Sermon from the Ambassador's Corner

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In the Beginning
by Rev. Dr. Henry Marissen
Genesis 1:1-31

Because we live in a world that is moving so quickly, especially when we think of technology, it seems almost out of out of place to be reading the creation story. Who really believes that old story any more right? We can do so much nowadays that this old story seems to be entirely outdated. Just think of the things we can do these days. Computer technology is now an integral part of virtually everything we use, from kitchen utensils to farm machinery. People have already walked on the moon, and we have vehicles that travel in and out of space on a regular basis. Communication with others, either by voice, e-mail or fax is a common thing. Why we can now clone animals, and yes, humans too. We can even predetermine the gender of the child we wish to have. And now I come to you with this old, outdated story which speaks of some obscure creation of the entire universe. Can we really believe this anymore? Is there really any reason for believing this story anymore?

I want to look at this old, old story, and I want to do so for two reasons. First of all, it is in the Bible, and if we believe that the entire Bible is God's word, given to us under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, then this story will help us to discover just who God is. Secondly, because the Bible, and our Christian Doctrines are constantly under attack by secularists, and atheists, people from whom we would expect these attacks. But they are also being undermined, and discredited by our own church leaders, people we would not expect. Therefore it may be good for us to just remind ourselves again of the Christian doctrines on which the Christian Church cut its teeth, and matured into a once formidable force in the world. Bringing it closer to home, many of you will remember the impact of our own United Church only a few short years ago, when biblical doctrines were still important, and adhered to. We were a church with a powerful Christian influence in this country, and a membership of some one million people; a membership that has now waned by leaps and bounds, predominately because biblical doctrines have been ignored, and even worse, to a great extent, deplored.

So, why begin with the creation story? Well, the obvious answer is of course; that’s where it all began. Without a beginning there can be no . . . anything. However, a second, and a more important answer is, here is where we discover our immediate relationship with God. Here is where we are introduced to God, who he is, and many of his characteristics, or as theologians like to say, his attributes.

Already the first sentence of the Bible tells us much about God. The Good News Bible says, as we have heard, "In the beginning, when God created the universe . . . " and then it goes on to describe the formlessness of the earth in the same sentence. Most other English translations have it a little differently. The first sentence is split up into two separate occurrences, making the very first sentence a definite act all by its self. Most have the first verse as, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." This puts the emphasis on God, and it tells us that this God is someone quite unique. I believe, when all is said and done, it is this uniqueness of God that is under scrutiny these days. In fact, given our vast knowledge, and great abilities these days, I believe there is a feeling out there that we have moved beyond needing God. We can do it on our own. We have the power. Furthermore, if we no longer need God, it must follow that we no longer need the moral values spelled out by God anymore iether. So we can, and should, as our United Church would like us to do, celebrate the 10th anniversary of allowing gays and lesbians to stand for ordination in our denomination. Or, when the president of the US commits immorality, then apologizes in one emotional appeal, and in the next breath he vows to fight this thing to the end, I begin to wonder why the majority of Americans still support him, at least for now. Does this mean they condone what he has done? And does it then naturally follow, if he can get away with it, so should they be able to as well? I don’t know. But I do know that any church, or any society is in serious trouble when it allows these kinds of things to take place. It is an indirect denial of belief in the God of the Bible, and a direct denial of his standards. It is as if God doesn’t even exist.

Psalm 14:1 tells us that "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works." (KJV) This tells me that not believing in God, and corruptness; doing terrible things, are synonymous. Not many people will say that they do not believe in God. Only a fool would say that, according to Scriptures.

Notice how direct that verse of Scripture is. The fool says there is no God, and therefore believes it. It doesn’t say that he thinks there is no God. So the other side of that must be then, if we say we believe in God, it must be more than just thinking it. It must be a conviction of the heart. When we say we believe in God we mean that we worship and adore him as God, the maker and creator of all things. We trust him and love him as our Father in heaven, as the God who loved us enough to give his only begotten son to die for us. in addition, we will want to live by his moral laws and standards.

Yet, being human, we need evidence, right? It just seems natural for us to be skeptical about almost everything. So, how do we know God?

