The lectionary texts for Trinity Sunday -- specifically the creation story from Genesis and Psalm 8 -- highlight the immensity and majesty of God’s creation, which is so much more than the human mind can fully comprehend. Our small place in the cosmos ought to make us feel humility -- but as team member Chris Keating points out in the next installment of The Immediate Word, all too often we’ve taken too literally the psalmist’s echo of Genesis, that humans have been given “dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet.” That comment suggests that God has graciously appointed us to oversee the functioning of his creation. But instead of seeing that as a call for responsible stewardship of our world, we’ve seen that instead as a justification for “conquering” nature in order to appropriate its bounty for ourselves. As Chris reminds us, though, there is a very big difference between “dominion” and “domination.” Rather than befouling the environment we have been tasked with caring for, we ought to contemplate the infinite extent of God’s marvelous creation -- and demonstrate our respect and reverence for the Creator.
Team member Mary Austin shares some additional thoughts on this week’s Second Corinthians passage. Our Genesis text tells us that “God created humankind in his image” -- but what does that mean? All too often, we tend to think of God in (super)human terms, rather than imagining humankind as a reflection of God. Mary notes that in his benediction to the Corinthians, Paul provides a succinct recap (in brief bullet points) of exactly what it means to live in a manner that is a reflection of God’s image: “put things in order... agree with one another, live in peace... greet one another with a holy kiss.” In other words, we must be as connected with one another as God is with us -- and as loving, even when that is a very difficult standard to live up to. To do that, Mary tells us, means establishing a deeper sense of community with each other -- and what better place is there to begin that process than in our congregations?
Infinite Infinities
by Chris Keating
Genesis 1:1--2:4a; Psalm 8
If you want to see the youngest and hottest stars this summer, step away from the television and go outside.
Paparazzi might still be hunting Justin Bieber or Selena Gomez, but the credit for photographing the youngest stars this season goes to NASA -- and the pictures are truly out of this world.
Recently the space agency released two separate yet equally compelling images, including a view of the youngest galaxies in the universe based on images collected by the Hubble Space Telescope. Last week NASA released ultraviolet-enhanced images of the universe, revealing sizzling young galaxies. Like celebs trotting across a beach, the young hot stars race into full view.
Meanwhile, another NASA video captures a gigantic burst of solar energy known as a coronal mass ejection (CME). Moving at more than 1.5 million miles per hour, the burst of material from the sun was recorded by a space observatory known as IRIS. At five times the width of the Earth, the huge “sun sneeze” was one of the first solar flares recorded by the solar satellite.
To borrow a line from poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, all Earth is indeed charged with grandeur. The astonishing images reflect both the magnificence of creation and the breadth of human ingenuity. Looking at the twinkling galaxies or watching the huge burst of energy break into the universe awakens new understandings of the psalmist’s comment: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?”
As one of novelist John Green’s characters notes in the best-selling The Fault in Our Stars, “some infinities are bigger than other infinities.”
The heavenly infinities at the heart of both Psalm 8 and Genesis 1 are invitations to revel in the beauty of creation. Yet they are also statements about human stewardship of God’s world. The texts reveal beauty and mystery, vocation and calling. This Trinity Sunday, we ought to listen for how the triune God calls us to both worship and preserve this astonishing universe.
In the News
Look past the celebrity-lined red carpets if you really want to see stars that dazzle and amaze. Look far, far into space -- and feel again the vastness of creation. But imagine seeing that universe evolve in time -- revealing the birthing process of ancient stars. Thanks to photos snapped by the Hubble telescope, astronomers are now getting that sort of glimpse.
It’s amazing.
Elegant galaxies billions and billions of years away from the Earth popped into view recently, delighting amateur stargazers and yielding innumerable data for researchers. The “Hubble Ultra Deep Field” of space had previously captivated astronomers with its up-close view of almost 10,000 galaxies. Recently, scientists added ultraviolet light to the images. The result was perhaps the most comprehensive view of galactic development.
