The Week of January 23rd, 2022
>>>>>> Original Blessing <<<<<<
Sermon Noodles and Devotional Guide
Sermon noodles for January 23rd, 2022
Genesis 1:26-28 and Original Blessing
26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
I am curious by the use of the plural “our.” This verse is one of the reasons why we believe God is a community, traditionally stated as three persons called The Trinity, even though the word Trinity isn’t in the Bible.
Image: What does it mean to be created in the “image” of God? Ephesians 1:4-5 states,
“You were chosen in Christ before the world was made—to stand before God in love—marked out beforehand as fully adopted sons and daughters” This is your True Self or soul.
Richard Rohr: (From the daily devotions, Imago Dei)
The single and true purpose of mature religion is to lead you to ever new experiences of your True Self. If religion does not do this, it is junk religion. Every sacrament, every Bible story, every church service, every sermon, every hymn, every bit of priesthood, ministry, or liturgy is for one purpose: to allow you to experience your True Self—who you are in God and who God is in you—and to live a generous and just life from that Infinite Source.
28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply . . . Notice verse 28 “God blessed them”
The Bible begins with God’s blessing, not God’s judgment.
The Bible begins with original blessing, not original sin
Genesis 2:15-17
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”
Notice verse 15: “to till it and keep it.” Some translations say, “work it and keep it.”
Here is what is extraordinary: the Hebrew word for “work” in this text is “abad,” and it is the same word that means “serve.” What difference would it make in our practical living of life if this passage was translated into English as “The Lord God took humanity and put them in the garden of Eden to serve it and keep it”? What benefit to the human ego would it be by translating abad as “work” rather than “serve”?I submit to you today, brothers and sisters, that this is a radical change of our relationship with the Earth if we know that part of our purpose is to serve the Earth, not just work it.
Devotional Guide for the week of January 23rd
Please have your journal handy and read Genesis 1:26-29 and 2:15-17
1. What does it mean to be made in the “image” of God?
2. Genesis 1:28 speaks of God’s original “blessing” on humanity. It is very curious many Christians and churches act like the Bible begins in Genesis 3 with original “sin” (even though the word “sin” is never mentioned in the text) rather than Genesis 1 and original “blessing.” Why do you suppose that is? Why start with sin instead of blessing, and might say more about the person who starts the faith journey with sin instead of blessing than the Bible itself?
3. Notice in Genesis 2:15 God places humanity in the Garden of Eden to “till it and take care of it.” Some translations use the word “work” instead of “till.” But the Hebrew word “abad” translated as “till” or “work” is also the Hebrew word for “serve.” Imagine how different our attitude toward the Earth would be if the English translators would have translated the verse as “God put man in the Garden to serve it and take care of it”! Why do you suppose the translators used the word “till/work” instead “serve”? How might the immature human Ego benefit from not using the word “serve”?