Visions From Our Story: Creation

It all begins at creation. The story we have come to know as the Bible begins its long journey in a two chapter account of creation. Chapter one is a marvelous poetic description of God powerfully "speaking" creation into being. The culmination of this creating is the making of human beings in the image of God. "So God created human beings in God's own image; male and female God created them." Along the way God had declared each part of the creation "good". The closing words of this act have God declaring that the entire creation, taken together, is better than good; it is "very good."

The second chapter offers us a very different look at creation. In this story we find ourselves in an earth that looks more like the moon. There are no plants or animals…just a rocky landscape. God then causes the rains to come (bringing plants forth) and creates a perfect environment for humanity, Eden (delight). From the dust of the earth (the name Adam is closely related to the Hebrew word for dirt) God creates the first man. The man, Adam, then works alongside God to name all of the creatures God forms to help Adam in his job of watching over the creation. None of these animals are adequate co-workers so God takes a rib from Adam and makes the primordial woman (the Hebrew for woman is "ishshah" meaning the one who came from man "ish").

Though there are Christians around the world who take these stories at face value (those who believe the earth was created in six 24 hour days; that the earth is only 10,000 years old; and that Adam and Eve were the two original instantaneously created humans) the Bible makes no internal claim that these stories are historically and geologically accurate. They are instead presented as theological explanations of who God is, who we are, and what our task is to be as God's creatures.

We discover who God is. God is the one who creates. God is not a created being, but the one who has the power and inclination to create all that is. God is the one who chooses to create and personally interact with human beings. God is not "the force" from Star Wars. God is not a feeling. God is powerfully and personally connected to all that God has created; humanity and the physical universe in which we live.

We discover who we are. We are part of creation. We are loved by God and have been declared to be "good". We are not God or gods. We are creatures who are different from other creatures only because we are made in the image of God. Being made in the image of God does not give us special privileges; instead it gives us special work to do.

We discover what our task is. We were created for a purpose. Our purpose is to steward (care for) God's creation. This means caring for both one another as well as caring for the world in which we live. We are able to carry out this task only by being in relationship with and God, with one another and with creation itself. Our relationship with God is the primary relationship because God as creator show us how to care for one another and our world.

As we close these chapters we are presented with an idyllic vision of how the world could be. The next chapter in the Bible story shows us that humanity is responsible for derailing this idyllic state through its failure to listen to God's loving directions. Next – The Fall.

John

From Whence Commeth Our Vision

So where does vision come from? Over the past couple of months we have been talking about vision as coming from the churches previous statements and from the Book of Acts (the story of the church in its infancy). While both of those sources offer us insight into what our vision ought to look like at FPC Birmingham, the larger question is where did those visions come from?

The answer to that question is that they came from the larger story contained within the Bible. I realize that even as I type out those words…the larger story contained within the Bible….many of you don't know what I am talking about. And that is OK. It is OK because the church has not been very good about helping people see that the book we call the Bible is not only a compilation of stories, sort of like a book of short stories, but that it is also one story to which all of the smaller stories contribute.

My belief is that if we understand the larger story, or as I have called it elsewhere, the meta-narrative of God's people, then all of the smaller stories will make more sense. Additionally, if we understand the larger story it will offer us a vision of who God is, who we are supposed to be and how we are to live out our lives as God's people. In other words, it will offer us a vision for our life together.

Background: The Bible and the story it contains are organized around a series of major movements (literally and figuratively) and a major theme, the blessing of God. The Old Testament story begins in Eden, moves to UR, then on to the Holy Land, then to Egypt, back to the Holy Land, then to Babylon and back to the Holy Land. Each of these moves offers us a chance to know God, God's people and God's desires for our lives in a more complete manner.

The theme of blessing begins with the opening words of the Bible (God's good creation) but becomes clearly expressed when it is given to a man named Abram (Abraham). This promise of blessing was one that was not only for Abram and his children but was to be shared with the whole world. During each move we watch as the promise of God's blessing becomes endangered by human actions but is then saved by God's faithfulness.

The New Testament story begins with the announcement of Jesus' coming, his birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension (the fulfillment of God's promised Blessing). The New Testament continues with the giving of the Holy Spirit and the spread of the church (how the promise of Blessing goes to all people). All of the letters that follow the book of Acts (from Paul, John and others) are intended to help this fledgling group of Jesus followers become people of the blessing.