The groundbreaking images now allow scientists to close the gap in their studies of space. Ultraviolet light allows them to notice younger stars. Caltech scientist Harry Teplitz noted that the gap was akin to learning about families from observing their college years. With the addition of ultraviolet light comes the ability to see star factories which were active between 5-10 billion years ago.
That’s right -- the youngest, hottest stars aren’t on the cover of the tabloids this summer, they’re in the hands of researchers who are trying to understand how galaxies grew to the shapes and sizes visible now. Teplitz says observing the clumping of young individual stars will help researchers understand how galaxies evolved in time.
It’s an unobscured view that will expand our understanding of the universe. In this case, a picture is worth 10,000 galaxies, and a reminder of the vast beauty of creation.
Likewise, NASA’s unprecedented footage of superheated solar particles gushing into the universe stirred the scientific community, providing close-up views of the sun sneezing. NASA’s solar satellite -- named the Interface Region Imaging Spectograph (IRIS) -- recorded the event in May. The explosion was equal to five Earths in width and about seven and a half Earths in height. That’s big.
Of course, watching the eruption on your computer or mobile device fails to capture the immense proportions of the ejection. But consider the velocity of the mass -- estimated to be around 1.5 million miles per hour. The size and force of the CME provides another glimpse at the enormity of the cosmos above our heads.
God’s vast galaxies stir our hearts. They cause us to remember the smallness of humanity against the backdrop of the cosmos. We may well wonder: “What are human beings that God is mindful of them?” But does the enormity of God’s whirling planets prompt human beings to be better stewards of creation?
Evidence that humans have failed in their stewardship of Earth is mounting. For example, trails leading toward the once-pristine wilderness of Mount Everest are now clogged with refuse. An estimated 50 tons of trash has accumulated on the mountain over the past six decades. Some climbers have nicknamed Everest the world’s highest garbage dump. Tourists flock to the mountain, leaving trails of garbage behind. Climbers must now return with at least 18 pounds of trash -- and those who do not comply with the new rules could be banned from future treks.
From the air to the seas, responses to environmental concerns are mixed. For example, while Chinese officials recently admitted that many of its cities do not meet standards for air quality, enforcement of environmental-friendly policies seems mixed. China’s smog problem is so bad it can be seen from space, choking out residents in its cities and prompting the government to announce limitations on future car sales. A cap on carbon dioxide emissions has also been proposed -- but as its economy grows, coal is certain to have a future in China’s energy needs.
On the seas, floating trash islands point to human interference in the oceans. This week, Secretary of State John Kerry noted that “unless... trends are reversed, the effects across the planet will be profound.” Kerry has invited world leaders to a conference on the status of the world’s oceans on June 16-17, 2014. “We intend to create a global movement to protect the ocean and its resources. We will debate real solutions and come up with concrete plans for implementing them.”
It’s another reminder of our human vocation, an opportunity to reconsider our disregard for the works of God. “You have given them dominion over the works of your hands,” muses the psalmist. The psalmist explodes with awe at the beauty of creation and the human’s place in creation. Indeed Hopkins was right -- the world is charged with grandeur.
The seas, the skies, the birds, whatever passes along the paths of the seas -- all of it has been given to humanity. We may well wonder if God may have had second thoughts.
In the Scriptures
John Green is correct: some infinities are indeed bigger than others. And within this week’s texts, there are an untold number of infinities worth considering. Trinity Sunday calls the church to reflect on the identity of God as creator, redeemer, and sustainer. Both the Genesis text and Psalm lection lead to a powerful conclusion: not only has God created all that is seen and unseen, but God has intended the human being to have an important role in creation.
Genesis 1 explodes with a rhapsody of wonder and delight. The Oneness of God is emphasized in all that God has done. God is powerful and sovereign, calling forth light and dark, day and night. God is pleased with creation, repeatedly calling it good. God takes care to establish the heavens, but also the good and fertile ground -- something that would have resonated deeply with Israel’s agrarian heritage. At the end, God entreats the heavenly court to join in creating humankind, “according to our likeness” (v. 26).
