Creativity

There move the ships, and there is that Leviathan,

which you have made for the sport of it. Psalm 104:27

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think God is capricious.  But there is that Leviathan, which the Psalmist accuses God of “making for the sport of it.” Perhaps “the sport of it” might be better translated as “for its whimsy.”

So much of God’s creativity is whimsical.  Think of baby lemurs, milkweed pods, and the Northern Lights. Or perhaps peacocks, baby giggles, and rainbows. Or giraffes – what was God thinking when God created giraffes? The list goes on and on. Each are gifts from God for us to delight in. Not to dominate. Not to kill. Not to exploit. To delight in.

God takes delight in us when we enjoy those things God has created for the sport of it.

Enjoy. Enjoy them all. 

Truth and Lies

Jesus said, “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.”  John 14: 18-19
 

 

               
 

That’s a promise.  I am grateful that God's promises to us are true. When God promises that he will never leave us or forsake us, when Jesus promises us that he will not leave us orphaned, we know those things to be true.  That’s the rock on which we stand.  We know we can rely on God’s Word.

God gave Moses the 9th Commandment (“Thou shall not be a false witness’) for our protection. God loves us that much! God knows the damage and pain that can result from a lie; what a single lie can do to our sense of safety and to our relationships. God wants to shield us from the pain of estrangement and disconnection. 

Our task as Christians is to understand not only the truth of God’s words to us, but also to understand how easily we can slip away from God when the truth is not in us. Truth telling is important. Trusting each other is important.  Let your yes be yes and your no be no.

We are called to be Truth-tellers.

Stoning and Scapegoating

Stephen said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” But the people covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him;     

Acts 7: 56-58

Maxim Sheshukov MAXIM SHESHUKOV, The Martyrdom of St. Stephen the Archdeacon. Egg tempera on gessoed panel

The stoning of Deacon Stephen is one of the tragedies of he early church. He spoke truth – truth as he had seen and experienced it – and the people turned on him and stoned him. His own people!            

This lesson from Acts is important for us, because it speaks so directly to us. As a community of Christians, to whom have we closed our ears? Who have we stoned? Who do we exclude because of their politics or their race or their experiences?

Civility is breaking down in American culture: punch-fests on airplanes, pushing and shoving in departments stores, and gun violence because somebody looked at somebody the wrong way. Add to that the “You disagree with me so I’m going to take my toys and go home” mentality. All of this speaks to the dis-ease which is infecting American culture.

Look at the included art today: Stephen being stoned. Then look to the top left. That’s the hand of God. The hand of God reaching down and beckoning to us. Always there, ever-present. That is the hand we must extend to those we may have stoned, fought with, dismissed, or avoided.

Christ has no hands or feet on earth but ours.