God with us, Always
Reflection by Rev. Dr. Kathryn J. Cameron
Genesis 1:1-2:4, Psalm 8; and Matthew 28:16-20
Jesus in his farewell to the eleven disciples said to them,
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Paul, in his farewell to the people in the church at Corinth, said,
“Using the power that the Lord has given us for building up;
Put things in order, live in peace, and
the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God, and the communion
of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”
Do you notice the similarities between these two accounts?
In both these farewells, the speakers invoke their power.
Jesus invokes both divine and human power;
Paul invokes the power that our Lord,
Jesus gave us in what we call
the great commission:
the gift of community to build up God’s kingdom on earth.
Both speakers include a liturgical reverence to the Trinity:
Jesus gives the baptismal blessing we use in worship:
‘In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.’
Paul gives the benediction we use in worship:
‘the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God, and
the communion of the Holy Spirit
go with all of you.’
Both speakers include a two-fold command.
Jesus says, ‘baptize, teach.’
Paul says, ‘Put things in order, live in peace.’
What we witness in considering these two passages side by side,
is the pattern of Jesus’ ministry,
modeled by the early church as a template for us.
It was on the mountaintop in Galilee,
Jesus gathered the eleven remaining disciples.
They’ve experienced the violence of the world.
They’ve experienced trauma and grief.
Their former colleague Judas is dead, tragically.
The disciples are not whole,
and maybe never really will be again.
They had returned disappointed from Jerusalem
without expelling the Roman occupiers by force.
They arrive at that mountaintop not in triumph,
but limping, a bedraggled and exhausted mess
mentally, spiritually, and physically.
After a week or more of travel,
they retrace their steps back to where it all began.
Each step, each landmark,
each town they pass reminds them
of the hope they had felt
and their fellow disciple
who was not with them;
that phantom limb of grief hobbles them wherever they go.
So, when the Resurrected Christ appeared,
they worshiped him because, how could they not?
But they also doubted, because how could they not?
And there, out of these chaotic and emotionally turbulent clouds
during this perfect storm,
Jesus gives the Great Commission
and the power of the Holy Spirit begins to move them out into the world.
Jesus knows that geographically
this small band of believers is between
a rock and a dry place much like their ancestors
wandering in the wilderness
without water.
But he doesn’t wait on the disciples
to finally have everything neatly organized
or all their property settled.
Instead, he simply reminds these broken, exhausted,
and confused disciples of their origin story,
of who they really are and what they are called to do.
Today God calls us to worship with Psalm 8
which recalls the Genesis story, our origin story as it were:
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made them a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
If we understand this origin story in its historical context,
we begin to see two competing tales.
Both tales tell about
how and why we are formed; unfolding from the beginning.
You see, Genesis 1 was written
down
during the Israelites’ Babylonian Exile.
It was a time in which the Hebrew nation
had been decimated
and dispersed, a time of chaos
and a seemingly endless void.
Yet, out of this, this beautiful poem of creation
bursts forth
proclaiming that from the chaos and the void,
God brings forth holy order, new life, and beauty;
announcing that all manifold nature, the whole earth,
is good and that humankind even
is made in God’s own image.
On the other hand, you have this rival origin story
from the conquering Babylonians,
the cultural context in which the Hebrew people lived.
If you read them hand in hand,
both stories share such striking similarities
that some scholars believe
the Genesis story offers
a counter-story to the Babylonian tale.
For the Babylonians, creation occurred out of the void of chaos
just as in Genesis, but for them,
it was anything but good.
Instead, the earth was crafted out of the refuse
of battles between the gods.
Humanity itself was created
in an act of extreme violence in order
for the gods to have slaves to do their work,
to fight their wars for them.
As told by the Babylonians, we were created
“by violence, in violence, through violence … for violence.”
But, as pastor and theologian Alan Storey
[1]
sees it
Genesis tells us that humanity was instead created
“by love, in love, through love, and for love.”
We’re not slaves. We bear God’s image.
We’re not to make slaves of others. All humans bear God’s image.
[2]
We’re not here to fight wars of small gods or little men.
We’re here to be caretakers of a good creation in partnership with the one true,
loving God.
Conversely, our origin story doesn’t make us superheroes.