Likewise, in Psalm 8, it is clear that God is not unattached or removed from creation. Both the poetry of Genesis and the imagery of Psalm 8 portray God as intimately involved in every detail of creation. Carl Sandburg reflected this idea in his poem “God Is No Gentleman” (Honey and Salt [Harcourt & Brace, 1963], p. 39):
God gets up in the morning and says, “Another day?”
God goes to work every day at regular hours.
God is no gentleman, for God puts on overalls and gets dirty
running the universe we know about
and several other universes nobody knows about but Him.
Perhaps that image should reflect our understanding of human dominion over creation. If God shows up in laborer’s clothing, and humans are just a bit lower than God, then our role becomes clear. Though given dominion over creation, humans are still subject to God’s sovereignty. Dominion is not the same as domination. Humanity fulfills its calling to Earth stewardship by acting as God would act -- in loving respect toward creation.
The Psalm also makes clear that humans are called to fill creation with praise. The praise and glory of God comes not from the strong, but from the mouths of children (v. 2) and infants -- persons who lack strength and who are vulnerable. This provides another clue to our role in creation: we have potent authority (as Ted Hiebert notes in the “Creation” entry from the New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible), but authority that reflects God’s desire for order, goodness, and mercy.
Creation is not given as a private playground, but as a gift of infinite infinities, a garden where all are invited to stare at the vastness of creation and declare “How majestic is your name in all the earth!”
In the Sermon
Trinity Sunday offers an opportunity for the preacher to encourage the gift of awe and wonder. Just as the Hubble telescope’s ultraviolent renderings of the galaxies evoke shouts of glory, or as the NASA footage of solar vapors being born at fleeting speeds elicit our amazement, Psalm 8 and Genesis 1 invite our astonishment. Both texts beckon us toward deeper communion with God -- reminding us that the triune God exists in loving relationship and perfect communion.
But gazing outward toward the stars is only the first step, as the psalmist suggests. The psalmist’s feet are planted solidly on terra firma. After reflecting on the enormity of the heavens, the psalmist is moved to consider the role of humans in this universe. Crowned with glory and given dominion, yes, but also called to live in relationship with “all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea.” As Elizabeth Webb points out, the world at our feet is not there for us to trample.
Depending on your congregation’s interest, this can be a time to consider the church’s stewardship of the Earth. The sermon can point out that in exercising dominion, we are God’s representatives -- we uphold the covenant God has made with all creation. A sermon could offer listeners a chance to list ways they can be better stewards of creation, or perhaps include an invitation to consider a new Earth care practice. Follow up with summertime activities that extend worship beyond the walls of the church -- so that God’s people can truly experience the grandeur with which creation is charged.
Beginning with the opening words of scripture, and continuing with the Psalmist’s praise, the sermon could truly move the congregation from awe to action, pointing toward the infinity of all infinities: the One sovereign Lord, whose name is majestic in all the Earth.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
The beautiful Genesis text for this week calls us back to our core identity. Before anything else, we know that we are made in the image of God. In his letters to the Corinthian church, Paul calls them to the work of living with that reflection of God in daily life. Any kind of shared life -- church, family, school, friendship -- can develop us into more tolerant, patient, and loving people, better than we would be alone. It can also call up our deepest fear and anger and petty selfishness, and bring out the worst in our behavior.
With all of our deep needs and deeply held beliefs, how are we to follow Paul’s instruction to “put things in order, agree with one another, and live in peace”?
Examples of what not to do abound.
Washington Post columnist George Will recently displayed a dramatic lack of sensitivity when writing about, as he put it, “the supposed campus epidemic of rape, a.k.a. ‘sexual assault.’ ” He suggested that being a victim of assault has become “a coveted status that confers privileges,” which makes victims proliferate. His column quarrels with the statistics about rape on college campuses, which are notoriously hard to pin down, and the tone reflects a disdain for anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of an assault.
