Sermon 2/21/21
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Genesis 2:7, 18-25 (CEB)
7 the Lord God formed the human from the topsoil of the fertile land and blew life’s breath into his nostrils. The human came to life.
18 Then the Lord God said, “It’s not good that the human is alone. I will make him a helper that is perfect for him.” 19 So the Lord God formed from the fertile land all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky and brought them to the human to see what he would name them. The human gave each living being its name. 20 The human named all the livestock, all the birds in the sky, and all the wild animals. But a helper perfect for him was nowhere to be found.
21 So the Lord God put the human into a deep and heavy sleep, and took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh over it. 22 With the rib taken from the human, the Lord God fashioned a woman and brought her to the human being. 23 The human said,
“This one finally is bone from my bones
and flesh from my flesh.
She will be called a woman
because from a man she was taken.”
24 This is the reason that a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 The two of them were naked, the man and his wife, but they weren’t embarrassed.
Mark 1:9-11 (CEB)
9 About that time, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. 10 While he was coming up out of the water, Jesus saw heaven splitting open and the Spirit, like a dove, coming down on him. 11 And there was a voice from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I dearly love; in you I find happiness.”
Focus: God created us to be in community
Function: We have a responsibility to one another and to the earth
If you’re a kid and you want some help following along with the sermon, you can listen for a mudpie, singing ants, the Hebrew word Shalom, baptism, and a long list of names. I’ll say them one more time… if you hear all of that, you’ll know you’re following along!
This scripture is probably fairly well known to you. Even if you haven’t spent a lot of time reading it, it’s one of the stories we’re taught as kids in Sunday School: the story of Adam and Eve. In contrast to the first account of creation that we are given in Genesis one, humans are one of the first creations of God - not the last. In this story, we can picture the hands of God digging into the muddy clay of the earth, forming the first human being as a small child might form a mudpie, but with more precision and intention. God’s own breath, God’s own spirit, is breathed into the human and new life begins. But God doesn’t stop there! After creating the first human, God recognizes that it is not enough. Each move of creation in Genesis one is called “good,” but here, God says that it is in fact “not good” for the human to be alone. From the very beginning, God proclaims our need for one another, our need for companionship and community.
So God forms a multitude of potential companions, all sorts of animals are made from the same earth that made the human - God even makes the human a co-creator, inviting them to take part by naming each new creation. And still, it was not enough. So God, understanding the human’s need for another like them puts the human under divine anesthesia and uses the flesh and bone of the human to create a helper. And this is not just some subservient aid for the human, the Hebrew word translated here as ‘helper’ is ʿēzer (ay'-zer), which has a deeper meaning - that of a true partner, an equal - the emphasis here is not on what the new human can do for the first, but for the relationship they can form with each other. These two humans are responsible for each other as partners. They were in community with each other, with God, and with the rest of God’s wondrous creation.
If you’re like me, creation - nature - speaks volumes about the God who created us. Such astounding beauty, such amazing complexity… One of my favorite walks through nature was on my honeymoon. Patrick and I spent the last part of our trip to Costa Rica hiking through the Children’s Eternal Rainforest. We saw a gorgeous waterfall, really cool plants, and a variety of wildlife. One of the things that brought me so much joy was when we came across some leafcutter ants. When I was a kid, I had this nature docu series on VHS that was made for children. I was obsessed with it - I watched it over and over. And my favorite episode featured leafcutter ants. Did you know that ants can sing? It’s true! When leafcutter ants find particularly high-quality food, they sing. As a foodie, I can relate.
But this singing actually serves a purpose. The ants use it to communicate with each other. It’s a way to recruit help from nearby ants so they can work together to get the food. Ants are actually super cool, especially leafcutter ants. Each ant has a role to play. Leafcutter colonies consist of ants with four different body structures, each evolved for a specific function. The smallest order patrols the nest's tight tunnels, caring for the brood and the fungus gardens. A slightly larger group monitors the perimeter of the foraging lines for predators. The workers perform the job of cutting off and carrying back the leaves. And the largest order consists of ants that clear obstructions from the path and ward off bigger predators. The ants work together in community, each of them differently designed and all of them integral to the function of the whole. I’m not the only one who thinks we can learn from ants. Proverbs 6:6-8 says, “Go to the ant, you lazy person; observe its ways and grow wise. The ant has no commander, officer, or ruler. Even so, it gets its food in summer; gathers its provisions at harvest.”
