Ash Wednesday

February 21, 2007

Lent Reading Day 1

Genesis 1:1-2:4

The first reading in the Read Through the Bible Lenten Spiritual Discipline Blog Entry starts in the beginning - the first words of the Bible in the book of Genesis are actually, "In the beginning...", not "in the first instant," not "in that moment before the big bang," not "before the process of evolution emerged," simply "in the beginning." We often read the text putting our values, expectations, and worldviews upon the text, making it speak our language, talk to us on our terms, or even tell us what we want to hear. In light of our scientific world-view and knowledge, we struggle with accepting that the world was created in 6 days or that God's word could create something out of nothing. But what I hear the text saying is that God speaks, taking the initative, addressing the first word in a dialogue. God's speaking organizes, transforms or shapes what already was - the darkness and the void - into something that is alive, dynamic and good. God speaks and the universe responds, joining into the conversation. God speaks and man and woman are created in God's image - creatures empowered with the gift of gab - able to participate in a discussion. God doesn't talk down to them, but rather with them. God doesn't begin creation with a dictation, or a speech, but rather with a conversation. A dialogue requires two actors or speekers, who are able to listen and speak, to interact in mutuality, interdependence, and relationship. If this is the first story of the Bible - then what I hear it saying is that from the beginning God has sought to be in relationship with us, speaking to us, taking the initative, so that we might respond, join the conversation, and become co-creators with God. I find that quite different than simply imagining that the creation story justifies this or that political party platform, a pro- or anti- position vis-a-vis science, or even a line-drawn-in-the-sand approach to faith in the Judeo-Christian perspective. How radical to imagine that God is still speaking (as the Methodists say in their marketing) - and speaking to us - to me - inviting me to join the conversation. If that's the case how often do I approach life: my decisions, actions, relationships, and words in the view that I'm part of a conversation and not simply the center of my own private world, or in a dog-eat-dog world, or a complacent cog in the midst of a meaningless machine? If God is still speaking - what am I saying?