One would expect jubilation at the release of an American soldier held as a prisoner of war by the Taliban for five years, but the recent release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has generated a new round of partisan bickering about the terms and timing of the deal arranged for his release. His hometown in Idaho, which has supported his parents through these years, cancelled a celebration for fear of protesters. The Reuters news service reported that “Bergdahl’s father, Bob Bergdahl, has received emailed death threats, an Idaho police chief said on Saturday. The first was received on Wednesday, the same day the city canceled a planned rally celebrating Bergdahl’s release, Hailey Police Chief Jeff Gunter said. Hailey, a tourist community of 8,000 people in the mountains of central Idaho, has been buffeted by hundreds of vitriolic phone calls and emails.” Even if politicians disagree, and even if there are questions about how and why Bergdahl originally left his Army post, one would expect sympathy for his parents after their own five-year ordeal.
In contrast, Paul encourages the church toward a kind of mutual respect and service to each other. In our world, his vision is much like the idea of ubuntu, which came into many people’s understanding through Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. As Tutu says, “Ubuntu is a concept that we have in our Bantu languages at home. Ubuntu is the essence of being a person. It means that we are people through other people. We cannot be fully human alone. We are made for interdependence, we are made for family. When you have ubuntu, you embrace others. You are generous, compassionate. None of us comes into the world fully formed. We would not know how to think, or walk, or speak, or behave as human beings unless we learned it from other human beings. We need other human beings in order to be human.”
More than an idea, ubuntu is also a way of living in the world. As Tutu explains, “Ubuntu [is] the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness.... A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.”
On a practical level, how do we put that into practice with each other? Charles Eisenstein contends that community grows from giving to each other. Acts of service and kindness connect people, he believes. A group of people needs a purpose, and their purpose is to serve each other. As he says: “Wherever I go and ask people what is missing from their lives, the most common answer (if they are not impoverished or seriously ill) is ‘community.’ What happened to community, and why don’t we have it any more? There are many reasons -- the layout of suburbia, the disappearance of public space, the automobile and the television, the high mobility of people and jobs.” Most importantly, he says, “community is nearly impossible in a highly monetized society like our own. That is because community is woven from gifts, which is ultimately why poor people often have stronger communities than rich people. If you are financially independent, then you really don’t depend on your neighbors -- or indeed on any specific person -- for anything. You can just pay someone to do it, or pay someone else to do it.”
In our poverty, whether of body or mind or spirit, we need each other. When we have everything, true community is more difficult. We have more to protect, and fewer places of connection with each other. When we are vulnerable -- or willing to make ourselves so -- connection happens. Perhaps this is why my best friends have come from the most stressful chapters of life, like college and horrible jobs. The early church, the recipients of Paul’s letters, was in a constant state of stress, as they created a whole new faith and a new way of living together. As we hear in the letters, there was great potential for division -- but also the hope of deep community together.
Our churches are in a similar place of stress, increasingly irrelevant to the society around us. Perhaps this is a curious blessing, a space for us to develop deeper community with each other. Paul gives the early church -- and us -- clear instructions on how to see the enduring image of God in each other, and honor it as we live together. Anyone who has ever been part of a church, or a family, or lived in a shared space, knows that this doesn’t come easily, but seeing the reflected image of God in each other gives us a sacred starting point. After that, as Paul says, we take up the daily work of “putting things in order, listening, agreeing with one another, and living in peace.”
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Genesis 1:1--2:4a
Camp Lawton had been lost to history. Built in 1864, the Confederate POW camp received 10,000 Union prisoners from the overcrowded Andersonville camp. But it was abandoned in six months when its Confederate guards fled as Sherman’s army approached on his notorious “march to the sea.” Because of its very short occupancy, the camp became nondescript to historians. But that all changed in 2010 when a Georgia Southern graduate student stumbled on one of the fenceposts for the stockade. An archeological expedition began, and the number of artifacts to be found is unlimited. The excavation work will continue for many years into the future.
Application: We will never truly understand the history and mystery of creation.