The difficult part of gaining a foothold in this meta-narrative (like the way I slipped that in again?) is that it occurs in places, times and with people with which we are mostly unfamiliar. It seems very ancient and often confusing. Thus it makes it even more difficult for us to draw any coherent vision from it.

My goal over the next several weeks is to help us rediscover the story (the meta-narrative) in such a way that we can not only understand it, but that it will help us more clearly take hold of the vision God is offering us as people who are called not only to be blessed but to be a blessing to those around us.

Next week: The Story Begins in Eden

Visions From the Early Church: Sharing

"And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need." Acts 2:44-45

Robert Fulghum in his poem "All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten" lists nineteen learnings which if practiced, he believes, would enrich all of our lives. As the title implies he acquired these learnings not in graduate school but "there in the sand pile of Sunday School." These learnings include: don't hit people, put things back where you found them and clean up your own mess. My favorites are flush, and hold hands and stick together. However for our purpose here let's return to the first learning on his list: share everything.

 

Kindergarten is a time in life upon which we seldom look back. My impression is that our memories of that grade fade quickly in the mad rush of the years that follow. Yet kindergarten is a time when we are taught many of our most basic social skills including how to interact with others in appropriate ways. One of the essential skills we are taught is to share. We are taught to share crayons, books, toys and the teacher's time.

 

Sharing, as a social skill however, does not last long. Almost as quickly as we learn it we are taught to set it aside. As soon as we enter any type of competitive environment we are told that "the ball" is ours and we are not to share it. We are taught not to share answers on tests. We are taught not to share the spotlight on stage. We are taught not to share patents with others because they might gain a competitive advantage. We are taught not to share insider information or we will go to jail.

 

The early church had a very different view of sharing. Sharing was essential for the life and work of the first Christ centered community. As Luke tells us they had everything in common and shared whatever they had so that no one was in need. This sense of sharing was not learned in Kindergarten but at the cross. When they saw what Jesus had done for them, dying that they might be reconciled to God and one another, there was nothing they possessed that was not available to be shared. What mattered were not only the needs of the community, but of strangers as well. Sharing was not a lesson to be learned and then forgotten. It was at the heart of life itself.

 

Our task as 21^st Century believers is to figure out what this idea of sharing has to do with us. I believe the starting point in that discovery process is to remember that what we have is not ours. It is God's and God is sharing it with us that we might share it with others. We are given abilities, skills, families and wealth in order to carry out God's purposes in the world. If we adopt such a view, it will change our perspective so that we will gain some sharing clarity.

(How to; take a moment this week to do two things. First, look at your calendar. Then look at your check book. Ask yourself these two questions: How much of my time did I share? How much of my money did I share? Next ask, how can I share more of each? Do this for a couple of months and chances are you will begin to relearn what we were taught in the "sand pile of Sunday school"; the joy of sharing everything.)

Visions From the Early Church: Prayer

"And they devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching and fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer." Acts 2:42

How does prayer work? It was a not question I was expecting. I was being interviewed by a reporter from the small town newspaper in Pampa, Texas because I was the newest pastor in the city. He had asked a number of background questions but the prayer question caught me by surprise. It caught me by surprise because I had never thought about prayer as a mechanical process.

One of the things that separates humans from most other animals is not only our ability to accessorize but our ability to be tool makers. That tool making ability means we always want to know how things work, so we can fix them when they break. We see a problem, we figure out what kind of tool we need to fix it, we build (or buy) the tool, we fix the problem, and then we move on to the next problem.

The interesting thing about this mind set is that we do not confine it to broken mechanical devices (including the human body). We have applied it to relationships, psychology and faith. There are thousands of books in circulation describing the six secrets to fixing relationships, psychological struggles, churches and our prayer life. In fact one of the largest areas of religious writings is how to insure that our prayers work…that we get what we want.

The issue I have with this way of viewing prayer (as a mechanistic process) is that it ignores the relational aspect of our interaction with God. To see prayer as mechanical is to see God as no more than a miracle dispensing machine at best and at worst a god who can be manipulated. This view ignores the fact that at the heart of prayer is not getting something, but entering into an intimate encounter with the living God.

