In a late change to the running order for our service today, I reinstated the second verse of our last hymn. We will now sing “At his voice creation sprang at once to sight”. Jesus is The Word, the logos, the revelation of God. He is the image, the eikon, of God. “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Creation is the solidified expression of who God is. Except that for many of us, creation is like lava flows – cold solid rock that only in our imagination reminds us of the fire and passion and love of our Father God. Many look at the state of the world, this whole world system, and see chaos and disorder and lack of harmony, and find it hard to see an all-wise all-loving all-powerful God at the back of it. Paul explains: Romans 1:18 “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” It is not a big step from there to “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him.”
And thus Jesus comes as light into our darkness. The process of creation that he began is continuing, and so he constantly refers to himself as doing the work that his Father has given him (John 5:36). He is the living expression of the love of God that led him to give his Son so that everyone who believes in Jesus should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). He is The Word, the continuing point of contact between us and our Father God. I suggest that this plays out in three ways, the Word, the World and in Worship.
The Word, the written scriptures, are not themselves divine, but they point us to the Living Word himself. The stories and teachings contained in this book are a gateway to the experiences of others who have encountered God. As we listen or read, we understand more and we allow our thinking to be shaped so that we become more like Jesus, the living Word. Just to play a cd or mp3 recording of the scriptures is like giving our minds and souls a refreshing cleansing bath that transforms us. “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8” You cannot dose yourself with anything better than the Word of God, even if you do not understand or retain every single sentence.
The World, itself, as we have seen points us to the reality of God. The problem is that our view of creation has become distorted. We were placed here to cultivate and tend to creation, to be the park-keeper in the garden but we have come to view all of creation as there for our personal benefit. This extends to our treatment of other people, so that we are perpetrators of evil as well as innocent victims. We are part of the problem. Thus Jesus, The Word, comes “to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace though his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:15-20). As our relationship with Jesus grows and deepens, so we see God’s blessed hand revealed in all of creation around us. “Heaven above is softer blue, Earth around is sweeter green; Something lives in every hue Christless eyes have never seen.” (G. W. Robinson) This is a process, not an event; as we grow in confidence in Jesus, so he allows us to encounter more of the pains and difficulties of this fractured creation. In our prayers and practical works we seek for his kingdom to come, his will to be done, and we as we do this we grow in perseverance and character. We learn to view The World through lens of The Word who created it and has redeemed it though his blood.
Worship is our proper response. Peter writes “ 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ... 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.... 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”
It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty,
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks unto thee,
O Lord, holy Father,
almighty, everlasting God,
through Jesus Christ thine only Son our Lord.
May the red hot lava of God’s love for the world flow in our praises and worship as we encounter the living Word and grow in him. As we read or listen to his word, or as we walk in the wonders of creation, or as we gather to sing, read and worship together, let us be open for all that all that he has for us, open for all that he would teach us, open for every person who would seek after him, and open to follow him wherever he leads us.
Discussion Starters
1. What have been the most important ways that you have learned about God?
2. In what ways has your experience of God grown recently, and how?
No comments:
Post a Comment