*****
Matthew 28:16-20
The 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protest was earlier this month, and though the Chinese government has done their utmost to scrub the incident from the historical record, the events of June 3-4, 1989, are still remembered today. Perhaps most notable is the enduring image of one student who stood and halted a parade of tanks. Even with a strong police presence and a shutdown of social media, 180,000 people still arrived at Hong Kong’s Victoria Park on the anniversary to recognize the day the people of China sought a more democratic rule and less corruption. In fact there were so many people the crowd spilled out of the plaza onto the adjoining side streets. The candlelight vigil was accompanied by the lying of a ceremonial wreath.
Application: Jesus cautioned us to always remember and share the message.
*****
Matthew 28:16-20
We recently observed the 70th anniversary of the Normandy invasion on D-Day, the turning point of the European theater of World War II when the Allies finally got a foothold on French soil and could slowly begin making their way to Berlin. But a survey indicated that only 70% of recent college graduates knew that D-Day occurred during World War II -- and 15% even identified the location of the landing as Pearl Harbor.
Application: Jesus cautioned us to know the message we are to share.
*****
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
In a comic strip by Spyridon Alexandrou, a young son asks his parents a seemingly simple question. He wants to know: “Is it true that we are born losers?” His father replies, “Well, I suppose you could say misfortune tends to run to our family.” But his mother is quick to correct him, saying: “The correct word is ‘gallops’ to our family.”
Application: It is important to greet every one with the holy kiss of peace, for we all suffer from insurmountable problems.
*****
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
The day after the Normandy invasion, war correspondent Ernie Pyle began a dispatch with these words: “I took a long walk along the historic coast of Normandy in the country of France. It was a lovely day for strolling along the seashore. Men were sleeping on the sand, some of them sleeping forever.”
Application: Paul understood the importance of Christians agreeing with one another and greeting one another in peace, for he knew the trials and tribulations that would be confronting the church.
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From team member Leah Lonsbury:
Genesis 1:1--2:4a; Psalm 8
The Pont des Arts footbridge over the Seine in the heart of Paris was closed for part of the day on Sunday after a metal grill weighed down by padlocks collapsed onto the bridge’s walkway. The padlocks were put there by amorous couples wishing to symbolize their enduring love. Over five years ago, padlocks started appearing on bridges in Paris and other European cities. The locks are often inscribed with the lovers’ names, and the keys are usually thrown into the river below.
No one was hurt in Sunday’s “love lock” accident, but city officials are saying it “confirms that our desire to find an alternative to these locks is a real necessity.”
The railings of several Paris bridges are being weighed down by these padlocks, causing authorities to have to replace or repair panels. Calls have also come in urging those in charge to put an end to the practice on aesthetic grounds. Officials have been reticent to make such a move in order to protect the city’s tourist industry and its worldwide reputation as a city of love.
When our symbols, images, ideas, and practices begin to tear down and destroy, perhaps it’s time (or past time) to rethink how we have locked things down.
This is true of our thinking around what it means to be made in God’s image and to have dominion over God’s good creation. The news on any day is full of stories of war, devastation because of climate change, political standoffs, and all kinds of human suffering. How would the news change if we thought about being made in the image of God as being imprinted with God’s love, compassion, sacrifice, and reconciliation? What kind of decisions would we make in our everyday living if we understood “dominion” as caretaking and protecting the earth and all its creatures?
*****
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
NBC news is reporting that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is in good enough physical condition to return to his home and family in Idaho, but according to U.S. officials, “he’s not ready psychologically or emotionally.”
For now, Bergdahl will remain where he is -- under treatment at a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. After five years in captivity where he reportedly underwent close confinement and torture, it seems Bergdahl may have some work to do and require help to recover. This is especially true amidst rumors swirling around that he deserted his post, loud American voices questioning whether or not his release was worth freeing Guantanamo prisoners, and death threats being directed toward his family.
What all will Bergdahl and those who care for him have to do to “put things in order” (v. 11)?
