2-7-2019

Good Morning All,

        Gen. 1:1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

    Many years ago, I attended a convention.  The attendees were issued colored passes which marked where you were to sit.  The delegates were one color, the emeritus guests were a different color, elected members different color.  I was just a guest but through some fluke, the color of our pass was the same as the upper level elected members of the board.  As I was entering the convention area, a friend, who was also a guest, said that our color passes were way up front.  I didn’t want to sit up front (100% Lutheran) but he convinced me to sit by him in the very comfortable chairs, so up we went.  It only took a few minutes to realize (we were told in no uncertain terms) we weren’t who he thought we were and we shuffled to the back to the hard chairs.  Who do you think you are?

    This is an age-old question; in fact, it is the start of sin.  In the first verse of the entire Bible, we see what our relationship with God should be.  God is the creator and we are the created; we are the creatures that fit into the creation.  Yet most people are truly offended if you tell them this.  Try and tell someone who is commenting on how great mankind is and how we can do anything if we just put our mind to it.  Tell them that we are creatures in God’s creation but in this simple verse, 10 words long, that is exactly what we declare.

    Now it is true that God created humans with a special purpose, to care for creation and to serve God. Humans were supposed to tend the creation, to have dominion over it, and to be in worshipful fellowship with God.  But man couldn’t live with this.  Remember what the serpent told Eve, “you will be like God” so Eve ate and Adam did too.  Sin entered the world because Adam and Eve were not happy being the creature; they wanted to be like the creator.  All sin reflects back to this verse.  The First Commandment springs from this verse.  Why should we have no other gods before Him; because He is the Creator God who made everything out of nothing.  All sin is a sin against the First Commandment. 

    God, in His mercy, sent Jesus to die to reconcile us back to Him.  God continually calls us back to Himself, out of love, to return to our true nature to be the “image-bearer” in this world.  Since sin is still prevalent, God calls His Church to be partners or helpers in this reconciliation process.  He empowers us through the Holy Spirit to again be the “image-bearer” for Him in this broken world.  We continually fall short but God continues to call.  This cycle or rhythm is what some call worship.  God calls us and pronounces us forgiven, we rejoice in His forgiveness and go forth only to fall short again.  We repeat this cycle until the Lord returns.  “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” He is the creator and we are the creature.  It really is that simple.

 O Holy Creator God, we, your poor creatures, continually fail to serve You as we should.  We ask for Your mercy.  We celebrate because of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice; we know we are forgiven.  Lead us, empower us, and give us the will to serve as your “image-bearer” to a world of pain and suffering.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret