creation, part 3

Good morning brothers and sisters,
I'd like to remind everyone that Friday and Saturday we have a rummage sale at Laurelton from 9-5 both days. Come and drop off old things and shop for new. It's a great chance to meet our community and hopefully make a little money for the church. Sunday we'll also be welcoming the neighborhood, this time for outdoor worship and a picnic lunch. If you can bring a salad or dessert, that would be great. If you would like to bring a friend, that would be even better. At 1pm Sunday we'll be joining our neighboring congregations in blessing bicycles and helmets for the summer. It will be quite a great community weekend, and I hope you'll be part of it.

In today's reading God finishes creation with the creation of human beings. The most important thing to notice is that God makes men and women in God's image. Being made in God's image is the first foundation of our worth and equality as people. All people are created in God's image, so no one should be despised or rejected. Another piece of the story I want us to think about is that God rests on the seventh day. That's one of the foundations for the sabbath we are commanded to obey, but which we often ignore. What does it mean that God calls rest holy and tells us to do the same?

God bless,
Sam

Genesis 1:26-2:3

²⁶Then 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.” ²⁷So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. ²⁸God 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 air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” 

²⁹God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. ³⁰And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, 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. ³¹God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. 

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. ²And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. ³So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

creatures and the creator

Good morning sisters and brothers,
First, with a few hitches last week we didn't end up starting our discussion of I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church. Tomorrow we'll remedy that with an after worship discussion and lunch across the street at the Boulevard. We'll visit for a little while in Christler Hall before heading over to dig into a great book. I still have copies, so even if you haven't started reading you're more than welcome to join in now; it won't take you long to catch up. We'll be talking about the introduction tomorrow.

Today's reading from Romans sets the stage for this towering letter. Paul begins by explaining how everyone has the chance to see God's majesty through the glory of creation, but many people choose to turn away from God. Instead of worshiping God, people set up idols to give holiness to our own ideas. Idols aren't limited to pagan cultures of the past, even people who take their faith seriously can fall into idolatry and put pieces of the world ahead of God. This reading pairs with the second chapter, which warns religious people that they are not safe from sin either. With that in mind, Paul argues that everyone falls short of God's calling, so we all need Christ's grace.

Blessings on your weekend,
Sam

Romans 1:16-25

¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” ¹⁸For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth.

¹⁹For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse; ²¹for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened.

²²Claiming to be wise, they became fools; ²³and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. ²⁴Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.