Creation!

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 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.” So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 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 air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God 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. And 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. God 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. And 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. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. (Genesis 1:1-2:4a, NRSV)

Reading this made me think of the joke, “Where is there baseball in the Bible?”

In the Big Inning…

This is the first of 2 different creation accounts in the Bible. The stories have completely different details on how it happened. In this account the wind blew over the water and the Lord spoke things into existence. In the second God formed man and breathed into him the breath of Life.

You see as Christians we read this story on Trinity Sunday (today in congregations that follow the liturgical calendar) because we see the Trinity in it. There is God, the Father. There is the Holy Spirit in the wind, you see the word in both Hebrew and Greek for wind, breath and spirit are the same word. So the wind blowing over the water is the spirit, and the word spoken is the word of God or the Son. Father, Son and Holy Spirit…

But stop for a moment and realize this story is from the Hebrew Scriptures, and is read by Jews who do not see the trinity here. True God does say later “Let us form man in our image.” But that is still not Trinity language to the Jews. That is the heavenly hosts, all the angels and other surrounding God.

So how did creation happen and was Jesus and the Spirit there?

I will answer those in reverse order. Yes Jesus and the Spirit were there. As Christians though we must remember while the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) our part of our story, they also belong to God’s chosen people that do not read Jesus and the Spirit there.

And how did creation happen… There is a lot to discuss here, but I will say I believe the Bible tells us WHO created. So there is no need for battle between Bible and science. Science may tell us how, but no one will convince me otherwise of the fact the Bible tells us who created! God created, and Jesus and the Spirit were there to be a part of creation.

Meaning they created you, and knew you before they knitted you in your mother’s womb!

So breath, and speak of the love God has given you!

saved?

Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage. The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all humankind. From where he sits enthroned he watches all the inhabitants of the earth—he who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes all their deeds. A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save. Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and shield. Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.(Psalm 33:12-22, NRSV)

A king is not saved by his armies great or small…

A warrior is not delivered by his strength…

We can not hope in our war horses or tanks or naval fleet…

None of these things will save us in the end.

Only if the Lord is on our side will we prevail.

Only if we fear and honor God with our lives will we be set and saved!

Only God can deliver us from death and save us. Our hope can not be in anyone or anything else, or that hope will fail!

So hope in the one who can and will save you!

special mojo

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money! You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the chains of wickedness.” Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may happen to me.” Now after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, proclaiming the good news to many villages of the Samaritans. (Acts 8:14-25, NRSV)

If you could buy the ability to lay hands one someone and give them the Holy Spirit, what would that be worth?

The Samaritans had not yet received the Holy Spirit even though they had received the word of God. They had been baptized but the Spirit had yet to come to them…

So when the apostles came and laid hands on them, and the received power, of course someone thought that would be a great power to have and so offered money to get the special mojo…

But we all know that God can not be bought and those who do the will of God will do even greater things than Jesus did.

So in essence we all have special mojo, to do the will of God, and what did it cost?

God was willing to give His only Son so you could have the special mojo… but to you it is simply priceless, and freely given by grace through faith!

Through You!

After they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them, it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant: ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers have gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’ For in this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:23-31, NRSV)

They spoke the word of God with boldness!

Filled with the Holy Spirit we are given power from on High and have God in us to go and be the hands and feet of God. You see with the Holy Spirit living in us we are God at work in the world.

To show forth His

Love…

Grace…

Mercy…

Peace…

Hope…

We are His Hands and Feet so go and boldly speak, filled with the Spirit so all may know the love of God.

keep from speaking

The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is ‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;it has become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus. When they saw the man who had been cured standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. So they ordered them to leave the council while they discussed the matter with one another. They said, “What will we do with them? For it is obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done through them; we cannot deny it. But to keep it from spreading further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” So they called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.” After threatening them again, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because of the people, for all of them praised God for what had happened. (Acts 4:5-21, NRSV)

Those who are not living in the truth when they hear it are drawn to it because it intrigues them.

They are drawn to it because it scares them…

They do not know how to handle it. They are put off by it and therefore lash out at those who speak it.

They will do what ever they can from having to face the fact they need to be changed by what they are hearing.

They will not want to get out of their easy lives, that are based out of the truth, but will keep the truth away and stay in their easy lives.

We can not keep from speaking the truth even in the face of intimidation, or ridicule, or threats or anything. We must press on with the power given to us by God through the Holy Spirit!