It’s not about hierarchy - one is not better than the other. Each of them has their purpose, serving their community for the thriving of all. The coolest part to me, though, is that ants aren’t just their own little community - they play a bigger part in the whole ecosystem. The way that the earth is formed demonstrates our interdependence. We are interconnected with the earth and with each other.
Cherokee author Randy Woodley puts it well in his book Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision, “From God’s purview there is an interconnectedness of all God has made. All things are designed and created beautifully by their Creator. Each part of the created whole bears the mark of its Creator. Each element works in relationship with all the others. Each ingredient is connected through its common origin and, together, all share a common location in the universe…” It is because of this interconnectedness that Woodley proposes the use of the phrase ‘Community of Creation.’ Woodley also writes, ‘The phrase ‘community of creation is specifically infused with biblical and indigenous meaning because it assumes all of creation is participating in the new community, not just humans.’ That is the essence of the phrase, all of creation’s participation in a new community.
He also believes that this phrase, Community of Creation’ is a way to remind us that Christ is our Creator. Through our Trinitarian understanding of God, we believe that the God who embodied human form is the same God that created the world in the beginning. The Christ who taught us to live in community together during his time on Earth is the same One who formed human beings in the image of God. Integral to Woodley’s understanding of the Community of Creation is the biblical concept of shalom. English translations never get it quite right, translating shalom as simply ‘peace’ or ‘welfare’ in our scriptures. But shalom is more than that, it is about wholeness, harmony, and right relationship. Woodley puts it this way, “As those who have answered the call to represent Christ by living in the community of creation, Christians, above everyone else, must realize that Jesus’ shalom community will only manifest itself wherever we act in accordance with shalom. As Jesus’ shalom-keepers we are to exhibit a new order… a shalom way of being in, with, and for the community of creation.” You see, friends, the community of Christ is the community of creation - and Christ calls us to embody and enact shalom in our own communities.
One of the ways that we participate in the community of creation is through baptism. Disciples of Christ believe that “The meaning of baptism is grounded in God’s redemptive action in Christ, it incorporates the believer in the community in the body of Christ, and it anticipates life in the coming age when the powers of the old world will be overcome, and the purposes of God will triumph.” In baptism we are made a new creation. Just as Jesus was baptized in the Jordan before a group of witnesses, our own baptism is a public act by which the church proclaims God’s grace. “A Disciples Affirmation” (the Preamble to the Design for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)) says this, “Through baptism into Christ we enter into newness of life and are made one with the whole people of God.”
Newness of life, a new creation… language like this is all over scripture. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” Isaiah 43:19 says, “Look! I’m doing a new thing; now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it? I’m making a way in the desert, paths in the wilderness.” Creation is continual. It did not stop after God created in the beginning - God is constantly at work to bring about shalom for all of creation.
God’s goal for us to be in community with each other and the earth is definitely a work in progress. We are human, after all. You probably remember the rest of the Adam and Eve story… all does not stay well in the garden of Eden. The humans make mistakes. And they are not the last ones! The book of Genesis - the whole bible, really - catalogs the actions and desires and mess-ups of all sorts of people… shepherds and kings, parents and siblings, entire cities and stubborn individuals. When we read the stories of Noah and his family, Abraham and Sarah, Rachel and Jacob, Joseph and his brothers, Moses and Miriam, Naomi and Ruth, Saul and David, Jonah and Nineveh, the disciples of Jesus, Paul and the early church, what we find is a whole lot of imperfect people and their imperfect relationships. But what we also find are stories full of lessons about how to be better, together. Stories about what community means and why it matters. Stories that show us that even though our communities will never be perfect, we must remain in community with each other and the rest of creation because it is our call.
I won’t lie - the work of being community isn’t easy. I think we all know that. But that doesn’t make it any less valuable. In fact, I think that the best kinds of communities are ones that you really have to work for. The ones made up of all different sorts - people of different histories and cultures, experiences and beliefs. Communities that teach you something you didn’t know you didn’t know. Communities that challenge us and push us to be our best selves. And even in my limited time here at FCC, even in these wild pandemic times, I have witnessed this church be that kind of community. I believe we are capable, though we still have much work to do. Our community isn’t perfect, but it is beautiful. And so I challenge us all to do the work - to strive for shalom - to follow Christ’s example as a community-creator. Because God’s community of creation is a marvelous gift. Let it serve as our call and our reminder that we belong to each other.