Living Wisdom for a New (or any old) Normal -- session 2

Living Wisdom for a New (or any old) Normal

Session 2: God the Creator … or … the Cosmos and Earth within it, as God’s creation

The intention of this series of conversations is

• not for us to become Old Testament scholars, versed in all the details of the text and tradition; 
• nor to explore every question of interest, such as the creationist/evolutionist debate or the discussion that can be had regarding the relationship of story, myth, tradition, history and revelation;
• but rather to get a bird’s-eye view of the big picture the Hebrew Scriptures paint about life on Earth and particularly the role of human beings in it;
• and like eagles, to scour the countryside from way up high, then swoop down on something good and niourishing – some selected points of focus that seem relevant and helpful for us to chew on a little bit

If you wish, begin your engagement with this stage of the conversation, with this grounding exercise:

• wherever you are, settle yourself – feet on the floor … bum on the chair (or the floor? or wherever) … back at rest … also let your shoulders, neck and head find a place and a position of stress-less rest
• now … gently place your hands on your belly … don’t press, just let your hands feel your belly expand and contract as breath is taken in, and is pushed out
• don’t change or alter your breathing … just notice it, as it comes in and goes out … comes in and goes out at its own natural rate, in its own rhythm … let yourself feel the rhythm and become attuned to it
• breathing happens without our knowing, almost always with no direction from us … it just keeps going, and keeps us going
• we become aware of it when we stop, like we are now, to take note of it and attune ourselves to it … and when it’s at risk, when our breathing is at risk, and under stress
• can Earth be the same?
• with the breath of God coming in and going out … without our direction, our knowing, or our control … all the time … maintaining the rhythm of life, keeping life going
• and we become aware of it only when it’s at risk, in danger, or under stress … and when we take time, stop to take note, and attune ourselves once again to its natural rhythm
•  now … gently let your hands fall away from your belly, be aware of you feel ion your body … in your mind … in your spirit
• and let’s turn to some conversation about Earth and life in it as God’s good creation, the first glimpse of God the Old Testament offers us, and the first clue to what our life on Earth is about

The first thing the Hebrew Scriptures say is that the cosmos, Earth, and all life on Earth are created good by God (Genesis 1 and 2).  

If the story told by the Hebrew Scriptures were a bedtime tale, this would be the “once upon a time” statement – that “once upon a time God made everything that is, and it was good … in fact, in the end, it was all very good.”

But then as we read on past that “very good” at the end of chapter 1, what we encounter just a few verses into chapter 2 is the nagging sense that somehow we have found our way into another story.  The same story – the beginning of the world.  But somehow a different version of it, told from a different perspective.

Bingo!

This is something that pops up and shows through, through all the Old Testament – that when these Scriptures were compiled in their present written form, there were a number of different streams of story, teaching and tradition from within the faith of the people of Israel that were edited together.  They’re identifiable by the use of different favourite names for God, different syntax and vocabulary, and different (even opposite) perspectives on similar stories. 

The interesting thing is that the rabbis were not troubled by the different perspectives, and rather than feeling a need to see one as true and the others false, they saw them all as part of the whole picture – or at least all in some way pointing to the big picture, to a Reality and Mystery greater than any words can tell, and they wove them together:

• sometimes inter-twining them into a single story, like in the story of the Flood (Genesis 6-9) and in the History books (e.g. with different, even opposing perspectives on the whole institution of kingship incorporated into the story as it’s compiled and edited together),
• and sometimes connecting them in succession, like Genesis 1:1-2:4a (Earth’s creation told from a top-down, divine kind of viewpoint) and Genesis 2:4b ff. (the origin of life on Earth told from the ground up, from a more local, earthy or human perspective).

QUESTIONS:

·     How does this refusal to choose between different versions of the same thing, as though only one is true and the others false, affect your view of Scripture? 

·     Is this approach to “truths” or to a variety of pointers to the Reality or Mystery beyond us, relevant or helpful today in current cultural and political conversations?

·     Have you ever felt or held a perspective or vision different from the mainstream?

·     How does this relate to the issue of “fake news”, “alternate facts,” “a post-truth world” or (to put it more accurately) political spin and propaganda?

Now, to return to the start of the story … a slightly abbreviated version of the top-down, divine kind of viewpoint story of the Earth’s beginning (we’ll get to the second story – the from-the-ground-up perspective, next week):

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind [or breath] from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, to separate the waters from the waters…”  And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered in one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so… God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation of every kind … And it was so… And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; … for signs and seasons and for days and years, and … to give light upon the earth.” And it was so… God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.”  So God created the great sea monsters and (fish and birds) … And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply on the earth…” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind…” And it was so. God made (all animals wild and tame) … And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing upon the earth.”  So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.  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.” … And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude.   

And on the seventh day God finished the work he had done, and rested on the seventh day.  So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.  These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

 

 

 

Just a few things to note about this story of Earth’s creation.

All ancient peoples had “origin stories” not unlike this one in many respects – stories and descriptions of how Earth and life on it began, the role of human beings in it, and what is needed to keep the world-as-we-know it in good working order.

It was not uncommon for these origin-stories to be remembered, recited and even acted out at notional, cultic celebrations of the new year, as a ritual way (through memory) of re-creating or ensuring the continuation of the world for another year, and to keep it from falling apart and disappearing.

As mentioned, there are many parallels and similarities between the Hebrew story and the other ancient stories. 

But there are also significant differences, among them being that most of the “world-origin stories” of other ancient peoples involve

• a cosmic struggle between light/dark, spirit/matter, and good/bad powers
• that turns into a violent battle leading to the defeat/death of one side, the armed victory of the other, and a space for the world as we know it to emerge and live  
• that victory is not secure (as no peace through violence or force is), 
• so a king is put in place by the gods as an image of their image/rep on earth, to fight against darkness, defeat threats to the order of the world as it is, and keep life in good order 
• the role of "the people" is to support, revere and obey him -- even worship him, for the good of the world
• and the new year’s cultic celebration usually involved a renewal of commitment to obey and follow the king

But in the Hebrew vision of how the world comes to be and how its goodness is maintained:

• there is chaos at the beginning (the Hebrew words for the “deep darkness” and the “formless void” suggest not emptiness, but a churning sea of multiple and diverse powers and possibilities so much at odds with one another that no one can really emerge – it is just chaos), 
• but rather than being overcome and resolved by the violent defeat of the “bad” powers by the “good” power, the chaos is resolved by 
• the breathing of God’s Spirit over the chaos 
• and the speaking of God’s Word to the chaos to bring it into good order in which all powers and realities have a place
• and at the end, it is not a king who is put in charge to rule in God’s name and with God’s authority, but all humanity (“A-dam” is similar to “Everyman”)
  

QUESTIONS:

Some make the point that where we are today in this story, is in a situation of chaos – that globalization, the ecological crisis, the dissolution of politics into tribalism and divisiveness, etc etc, have landed us back in a situation of darkness and chaos, void of wise leadership, harmony of purpose, clear meaning and shared purpose.  In this situation, how do make room for Spirit (a holy breath greater than our frenzied, anxious panting) and to Word (a universal, cosmic and global meaning, dialogue, and inclusive understanding) in our personal chaos?  In the world’s chaos?

At the end, who bears the image and likeness of God, and acts in God’s name for the good of the world?

What does it mean for human beings to “have dominion”?  How have we exercised dominion in Western history?  If we look at the actions and desires of God as portrayed through the whole of Genesis 1, what does “dominion in the image and likeness of God mean?  How might we understand that, and live it out today?