Towards Sunday, June 15, 2014

Scripture:  Genesis 2:4b-8, 15 and Psalm 8
Sermon:  Praying with Dirty Hands

The assigned reading from the Hebrew Scriptures for this Sunday (as Trinity Sunday) is Genesis 1:1-2:4a -- the first story of Earth's creation, which emphasizes the role of God, God's Word and God's Spirit in perfectly ordering the cosmos as we know it, and as it has been placed under our care.

For this Sunday as Fathers' Day I have chosen a few verses from the second story of Earth's creation -- particularly emphasizing God's entrusting of Earth and its well-being into our care.  The Psalm assigned for the day (Ps. 8) also affirms and celebrates our role as gardener and carer of Earth in God's name and spirit.

2500 years ago, when these stories and this psalm were written, people believed the king was God's appointed agent on Earth, and that giving all power and authority to a righteous king was the way for Earth and its creatures to be well.  Genesis 1 and 2, Psalm 8 and other texts of the Hebrew Scriptures represent a break from that kind of political theology, though.  They say instead that all of us together -- common, ordinary people in community, are God's agents on Earth, and that the life and well-being of Earth and its creatures are in all our hands.

2500 years ago this was liberating and empowering news.  It's uncomfortable news today, though.  We lament (or alternately try to deny) the effect we have had on Earth's life.  We also feel increasingly powerless to affect the environmental tide of our day. 

So Genesis 2 and Psalm 8 might not come to our hearts as encouraging words of empowerment about the dignity of being human together.  We might hear instead a word of hard judgement about the effect we have had as Earth's gardeners and God's appointed servants.

And what does this have to do with Fathers' Day?

For this week I'm focusing on the way fathers (yes, mothers, too...but this is Fathers' Day) can teach us what it means to take on prayerful and faithful responsibility for the world -- like Adam in the Garden, and like so many of the fathers, grandfathers, uncles and male role models in our life who have given their life to taking good care of their part of the world.  Is there any man in your life who has shown you what that means?

Fathers and men in general are maligned in popular culture.  We struggle with both the realities and the stereotypes of absentee fathers, irresponsible fathers, abusive fathers.  Men who are fathers also share very deeply the general cultural angst about powerlessness to effect change and to create the kind of home, community and environment that serves their children's and the greater good, and helps make the world the kind of home it is meant to be for all life.

So I wonder, as we listen to Genesis 2 and Psalm 8 in the midst of worshipping God, might we begin to discern an image of what it means to be a man (sic.) of God -- to be someone who takes responsibility to care for the world according to the Word and Spirit of God?  To be someone who knows what it is to pray with dirty hands?