What do we need to do in our lives to order them in the way Paul encourages the Corinthians? How do we need to listen, seek agreement, increase our peace, and greet each other with love? How will this invite “the God of love and peace” to be with us (v. 11)?
*****
Matthew 28:16-20
Our text from Matthew for this week tells us that “some doubted” (v. 17), but Jesus sent them to make disciples, baptize, and teach anyway (vv. 19-20).
In a time when 20% of Americans claim no religious affiliation at all, many mainline churches are floundering, and religious people and institutions are making the news more often for the scandals they create than the love and justice they pursue, we need something to restore our faith in faith. We need something to inspire those of us who doubt, something that will send us to make disciples, baptize, and teach anyway.
Click here for ten inspiring acts that will “restore your faith in... faith,” and know that for every act that got recorded, ten others quietly happened, following the example and teachings of Jesus on the mountain. They remind us that he is “with [us] always, to the end of the age” (v. 20), and despite our doubts, we are still being sent.
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From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
A Holy Kiss
There are four places in the New Testament that refer to the “holy kiss”: Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; and 1 Thessalonians 5:26. In each instance, the Greek words denote a kiss which is sacred -- physically pure and morally blameless.
It was a common custom in most nations for people to kiss each other on the cheek at meeting or parting to display their love, sincere affection, and friendship for each other.
The kiss is called “holy” to distinguish it from a sexual one and from a hypocritical and deceitful one, such as Joab gave to Amasa (2 Samuel 20:9) or such as Judas gave to Jesus when he cried “Hail Rabbi” and betrayed Jesus into the hands of His enemies (Matthew 26:49).
While some scholars compare it to the modern handshake, it was, generally speaking, more intimate than a handshake -- the modern hug would probably be more in keeping with the holy kiss.
*****
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Living in Peace with One Another
Mohandas Gandhi offered ten necessary steps for people to live together in peace:
1) Seek to love, not control others.
2) Moderate your convictions. Avoid absolutes and be willing to compromise.
3) Be tolerant. Learn to accept others as they are.
4) Be peaceful. Eschew all types of violence.
5) Reflect. Think before you act and talk. Weigh the possible consequences.
6) Seek forgiveness, not revenge.
7) Seek inner peace. Learn to be content with what you have and what you are.
8) Learn to be joyful. Take time to appreciate the wonders that are all about you.
9) Be the change you wish to see in the world.
10) Broaden your understanding of peace. It is more than the absence of conflict.
*****
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Agree with One Another
“Consensus” is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as “an opinion or position reached by a group as a whole.” Consensus decision-making is the process used to generate widespread agreement within a group.
Five things are required for a group to make decisions by consensus:
1) Inclusion. As many community members as possible should be involved in the process. Nobody should be excluded or left out (unless they ask to be excluded).
2) Participation. Not only is every person included, but each and every person is also expected to participate by contributing opinions and suggestions. While there are various roles that others may have, each person has an equal share (and stake) in the final decision.
3) Co-operation. All the people involved collaborate and build upon each other’s concerns and suggestions to come up with a decision or solution that will satisfy everyone in the group, rather than just the majority (while the minority is ignored).
4) Egalitarianism. Nobody’s input is weighed more or less than anyone else’s. Each has equal opportunity to amend, veto, or block ideas.
5) Solution-mindedness. An effective decision-making body works toward a common solution, despite differences. This comes through collaboratively shaping a proposal until it meets as many of the participants’ concerns as possible.
*****
Genesis 1:1--2:4a
The Cosmic Calendar
It was Carl Sagan (on the original Cosmos television program) who popularized the notion of teaching about the creation and evolution of the universe by reducing all of time to a single year. This one-year history of the universe was called the “Cosmic Calendar” and can be found at http://visav.phys.uvic.ca/~babul/AstroCourses/P303/BB-slide.htm. Here are a few highlights:
Big Bang -- first second of January 1
Formation of Earth -- September 14
First life on Earth -- September 25
Formation of the oldest rocks found on Earth -- October 2
Date of oldest Earth fossils (algae & bacteria) -- October 9
Significant oxygen atmosphere begins to develop on Earth -- December 1
First animals move from the sea to land -- December 21
First mammals appear -- December 26
Dinosaurs become extinct -- December 28
First humans appear -- December 31, 10:30 p.m.
