Sustaining Gifts: Empowered Followers - September 21, 2008
Sermon Notes for Genesis 1:24-31, 2:4-7
Key verse: Genesis 2:7 “Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.”
Today, we read sections of the two creation stories in Genesis. The first creation story comes from Genesis 1:1-2:3, and the second one comes from Genesis 2:4-25. Although these two creation stories had different origins and oral transmission histories, the author clearly meant for them to be read together, as each story addresses different aspects of creation. Several creation stories existed in the Ancient Near East (we know of two from Babylon, Enuma Elish and the Epic of Attrahasis, as well as creation myths from ancient Egypt), demonstrating the lively interest in human and earth’s origins in the culture of the time. The Genesis accounts have similarities but also major differences from these other myths. The Biblical creation stories offer these unique distinctives: a lack of conflict among competing gods, a lack of emphasis on the primeval chaos, the proclamation of one God (monotheism), and the high value given to human beings in the created order.
The two creation stories in Genesis also offer two very unique images of God. In the first story, God creates through word followed by deed, for example: “And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth every kind of animal…’ And it was so. God made all sorts of wild animals...And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:24-25.) By using the power of words to create, God demonstrates a desire to communicate with creation, which implies a desire to be in on-going relationship with creation. The second creation story describes God as a potter working with materials already present to make human beings. Again, this metaphor displays the intimacy and care God takes in creating humanity, a very “hands-on” creation, and not a distant God who relegates this important work to someone else.
In addition to making statements about God’s character, the creation stories serve to explain aspects of human life, such as relationships between human beings, between humans and non-human creation, and between humans and the Creator. First, we discover that God exists in relationship and that the creation of humanity involves a dialogue within that relationship. God said, “Let us make human beings in our image.” Second, God chooses to share creative power within the relationship. So, part of the image that we reflect involves creatively sharing power within relationships. Third, the image of God extends to all created humanity. In the Ancient Near East, people believed that kings represented the divine and reflected the divine image. Genesis claims that image for all of us. Finally, God commands humanity to “be fruitful and multiply,” and to “cultivate the earth,” again offering humans a chance to participate in creation. Since we are made in the divine image, we reflect that image by treating creation with the same intimate care and loving nurture that God shows us.
The second creation story displays just how closely linked humanity is with God. Although we are made of clay, God breathes into us the breath of life. This divine kiss effects more than simply bringing us to life; it implies that God imparts part of the divine nature to us through that breath. As Christians, we recognize that breath as the very Spirit of God. (In fact, the Hebrew word often gets translated as spirit.) In John 20:22, after the resurrection, Jesus breathed onto the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This imagery reminds us that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection creates new life in us, an on-going aspect of God’s creation.
So, what does all of this say about spiritual gifts? Remember last week we learned that we can view the spiritual gifts through the lens of the Trinity: gifts of commitment and discipleship (such as teaching and leadership and evangelism) reflect the person of Jesus Christ; gifts of spiritual experiences and supernatural power (such as prayer and prophecy and healing) reflect the person of the Holy Spirit; and gifts of wisdom and creativity (such as knowledge and wisdom and artistic creativity) reflect the person of the Creator. Or, we could describe the gifts as head (wisdom), hands (discipleship), and heart (experience). Today, we look at the gifts of spiritual experiences and supernatural power, which arise out of our relationship with the person of the Holy Spirit, or that divine breath that God breathed into us in creation. These gifts get us in touch with the very heart of God, revealing God’s desire for creation, through prophecy and healing, and tapping into the power of our relationship with God, through discernment and faith and prayer and miracles. We need these gifts to reconnect us with the divine image in which we were created.
Questions for Reflection
- Where have you seen the image of God reflected in people this week? Where have you seen our “dusty” side, reminding us that we are not God?
- How have you experienced the “hands-on” aspect of God’s character in providing nurturing care in your life? How have you heard God’s word spoken in our world?
- When do you feel most in tune with God’s heart and desires? In what ways do you experience Jesus breathing the Holy Spirit into you? How do you experience God’s power at work in your life?
- How did the Holy Spirit breathe onto you in worship today? What new experiences and/or insights did God give you as you joined with our community in worship?
