We're going off the lectionary for the rest of the summer and I'm preaching on people's favorite bible passages. It seemed fitting to start off this sermon series with favorite accounts of the start of all things.
The sermon this week follows the genre of the readings, which is poetry. Genesis 1 and John 1, two of our most well-known biblical accounts of creation are poems.
The first reading is Genesis 1:1-2:4a.
The holy gospel according to John (1:1-18).
In
the beginning was the Word,
and
the Word was with God,
and
the Word was God.
2The
Word was in the beginning with God.
3All
things came into being through the Word,
without
whom not one thing came into being.
What
has come into being 4in the Word was life,
and
the life was the light of all people.
5The
light shines in the darkness,
and
the darkness did not overcome it.
6There
was a man sent from God,
whose
name was John.
7This
one came as a witness to testify to the light,
so
that all might believe through him.
8John
himself was not the light,
but
he came to testify to the light.
9The
true light,
which
enlightens everyone,
was
coming into the world.
10The
light was in the world,
and
the world came into being through the light;
yet
the world did not know the light.
11The
light came to its own,
and
its own people did not accept the light.
12But
to all who received it,
who
believed in its name,
the
light gave power to become children of God,
13who
were born,
not
of blood
or
of the will of the flesh
or
of the will of a man,
but
of God.
14And
the Word became flesh and lived among us,
and
we have seen its glory,
the
glory as of a parent’s only child,
full
of grace and truth.
15(John
testified to it and cried out,
“This
was the one of whom I said,
‘The
one who comes after me
ranks
ahead of me
because
that one was before me.’”)
16From
the one’s fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
17The
law indeed was given through Moses;
grace
and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18No
one has ever seen God.
It
is God the only Son,
who
is close to the Father’s heart,
who
has made God known.
The gospel of the Lord.
-----
In the beginning when all was yet to be discovered.
In the beginning when what is was not.
In the beginning when the Word and the wind blew through all
that was to come.
Before me.
Before you.
Before all that is and was and is to come.
Before life and love.
The Source—full of grace and truth.
God began
creating,
imagining,
breathing,
speaking,
sparking
the
cosmos into existence.
The formless forming
into
land, water, colors, shapes.
The darkness and the light
finding their place
Names—
called
into existence by the Word—
Day,
Night, Sky, Earth, Seas
Sabbath.
The Light of the World before
all of creation
illuminating
the gifts, the creativity of the Creator.
The power of God—the Source of
all life,
claiming us and calling us
beloved.
Children of God,
made
in the divine image,
according
to God’s likeness.
Each unique.
Each loved.
Each powerful beyond measure.
Together.
Together good.
Together blessed.
Together.
And there was evening and there
was morning.
The days in their turn.
Evening into morning.
Morning into evening.
Day into day into day until—
STOP.
Sabbath.
Rest and holy.
Pause.
Stop.
Grace upon grace.
Rest upon rest.
Work into work into work until—
STOP.
Rest.
Breathe.
Breathe into me,
Breathe into you,
the
breath of Life.
And it is so.
God creates,
imagines,
speaks,
acts,
comes
comes
to creation,
comes
to earth,
comes
to me and you.
The Word the Wind here among
us.
The Word of Wisdom that speaks
the cosmos into being
and
it is so.
The Wind that blew over the
waters,
that blew life into existence,
that blew through the locked
room with tongues of fire,
sharing
the news—
the
Good News—
stirring
up the waters of baptism,
pouring
out on us.
And
we pour out on others—
into
the world,
born
as we are,
of
God.
And God created.
And God saw.
God saw
God saw that it was
good.
God saw everything.
Everything God saw.
And God saw
everything that had been made.
Everything that God
had made, and indeed.
Indeed!
It was very good.
And there was
evening
and there was
morning.
And the Word
continued the work.
Creation moving and
breathing
losing
self and health.
Losing
sight of God,
of
love.
Losing
the Light of the world,
the
spark in the darkness,
the
color in the dull gray of pain and sorrow.
“The true light,
which enlightens everyone” was coming,
coming
into the world.
Back
into creation.
The light—the
Word.
Into
the brokenness.
Into
the chaos of the cosmos.
Into
the challenge of people gone astray.
Into
sin and sorrow.
Into
pain and privilege.
Into
oppression and anger.
The Word comes.
The Word
incarnate.
The Word enfleshed
in a baby.
From the wood of
the manger to the wood of the cross.
The Word—Jesus the
Christ,
crucified
among us.
Redemption,
Reconciliation,
Salvation,
Liberation.
For all—
ALL
of Creation.
And God saw them.
And
God blessed them.
And
indeed it was very good.
Amen.
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