Use of stone tools by humans becomes widespread -- December 31, 11:00 p.m.
Domestication of fire by Peking man -- December 31, 11:46 p.m.
Last Ice Age begins -- December 31, 11:56 p.m.
Iron Age, Israel’s Monarchic age -- December 31, 11:59:54 p.m.
Roman Empire; Birth of Christ -- December 31, 11:59:56 p.m.
Renaissance in Europe; emergence of the experimental method in science -- December 31, 11:59:59 p.m.
Modern era: 1600?2014 -- January 1, 00:00.01 a.m.
*****
Genesis 1:1--2:4a
Waste Quiz
In his book Garbology (Avery, 2012), author Edward Humes offers a brief quiz about garbage and its effect on the environment, what Christians and Jews refer to as “God’s Creation.” Here are a few of the questions and answers:
1) If every country consumed and threw away at the rate Americans do, how many planets’ worth of resources would be required to meet the demand? (Answer: 5)
2) America is home to 4% of the world’s children. What percentage of the world’s toys do Americans buy and throw away? (Answer: 40%)
3) How many plastic water bottles do Americans throw away every second? (Answer: 694)
4) How much food do Americans throw in the trash every year? (Answer: 96 billion pounds)
5) How many people could be fed with 5% of the food that Americans waste? (Answer: 4 million per year)
6) How many of your food dollars are spent on packaging? (Answer: $1 out of every $11)
7) How much waste does the entire U.S. economy create to make a year’s worth of food, fuel, resource extraction and products for one American? (Answer: Just under 1 million pounds, not counting waste water)
8) How much of that total waste figure is recycled? (Answer: 2%)
9) How much of your life will be spent opening and throwing away junk mail? (Answer: 8 months)
10) How many barrels of oil are used to make a year’s worth of disposable plastic beverage bottles for Americans? (Answer: 17 million)
11) How many non-recyclable styrofoam cups do Americans throw away in a year? (Answer: 25 billion, or enough cups to circle the earth 436 times at the equator)
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: O God, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
People: You have set your glory above the heavens.
Leader: When we look at the heavens that you have established, we are in awe.
People: What are human beings that you are mindful of us?
Leader: Yet you have crowned us with glory and honor.
People: O God, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
OR
Leader: The God of all creation calls us into worship.
People: We enter God’s presence with praise and adoration.
Leader: God opens to us all the wonders of creation.
People: We are in awe of all that God has brought forth.
Leader: God entrusts all creation to our care and stewardship.
People: We receive God’s gift as the sacred trust it is.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“I Sing the Almighty Power of God”
found in:
UMH: 152
H82: 398
PH: 288
NCH: 12
W&P: 31
Renew: 54
“God, Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens”
found in:
UMH: 150
H82: 580
PH: 268
NCH: 556
CH: 651
LBW: 463
ELA: 771
W&P: 644
“Many and Great, O God”
found in:
UMH: 148
H82: 385
PH: 271
NCH: 3
CH: 58
ELA: 837
W&P: 26
“Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty”
found in:
UMH: 64
H82: 362
PH: 128
AAHH: 238
NNBH: 1
NCH: 277
CH: 4
LBW: 165
ELA: 413
W&P: 136
AMEC: 25
STLT: 26
Renew: 204
“All Creatures of our God and King”
found in:
UMH: 62
H82: 400
PH: 455
AAHH: 147
NNBH: 33
NCH: 17
CH: 22
LBW: 527
ELA: 835
W&P: 23
AMEC: 80
STLT: 203
Renew: 47
“All Things Bright and Beautiful”
found in:
UMH: 147
H82: 405
PH: 267
NCH: 31
CH: 61
W&P: 30
AMEC: 434
“Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies”
found in:
UMH: 173
H82: 6, 7
PH: 462, 463
LBW: 265
ELA: 553
W&P: 91
“Alleluia! Alleluia!”
