East of Eden, Adam and Eve begin a family, first Cain is born, then Abel. In the course of team they grow, enter vocations and bring their offerings to the Lord God. But Cain’s offering is not accepted as Abel’s. Why? Who was Cain actually worshipping and serving, himself or God? God confronts Cain’s displeasure warning him to repent and turn from the sin crouching at his door, but he does not, and he murders Abel his brother. But God raises up another son for Eve–Seth, who is the seed of God’s promise. Seth is the line of those who begin to call on the name of the Lord. Who admit their weakness and see their need of God. But Cain’s progeny is Lamech a man of power, violence and revenge. Who’s way will we walk in – those who assert ourselves and ignore God or those who admit their weakness and worship God?
God created us with bodies, physical human bodies. God’s story for all of history is revealed in our bodies, male and female. We are made in God’s image, but in the union of male and female in the covenant of marriage, there is the possibility of birthing new life–a human being, made in the image of God. In this way we participate in the divine overflow of love and creation in the beginning. We are also erotic creatures, desiring and loving creatures. God our creator designed us this way to point towards him in worship and in anticipation of the eternal union with him that has been the eternal joy of the Trinity. In our bodies, in our sexuality, in our eros, rightly ordered, we are being invited into the divine dance.
Doesn’t God want me to be happy? Why can’t I do what I want? Doesn’t God want me to be happy? What if there’s a deeper happiness, one we are designed for in this life and eternally? What does the creation of human beings with physical bodies tell us about God’s purpose for life. God created us with bodies, God became a body, and he invites us into his plan through our bodies. Your body matters: it is good, it is eternal, it is physical, it is you, and it reveals God’s story for all of creation.
What does it mean to be human? Like using a paper map without a compass and reference point, apart from God we are lost. But our starting reference point is the God who made us in his image and endowed us with dignity and worth. But all of humanity got lost, questioning God’s authority (Gen.3:1) and the sufficiency of being made in the likeness of God (Gen.3:5). But God does not leave us lost, he asks – where are you – and sends his Son, the image of the invisible God, to bring us home, restore us to God and conform us to his image.
In our modern culture, we determine what is best, right and wrong, who we are and how to live on our own. Shaped by many influences and assumptions, we lean on ourselves to decide. We have become our own authorities. But the Christian view is that God the Creator, designed the universe and called us into existence, and he is the one we are to live under; God is the authority of all that is right and good and true about life and the world.
In the vastness of the universe, earth is so small, and we are even smaller. Do we matter? Does life have meaning? From reason and empirical evidence alone, no, we do not. But Christianity and Genesis 1 claim there is a creator, and there is intention and meaning. And the meaning is found in knowing God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The one God in three persons, who in eternal loving communion gives birth to creation to share in his loving joy and invite us into a relationship.
To know who we are and what to do (how to live), we need to know what story we are in. Genesis 1:1-2:3 is the account of the creation of the world in poetic verse as the author, God, reveals himself. The story begins as God calls the world into being (Genesis 1-11) and then calls a people to himself (Genesis 12-50). He forms the universe and then fills it with his creation: order out of chaos; life from nothing; his word speaking creation into existence and inviting us, the pinnacle of his creation, into relationship with him, our Creator and God.
Jesus confronts the Religious leaders understanding of the Sabbath and invites us who are weary and stressed to find our true rest in him, the Lord of the Sabbath.
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
Sex is an issue that the church has handled poorly, and many have been hurt. But sex is an issue about which Christianity is clear. So how do we decide what is good and right and true with regards to our sexuality? Paul calls the church in Corinth to turn from sexual immorality–which he grounds in Creation design, the Incarnation’s elevation of the body, and the already but not yet Kingdom of God that is our calling and destiny.
Mark 14.17-42
To be alone is disorienting, to be alone in suffering is despairing. As Jesus approaches his death–his closest friends betray and abandon him. Then in his time of greatest need, he calls out to the Father and to his horror, the Father turns his face away. On the cross, Jesus is forsaken, that we might never be apart from the one we need most.
The first in the series: Poverty, Wealth and God–a Biblical Theology of Possessions.
In Genesis 1, God is the creator and Lord of all things. He creates humanity in his image and calls him to steward the garden and spread flourish, Living under his Lordship of all creation. This has profound impact on how we view all of our wealth and possessions–it is his.
Sermon concludes with a God in Life by Joel Dillon, president of Jill’s House, at minute 29:40, sharing on Human Dignity and the Disabled and the work of Jill’s House.
In the middle of the God in Life, at minute 32:40, a video is shown called “Unwavering Strength” of a boy named Nick with severe disabilities. The video may be seen here: https://youtu.be/jDxgLInuhSw
Our desire to be home for the holidays points to a deeper longing to return to our true and eternal home–the Eden for which we were created.
Dean Miller preaching on Abram’s call (and ours) to be a Stranger.
Following the Sermon (at minute 35) is a “Stories of the Stranger” with Rod Nunez sharing the challenges Latino immigrants have faced. (The “video” referenced is not included)