Prayer is the act of speaking with and listening to God. The early church understood that prayer was a gift that allowed them to engage and be engaged by God in Christ. While the church did pray for healing they also prayed for guidance, strength and forgiveness. In other words prayer was about seeking to have the will of God made clearer so that the church (both individually and corporately) might live out that will.

This is why prayer is essential for any vision that we might share with one another. Without prayer a vision might be simply our vision, and not necessarily God's vision. The challenge before us is to make prayer a regular part of our spiritual life in order that God's will for our lives might be made more and more clear.

(How to: there are many good books on prayer that would give direction to our practice of prayer. However a short course on prayer is to 1) find a regular time to pray 2) find a place where you can be undisturbed 3) use the ACTS formula (adoration…praising God, confession…asking God's forgiveness, thanksgiving…giving thanks to God for all God has done, supplication…asking for God's help). 4) listen…try to hear what God has to say. Like any spiritual practice this one takes time to become a habit, but when regularly practiced, I believe one will gain a deeper and more profound relationship with God.)

John

Visions From the Early Church: Breaking Bread

"And they devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching and fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer." Acts 2:42

What in the world is Luke talking about when he says that the early Jesus followers devoted themselves to the breaking of bread? The other activities to which they devoted themselves seem pretty apparent: teaching, fellowship and prayer. The one that gets us is the breaking of bread.

Some people have taken it to mean simply eating together. They take it as people coming together to share a common meal. After all how many times have we spoken of having a meal with someone as breaking bread together? Such an activity would not seem out of place in the first century world. People would regularly share meals with friends and strangers who arrived from out of town. What would make this sort of bread sharing different was that they were sharing it with total strangers…with people from different social classes…people of different backgrounds. It was a more expansive sharing.

Other people have taken bread sharing to mean coming to the Lord 's Table…or an "agape" meal (a love feast). There are many scholars who see in this reference the very beginning of a formal remembrance of the of Jesus last meal with his disciples. These new formal meals began to take place early on in the life of the church. We can see this from Paul's letters where he quotes the already established table liturgy (on the night in which Christ was betrayed he took bread…). Again, this would be a new vision for a Jesus centered community because it would replace the Jewish Passover and Sabbath rituals which focused on the Exodus with one focused on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

While I suppose it would be nice for us know for certain, I am not sure it is all that important which the correct understanding is. I say that because each points to the same reality…which can be summed up in the Spanish word "companeros." One of my Spanish speaking friends introduced me to the word and the concept. It is formed from the ideas of "com" meaning with, and "pan" meaning bread. It refers to people who are buddies because they share bread together. It is an intimate term referring to those who share more than a common meal. They share a common life.

This idea of sharing a common life through a common meal calls us to rethink our connection to one another. Whether it is sharing food at a pot-luck supper, a Wednesday night meal, a Dinners for Eight or at the Lord's table, these are all reminders that we are called to be more than strangers eating at another fast food restaurant. We are called to be companeros. We are called to be a family connected in Christ who share our lives with one another.

(How to: First Presbyterian offers a number of ways in which we can connect with one another. Why not try signing up for a Dinners for Eight group, a Covenant Group, a Sunday school or Wednesday night group, come to Wednesday Night Connect dinner, and use that time to meet and come to know others. In this way you will find the joy those early Christians found in being companeros in Christ.)

Visions of Fellowship

"And they devoted themselves to the Apostle's teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers." Acts 2:42

"I think, therefore I am." Most of us at one time or another have heard this famous saying by Rene Descartes (1596-1650). It was part of his Discourse on the Method and Principles of Philosophy
in which he was trying to decide if there was a way of knowing that could prove his own existence. His conclusion was that because he could think, then he is a "thinking thing" and thus existed. While this kind of thinking may seem a bit obtuse today (philosophy has moved in many new directions) it shows us quite clearly how the European world had taken a dramatic turn toward individualism.

The kind of thinking about radical individualism that Descartes (as well as those who preceded and followed him) offered permeates our society. We see this in the movies (John Wayne), television (the Lone Ranger), and in society (the many people who talk about how they pulled themselves up by their own boot-straps). We speak about rugged individualism and the pioneer spirit. The rationale is that we are completely independent and do not need anyone else. This idea has also infected the church. We see ourselves as persons who do not necessarily have to be connected to the body in which we worship.