We can know God through nature, and more specifically through creation. How did the world come to be? Has it existed forever? Did the world make itself? We know for certain that the world had a beginning at some point, but who is its maker. It surely could not have made itself, for out of nothing can come only nothing. We can do many things, but man could never have made the world. Even clones must start with something. The world began with nothing, and therefore could not have existed forever. The answer of Christian faith is, through faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God. It’s really as simple as that. Paul writes in Romans 1:20, "Ever since God created the world, his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things God has made." (GNB) This means that the creation itself, the visible universe bears witness to the invisible creator. To say then that there is no God would be to say that, "All of the wonders around us are accidental. No almighty hand made a thousand billion stars. They made themselves. No power keeps them on their steady course. The earth spins itself to keep the oceans from falling off toward the sun. A small flower (just) invented itself. The earth gave itself day and night, tilted itself so that we get seasons. Without the magnetic poles man would be unable to navigate the trackless oceans of water and air, but they just grew there. Why does snow sit on mountain-tops waiting for the warm spring sun to melt it at just the right time for the young crops in farms below to drink? A very lovely accident? (And still some say), 'There is no God?'" 1966 by Jim Bishop, Miami Herald, July 27, 1987.

Another way to know God is through the manner in which we were created. God made the universe, but it cannot think of God; only humans can do that. Where did we get the idea of God? Was God an invention by ancient people in response to the fear of nature around them, or in times of trouble? Listen again to the words of verse 28. "And then God said, 'And now we will make human beings, they will be like us and resemble us...'" There is nothing else in all of creation about which those words are said. We are created in God’s very own image, and for that very reason we are able to think of, and commune with God. We cannot commune with animals. As a matter of fact, we have been given dominion over them. We cannot commune with nature. Again we have dominion over it. We can only commune with God, which makes us more than skin and bones; it makes us spiritual beings. All living creatures live because of God, but only humans were created in such a way that we have a great desire to need fulfilment and satisfaction. Where can this be found? Some try drugs. Some try alcohol. Other say it can only be found in possessions. Some people try to find fulfillment by living immoral lives. The story Jesus told about the prodigal son comes to mind here doesn't it. "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you O God," writes the psalmist. (Ps. 42:1) Why? Because with him, and only him are our deepest longings fulfilled. And so it should be. We are like him. Never can we say with Shirley McClaine, and others, "Since I am like God, I am God." That would be as foolish as saying there is no God. For you see something else sets us apart from the rest of creation, and that is our conscience.

At the very beginning of history we hear God call out to his people "Where are you?" They had hidden from him because they had sinned, and their consciences were bothering them. But they could not hide. God knew where they were; he only wanted them to respond. Many years later, a man named Judas had betrayed his Lord for thirty pieces of silver, and when his conscience burned within him, he ran to the temple and threw down those awful thirty pieces of silver, exclaiming, "I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood." Conscience is O so powerful. It can eat away at you, completely taking over your life. Where did come from? Someone once said that, "Conscience is the law on one’s heart that comes from the divine lawgiver, God."

Some people think that with the right kind of education we can make things so that our conscience won’t bother us so much. It’s something like the little girl who climbed up on the lap of great-grandmother and looked at her white hair and wrinkles and then asked, "Did God make you?" "Yes," she said. Then she asked, "Did God make me, too?" Her Grandma said, "Yes." "Well," said the little girl, "Don't you think He's doing a better job now than he used to?" No God isn’t doing a better job than he used to, for all he does is always perfect. But neither are we doing a better job. A certain kind of education isn’t going to do it for us. If it does, than it is only because we have lowered God’s standards.

The best way to know God is through revelation. Only through Christ can we know the fullness of God’s love for us. The supreme demonstration of God’s love is in his atonement for our sins on the cross. Henry van Dyke has captured this truth with the words of the hymn we are about to sing.

Thou art giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Well-spring of the joy of living,
Ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our brother
All who love and live are thine.
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine!

In the beginning God created, but it was to this end; that he should love us and we should love him. AMEN

Genesis 1:1-31
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.
3 And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
6 And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."
7 And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9 And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so.
10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth." And it was so.
12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years,
15 and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so.
16 And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth,
18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the firmament of the heavens."
21 So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
22 And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."
23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24 And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so.
25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the cattle according to their kinds, and everything that creeps upon the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."
29 And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so.
31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.

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