Read Genesis 2:18-20- 18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.

Let me point out, this is a narrative, an ancient explanation of how they understood God, creation, and the role they played in creation. We CANNOT look at Genesis 2 in chronological order to Genesis 1; that’s not the intention.

We already noted that in Genesis 1, notice Genesis 1:27-28a says, 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.

In Genesis 1 we already see that God created humanity, male and female, in his image, that we are a reflection of the image of God. We talked about how God was one, singular, but yet had three parts (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) or a plurality of effect.

The author is getting our attention in a similar way. Because we are created in the image of God, it is not good to be alone, or let me say this way, lone is not tov. Being singular, alone, independent of others is not good, not tov, not the way we were designed to function.

The lone one cannot do what God called them to do. The intention of the divine is to live in His image, be a blessing, multiply and give life. That cannot be done alone, only with others. Yes, we are singular, but we need to function with another.

Community is not one but two. Community is “withness”.

“Withness”, yes, I know, it’s not a real word, being with is you being an individual, your uniqueness, quirks, gifts, blessings of giving life, but with someone else to mirror the image of God.

 

Again, thank you to the elders last week for sharing in the service, as well as the daily faith challenges.

We’re picking our series back up of Genesis- creation, failure, redemption, repeat and our mini-series of Genesis chapter 2 which is our last part of a four-part series, creation’s Divine intention, formation, and invitation. We saw that the creation story told by the ancients wasn’t simply about the how of creation, but the who of creation, God, Yahweh.

And that the Divine’s intention for creation was to bring life, bring life through water and breath. Divine’s formation had a purpose, us to be a purpose, for others. And that Divine’s invitation was wisdom, seeking His council between tov and ra, good and evil, wholeness versus broken, functional versus dysfunctional.

This week I want us to look at the last invitation we see in Genesis 2, that is the formula for community. I believe we can look at Genesis 2 and see a formula for community.

Community is not one but two, one needs two, and two out of one to be one.
Got it? If not, hopefully by the end of the week, that will be clearer.

Read Genesis 2:18-20- 18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.

Lots going on in this passage, but I want to focus on the first part of verse 18- “It is not good for the man (the human) to be alone.” I’ve shared this in the past, but this is absolutely amazing to me. Because at this point in the story, there is no sin in the world, God and humanity are in perfect union. Yet, this is the first instance where we see God say, “it’s not good for many to be alone.” It’s not tov, humanity alone is not the way God intended life to function.

Which means, if you ever thought this life or the faith life was just about you and God and that’s all you need. God is getting our attention and says, “it’s not good, it’s not the way we created us to function.”

Today, I want you to pause and reflect- how much of your faith journey, life is done alone? If so, what does that look like? What does it mean not to do life “alone”?

For others, this may be hard and we will talk more about it tomorrow, but short version, if you are feeling lonely please reach out, period. To anyone you may trust or reach out to church.

You can also use this song to connect with God’s presence in this midst of this journey. The Blessing

 

Think about a worship song that you really like; one that causes you to turn up the volume or start singing. Why do you connect with that song? Is it the melody? Is it the words? Does it reach your heart, your mind, your body? How does God work within you through that song? 

 

Communion Reflection: A Table of Grace and Gratitude
 
Dear Church Family,
 
When we come to the Lord’s Table, we are reminded that it is not just bread and cup - it is an invitation to remember, to receive, and to rejoice.
 
In the breaking of the bread, we remember the sacrifice that opened the way for our salvation. In the sharing of the cup, we receive the promise of new life. And in both, we rejoice that we are part of a family bound together by grace.
 
Gratitude naturally flows from this moment. Gratitude for Christ, who gave Himself for us. Gratitude for the Spirit, who sustains us. Gratitude for one another, who walk this journey of faith side by side.
 
I encourage you to pause and name three specific blessings God has given you recently. Let this simple act of thanksgiving draw you deeper into the joy of His presence. 
 
Pray to him and share with him your gratitude, he is waiting. 
 
May our hearts be full and our lives be a living “thank you” to the One who gave us everything.

 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  John 15:4

On Sunday, Sarah talked about Jesus’ invitation to his disciples to abide in Him.  To stay.  To dwell in Him.  To make Him my home.

Yet, we struggle as we spend a majority of our lives abiding in other things.  