"I exist in relationships, therefore I am." These are the words of Japanese theologian Seiichi Yagi. What Yagi is trying to do is to return us to a Biblically based sense of self. The scriptures do not present persons as rugged individualists. Instead persons are portrayed as having life because of what they shared in common. In the opening quote from the Book of Acts the word "fellowship" is used. A better translation of the Greek word is the word "common" as in what we hold in common. The idea is that we are in common because we are one in Christ. We are all part of the very body of Jesus therefore we are one. We exist in the fullest sense of being human not because we can think but because we are part of the very life and love of God and one another in Jesus.

How might that help us think differently? First it can help us to rethink "fellowship." Often we have seen fellowship as simply hanging out at church over a cup of coffee. While that kind of hanging out is sharing something (time, space and coffee) in common, what if we were to see "fellowship" as something more, such as truly knowing and caring for one another? Second I hope it helps us rethink our relationship with church, that we are indeed a common body in which each of us and our gifts make a significant difference. It would remind us that each of us is a necessary part of the whole. We are needed here.

(How to; I would like to challenge you this week to an experiment. At church, while you are in your pew, spot someone you do not know. Begin by introducing yourself during the greeting time or as you leave. Then the next week when you see those people (or person) make sure you say hello and inquire about their lives. Next begin praying for them. Then in the weeks ahead deepen that budding friendship and then do it again with someone else. In other words get connected with those with whom you live in common.)

John

Visions from the Book of Acts: A People Immersed in The Story

"Where there is no vision the people perish." We have heard this proverb (Proverbs 29:18) many times before used in any number of ways. We assume that the writer is simply encouraging us to have a vision, any vision to guide and direct our work. The trouble is that this translation misses one of the key elements of the text which is that the Hebrew is referring to a specific kind of vision…not vision or direction in general.

 

The CEV translation is, in my opinion, closest to the original meaning. "Without guidance from God, law and order disappear." In other words without an understanding of God's outline for our lives as expressed in the first five books of the Bible the people of God come apart at the seams. We see this more clearly when we read the second half of this couplet, "but blessed are the ones who keep the law," meaning that when we actually allow God's written word to set the vision for our community our individual and corporate lives are blessed. (All you have to do is to read the Old Testament to see how true this is!)

 

This understanding then forms the background for our call to be a people immersed in The Story. In Acts 2:42 we are told that "they (meaning the new Christ followers) devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching." The apostle's were following the wisdom laid out in Proverbs 29:18 by teaching how Jesus' story was a part of the larger story of God's work in and through Israel. The vision, the Godly guidance, that they were offering was not simply good advice, it was an explanation of how Jesus had come to fulfill God's plan for Israel and for the world and for their lives.

 

Our calling is to do the same, immerse ourselves in their teachings. Our vision for our life together is to be shaped not merely by wanting to do good things, hanging out together, or even listening to great music, all of which we do here on a regular basis. Our vision is to be shaped and formed by The Story, which is what the Bible is. The Bible (though certainly a collection of metaphor, law, poetry, history, prophecy, letters, and Jesus stories) none the less is The Story of God at work redeeming and reclaiming the world, including you and me. When we come to understand and internalize The Story it gives guidance and direction for our lives allowing us to be blessed and be a blessing to others.

 

The challenge for us then is to make The Story (the scriptures) real for us. This means taking the time to read, study and comprehend the scope and sequence of God's activity from creation (Genesis) to re-creation (Revelation). This is not a simple task. It is one that takes time and effort. Yet the rewards are great. By knowing and living The Story we become those who are able to love God and neighbor in a way that changes us and changes the world. My hope is that in the years ahead we will become a people immersed in The Story that we might fulfill the vision God has for us.

 

(How to: here is a way to begin immersing yourself. First get a partner or two…things always work better with a partner. Second choose one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) and read it straight through. Talk with your partner about what you discovered, what confused you and how the story helped your faith. Then find a simple guide to the book…such as N.T. Wright's commentaries from the Bible for Everyone series (Westminster John Knox Press)...and take the story in pieces asking the same questions. Then if you want give me a call and we can talk more about it.)

 

John