We are the messengers of God to all the world, and we can not keep from speaking!

glory

I will display my glory among the nations; and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them. The house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God, from that day forward. And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they dealt treacherously with me. So I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword. I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them. Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for my holy name. They shall forget their shame, and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they live securely in their land with no one to make them afraid, when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies’ lands, and through them have displayed my holiness in the sight of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God because I sent them into exile among the nations, and then gathered them into their own land. I will leave none of them behind; and I will never again hide my face from them, when I pour out my spirit upon the house of Israel, says the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 39:21-29, NRSV)

Have you ever wanted all the world to know that God is the creator and ruler of all the universe?

Then you have the fire of the Holy Spirit in you. To go and spread the message of God to the world!

And yet it seems that some people just don’t want to hear it! They do not want to listen to reason, or anything…

Ezekiel tells us that God says that He will make His name known to all the world. Those who love Him and follow Him will be lifted high and those that do not follow will also know of His great power.

He will give us His spirit and live with us forever and all of the world will know His glory!

rejoice

Then the LORD became jealous for his land, and had pity on his people. In response to his people the LORD said: I am sending you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a mockery among the nations. I will remove the northern army far from you, and drive it into a parched and desolate land, its front into the eastern sea, and its rear into the western sea; its stench and foul smell will rise up. Surely he has done great things! Do not fear, O soil; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! Do not fear, you animals of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and vine give their full yield. O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the LORD your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before. The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the LORD, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame. Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:18-29, NRSV)

The Lord will remove all of the dangers that surround us and give us all the good things we need!

No longer will we live in fear of what might happen, but we will live in the shelter and the protection of the Lord our God. He will see us through everything that is to come.

He will bring us to our vindication and cover us with the needed rain to make sure our lives are green and growing in Him.

He is our God and He alone will be our protector. And for that we can rejoice!

tongues of fire

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Acts 2:1-21, NRSV)

As I read this text and thought about the tongues of fire on the heads of all those who received the Holy Spirit I was brought back to the above scene from Finding Nemo.

The ring of fire was an initiation rite for Nemo to go through in order to be a part of the group.

Tongues of fire are not something we need to fear as something we must endure or go through. They are a blessing to the understanding we have been accepted by God and given the power through the Holy Spirit. We have been filled with power from on High and are able to do all the things He leads us to.

The disciples were made able to witness to everyone around them through the actions they normally took. The gifts they had were empowered by the Spirit and they told everyone the story and all heard it plan as day.

So go and do not fear, for the Lord, our God, is with you!

apple of your eye

Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit. From you let my vindication come; let your eyes see the right. If you try my heart, if you visit me by night, if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not transgress. As for what others do, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped. I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, hear my words. Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. Guard me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings, from the wicked who despoil me, my deadly enemies who surround me. (Psalm 17:1-9, NRSV)

The apple of my eye…

The ‘apple of your eye’ is the iris or center of the eye.

If someone were to touch the apple of your eye it would be very painful and so it is protected by the eyelid.

The biblical imagery is that we are the apple of his eye and God is the eyelid who protects us.

Shakespeare also used the term with this meaning in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ to again show something as most precious –

Flower of this purple dye,
Hit with Cupid’s archery,
Sink in apple of his eye

Modern usage of this idiom usually refers to something that is especially beloved. (Taken from wiki.answers.com)

God is our protector and in Him we can find shelter. We are the image that is reflected back in the apple of His eye, as He is watching over us. This does not mean that bad things will not happen, but He is there to protect us and walk with us through them.

rooted…

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21, NRSV)

Did you hear that?

The writer of Ephesians just prayed that the Ephesians, and you, would be granted strength through the power of the Holy Spirit, and that Christ would dwell within your heart through faith as you are being rooted and grounded in love.

Rooted and grounded in love. Is an interesting concept. But also notice that it did not say”as you are rooted and grounded in love.” The writer prayed that Christ would dwell in your heart through faith as He is rooting you and grounding you in love…

It is like planting. When you put a plant in the ground it doesn’t do it on it’s own. You have to dig a hole and place the plant in and then move the dirt back around it to make sure it is planted, and the roots are in the ground and it is covered with the soil around it. You also need to make sure the soil is good for the plant you are planting…

So through our faith, trust and hope in Jesus, the one who faithfully took our place, He is making us good soil to root and ground us in His love. So we might share that love with all the world!