good story has a setup, some conflict and a resolution. Stories without a setup are confusing, stories without conflict have no victory, and stories with no resolution are just plain frustrating.
In these stories, everyone has this idea of a better day, a better tomorrow, a better reality than the one they are living now. Everyone, individually and collectively, has an idea of a world that we would all want to live in.
Take a look around Austin and you will see stories, stories of where people are, how they got here and where they want to go. Listen to their stories and you hear a dissatisfaction with the status quo, and a longing desire for peace in their hearts and for peace in the world. Sure we might be doing ok at times, but just wait. It won't be long before the tension comes again.
For the next 6 weeks we are going to tell a story. A story that offers an explanation for all of this. An explanation for how we got here, for what is wrong with the world, for how it is being put back together and how we can be people who love mercy and justice and who desire true community with one another and lasting peace. I believe that the scriptures hold the key to this world. First in our lives individually, then collectively as we work together and ultimately through the fully realized kingdom of God.
Today we are sharing the story of how we all got here. Turn with me to Genesis 1
1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
9 And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights-the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night-and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
20 And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens." 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
24 And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds-livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29 And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
There are a few things to take notice of here, and the first is that the world is not an accident.
Gen 1:1 God created... God is the initiator...
Look at the care in creation....
He created night and day to teach us about rest
He created dry land and the seas, and the land sprouts vegetation
He creates living creatures in the seas, flying creatures in the air and walking creatures
And he says all these things are 'good'...
Alternative views teach natural selection and random mutation, but creation is not random.
I could spend time on the alternative views, but the scriptures say that the 'heavens declare the glory of God.' You either believe that or you don't.
What does this mean for us? It means that there is more to the story than just us, we are part of a bigger story.
Second thing to take notice of: You are not an accident
Gen 1:26-31 Let us make man in our image...
Psalm 139 We are not random
What does this mean for us? We matter to God. There is meaning and purpose in our lives.
Third thing to notice:
God is a creative God, and we are creative beings.
We are made in His image
We are caretakers of God's creation.
We are to cultivate the land... In Gen 2 Adam names the animals
We cultivate God's creation
What does this mean for us?
That we get to create also, we get to participate in creating beauty where there is none, to create hope where there is hopelessness. We get to create and cultivate.
We get to tell a better story than one of natural selection & random mutation.
This little community of Soma Austin wants to serve God and our city as cultivators of hope and beauty. We want to renew others and this city through the grace of God and the good news of Jesus Christ.
This world and our being here is not an accident. (Act 17:26+)
Our proper response to this is worship, worship and praise to our Creator God.
We worship God with our whole beings, and today, right now we worship him through four appropriate ways, through song, through prayer, through communion and through giving. In a moment I will pray and Adam is going to lead us in worship through song, please pray, receive communion and worship through giving.
Benediction
May the Lord bless you and keep you, may his face shine upon you. May the Lord enlighten the eyes of your heart so that you may see him and know him more fully. May the Lord shine love and affection into your hearts so that you may go out from here and renew others.
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