In fact, rather than saving innocents
like Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman
or even moving mountains with a single prayer,
some of us may feel like Paul.
Paul grew weary writing to the Corinthians
and we may tire of writing to unresponsive Congressional reps;
to tell them to ‘put things in order and live at peace’.
We write, we march, we vote, we join prayer vigils and ask ourselves,
“am I living as God’s creation or as one schooled in Babylonian?”
And if that’s the case with you, the Spirit is willing
but the flesh is tired; take refuge in Christ, return to the still point of love,
look to God’s heavens and consider the work of God’s fingers.
But also listen to the voices of the young,
[3]
for out of the words of the young, God establishes strength to still the enemy.
Hear them wake us out of the Babylonian narrative.. See in them
God’s acting to “trouble the waters.”
[4]
Be crowned with honor in serving Christ and remember our story begins
in God’s creation and unfolds in mysterious ways.
Elder Joe Morgan shares these thoughts:
"God moves in mysterious ways " is a phrase that has become very familiar to me in the past several years. It has often come to me after I have felt most confused, disappointed, inadequate and alone. During these times I tend to call on God most often. Often the answers come in unexpected ways and are far different and much superior than I had prayed for.
My struggle to grapple with our church's situation is shared by most of us. I was surprised to find some comfort in the bible verses for this week's Bible Study preparations (Genesis 1:1-2:4a, 2 Corinthians 13:11-13, Psalm 8, Matthew 28:16-20).
The Creation Story found in Genesis 1 seems an unusual place to find perspective and comfort during the time we are looking at the disintegration of our congregation , the seeming loss of an important touchstone for living an authentic life and the place of many meaningful and hoped for events in our lives; and the conclusion of our lives. I realized however, that God has a plan for each of us as Genesis 1 shows a thoughtful and committed God who worked for our existence and evolution.
We are part of a church that has a proud history and has contributed much to the betterment of our community. We have reason to celebrate our past as we discern what God has in store for each of us. It gave me hope in that while preparing for the end we look at the beginning with awe and thanksgiving. I hope we all can find ways to participate with dignity, gratitude, and joy as we continue our journeys in carrying out the Great Commission.
Jesus says, “I’m sending you out in the name of the Trinity,
in the name of Loving Relationship and Loving Community.
Teach and be taught in my way,
formed in the very beginning,
baptized in love, by love, through love, and for love
to bring good news and salvation to towns, cities, nations
that still cling to
that ancient myth of violence.
I’m sending you out to change our world,
not with weapons or armies,
not with superpowers or clothed in a Nanotechnology Suit;
but in the arms of Love, clothed only with love.
May the fullness of God go with you, even until the end of the age.”
Holy One in Three,
Be with us here, gathered as your royal We.
Give us courage where we falter,
give us strength in perfect weakness.
Fill us with love and send us forth as your heralds,
Your bearers of baptizing water, your teachers,
and healers and lovers of all creation and
all creatures.
Remind us of your being with us always and
fill us with joy that we might move people’s hearts
and lift them up.
Give us the gifts of the Holy Spirit that sets us free
for the love of God in Christ, who gave us the Lord’s Prayer
that we might pray together saying: Our Father….
[1]
Rev. Alan Storey, an ordained minister of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, presently ministers at the Central Methodist Mission (CMM) in Cape Town. Before moving to CMM, Alan was serving at Calvary Methodist Church, Midrand, situated halfway between Pretoria and Johannesburg for 11 years. Alan’s commitment to the peacemaking Jesus was tested early in his life when he faced conscription into the apartheid regime’s military. After spending a year of discernment working as a laborer in Australia, he returned to South Africa, declaring he would never fight in the apartheid army – or any army. He was arrested and faced trial with a six-year prison sentence as the likely outcome. Alan’s trial was abandoned midway, and he became the last conscientious objector to be tried in apartheid South Africa.
[2]
Believing God created all humans in God’s own image, at this time we must boldly declare, Black Lives Matter to God.
[3]
Greta Thunberg, Time Magazine Person of the Year, 2019. “She became the biggest voice on the biggest issue facing the planet this year,” Time said of the Swedish teen. “Coming from essentially nowhere to lead a worldwide movement.”
