Friday, October 5, 2012

Good--Very Good


God looked at all of this creation, and proclaimed that it was good—very good. 
Gen. 1:31 (The Inclusive Bible)

Sometimes, I wonder what those first few days of creation must have been like!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I know that the way creation is depicted in our Bible may not be exactly how it all went down. But, the authors of the Bible’s creation depictions tell stories of such beauty: a light shining out of the darkness and providing warmth, lush green trees forming forests, splashing waves crashing along the shore, animals of all shapes and sizes having their formation (one of which being humans), and all of this happening in a beautiful garden in which there is perfect harmony. Doesn’t it sound lovely?

As we engage with the Season of Creation this month at Prince of Peace, our readings and the images in worship tell these stories once again and remind us of the “good-ness” that God recognized at each step of creation: “God looked at all of this creation, and proclaimed that it was good—very good” (Gen. 1:31).

But, wait a second! It all sounds too good to be true! These stories seem more the themes from fairy tales and stories that end with “happily every after” rather than the reality we know today.

Unfortunately, when telling these stories we cannot forget the uncomfortable recognition that that perfect harmony which was found in the garden, oh so many years ago, has experienced some difficulties from then until now. Our relationships with other aspects of creation have become somewhat broken: we’ve used many of the world’s resources to excess; we’ve manipulated creation to provide what we want and not only what we need; we’ve not only allowed, but sometimes caused the extinction of certain animals; and our relationships with other humans isn’t always so peaceful.

Perhaps this is why I look with such hope and longing at the stories of creation in the Bible. Not that it allows me to ignore what is happening in the world around me; but, rather, it reminds me that there was a divine intent in the creation of the cosmos.

God was present in creation and God is present in creation today. What was once “good” is still “good” in many respects, but perhaps we should add: “needing repair,” the more church-y word might be “needing reconciliation.”

How can we repair our creation? How might we reconcile our relationships with God’s great creation?

Here at Prince of Peace, we’ve already started thinking about ways to minimize our carbon footprint by installing solar panels, we recycle our paper products, we welcome both four-legged and two-legged creatures into our worship space on a regular basis, and we provide for those in our community who need help accessing some of the benefits of God’s creation. This is all good—very good.

During this Season of Creation, may the “good-ness” of God’s creation inspire you to seek reconciliation; and, may the God who created all things, bless you in your endeavors to do so!

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