found in:
UMH: 162
H82: 178
PH: 106
CH: 40
W&P: 291
Renew: 271
“Arise, Shine”
found in:
CCB: 2
Renew: 123
“From the Rising of the Sun”
found in:
CCB: 4
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who created and continues to create us in your image: Grant us the wisdom to understand our place as chief stewards of your creation so that we may care for it with loving hands; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We worship you, O God, the One who created us in your own image. Help us to not only worship you with words but also with our actions in caring for your creation. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially the ways in which we fail to be good stewards of your creation.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have made us in your image and have filled us with your own Spirit and life. You have entrusted us with all creation to tend it in your name. Yet we often treat your work as if it were of no value. We misuse the resources. We pollute the air, water, and ground. We trash the beauty that is all around us, treating your world as our trash can. We have failed you, and we have failed those who are to come after us. Forgive us, and make us bold to take actions that are consistent with being good stewards. Help us to speak out for the protection of your creation. Amen.
Leader: God, our Creator, loves us even when we fail miserably. God comes to help us be faithful children and good stewards. Receive God’s forgiveness and the power to change our habits.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you, O God, for the wonders and beauty of your creation. We are in awe that you entrust its care into our hands.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have made us in your image and have filled us with your own Spirit and life. You have entrusted us with all creation to tend it in your name. Yet we often treat your work as if it were of no value. We misuse the resources. We pollute the air, water, and ground. We trash the beauty that is all around us, treating your world as our trash can. We have failed you, and we have failed those who are to come after us. Forgive us, and make us bold to take actions that are consistent with being good stewards. Help us to speak out for the protection of your creation.
We give you thanks for all you have created. Your works sustain our lives and enrich us with beauty and wonder. We thank you for the community of humankind that surrounds us, and especially for the community of disciples who help us to stay on the Way where Jesus leads us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who are affected by the pollution and misuse of creation. Many suffer from the water and air pollution our greed has caused. We have no idea what effects our poor stewardship will cost those who come after us. We pray for them and commit ourselves to reversing the damage we have caused.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Ask the children if they have ever broken one of their toys or other belongings. Talk about how that makes us sad. Then ask them if they have ever broken anything that didn’t belong to them -- any child’s toy or something around the house. It is awful to break something that belongs to us, but it is even worse when we break something that belongs to another person. All creation belongs to God. We need to take good care of it and not waste it. We need to keep it clean of trash so that others can see what a beautiful world God has created.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
The Heavens Declare
by Robert B. Lantz
Genesis 1:1
Object: star and moon stickers
Have you ever been out on a clear dark night and spent time looking up at the sky? Some people, whom we call astronomers, spend their lifetimes studying the skies. Have any of you ever looked through a telescope? It enables you to see many more stars and planets than you can see with your naked eye.
When I was young, I remember lying on the grass and looking up into the dark sky. I saw thousands of little sparkles in the sky. It made me feel very small indeed. I began to wonder about the stars. They are so far away. I wondered why there are so many of them, and how far away they are and how big they are. And the more I wondered about those twinkling stars, the more I began to marvel at God’s creation. I remembered that it was his hand that created them all, even the ones I could not see or that have not even been discovered by humankind.
I believe it must have been an experience very much like that which caused the psalmist, David, to write a song about the stars in the heavens. Maybe as a little boy on the hillsides outside Bethlehem he looked up and wondered.
Isn’t it fun to think that the same kind of experience he had so long ago is still available to us! God reveals himself to us in his creations today.
The most exciting thing about seeing all of those stars is that the Bible tells me that the God who created them loves us even more than He does them. When I think about that I don’t feel so small anymore, but I feel very special.
These stickers may remind you to have a look at the heavens and see the glory of God’s creation. (Pass out stickers, then conclude with a prayer of thanks to God for all the ways He reveals himself to us in his creation.)
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The Immediate Word, June 15, 2014, issue.
Copyright 2014 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