• Busyness
• Expectations of self and others
• Technology
• The narratives in our heads
• Appearances
• Achievements
• Etc, etc, etc…

Be honest with yourself - what do you abide in?  Where do you pour out most of your time and energy?

Wanna get really honest with yourself? Ask someone else what they see you abiding in.
Jesus calls us to abide in Him because we are only able to grow and produce good fruit if we stay connected to the vine, our Sustainer and Provider.  An unattached branch is…a dead stick.  There is no fruit and no growth. There is only fear because an unattached branch is simply firewood.  Abiding apart from God brings death and fear.

Fear can hide within many things - frustration, selfishness, anger, retreat, impatience, or silence.  However it presents itself, fear is a familiar weapon of the enemy and a great indicator that you are abiding in things other than Jesus.

How does fear present in you?

Recognizing this is powerful. The Word tells us that God is love and perfect love casts out all fear.  God and fear cannot share the same space.  Fear informs you that you are no longer abiding with the One who has loved you since before creation.  You may have pulled away, but He awaits your return.

So, return.  Run to the Father.  There is no time to sit in regret or shame.  He calls and waits for you.  Approach His throne with confession and repentance while He lovingly grafts your dead branch back onto the vine. Let Him remind you of who and whose you are. This is where you belong, nestled close to the vine.  Sit with Jesus and let Him remind you that the cross is enough.  His grace and mercy are enough.  You are forgiven and fully loved as you are while also being loved into who He created you to be.  
 
Abide - Look at Him, looking at you, in love.

 

Gail shared a story of a painful secret her family held for many years. She stated that unwanted things are going to happen in our lives. She also posed several questions and challenges.

Reflect on your own life, what unwanted things have happened to you or those around you? How did you and those around you handle them? Was God present during all that occurred?

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2-3

Do you have the courage and faith to invite others into your pain; to allow them to care for you and your heart? Can you walk through the waters, through the river, through the fire knowing God is with you and will not forsake you?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Are you able to fully trust the Lord in all you do? Or, do you find yourself trying to solve everything on your own?

How do you let your burdens out? How do you let God in?

 

Today, replace one "Lord, if only..." and choose to trust God with the outcome. Allow the Lord to be the Captain of your heart. Pray: "Lord, rescue me from myself. Not my will, but Yours be done."

 

Let me finish with this thought that will lead us from Moses to Jesus to you.

Moses is sharing this with the people of Israel before they go into the Promised Land.

Read Deuteronomy 30:11-20- 11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. 15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

What stands out to you? What do you need to reread and apply?

Folks, the keys to trusting God, listening and obeying to his wisdom for life is in this passage. What would it look like for you to pursue God’s wisdom in your life? For your wife? For your children? God, may I take the time to know you, your ways, and walk according to your path. Know His voice.

Seeking God’s wisdom for my sexuality, for my finances, for how I treat others, how I lead my family. Is my life filled with tov, good fruit or ra, bad fruit.

John Walton puts it simply, “God is the center of order and wisdom is the ability to discern order.” Centering your life on his wisdom, brings order and life.

 

We have been looking at the Tree of Life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The two trees are about trusting or taking. That’s why, even going back to the beginning of the passage, God gives us grace by inviting us to eat, eat all that he has given us. But if we believe God is holding out on us, we are going to take. Take what I think I deserve, take what hasn’t been given to me, take what I think is mine versus trusting that God will provide and satisfy.

I believe it is seeking wisdom in the midst of the brokenness of life. Life is broken in and around us, how do we seek God’s wisdom?

I appreciate how Tim Mackie from the Bible Project puts it. “The tree is a powerful explanation of human experience. Every good thing in my life is matched by an equal or greater number of opportunities to ruin it by taking my own knowledge of good and bad. But I take it without knowing it. I make what I think is the right decision, but I don’t recognize all these screwed up motives underneath it.”

Because of that declaration it is important to know what it means to trust God’s wisdom. It isn’t simply saying, “I trust God.” Trust is more than a declaration or saying, “I trust you.”

For instance, I blindfold myself and I say I trust my wife Theresa to guide me to the back of the sanctuary. Does it matter how much I believe I trust her? Or how much I tell others that I trust her? The only way you will know that I trust Theresa, is if I listen to her and obey or follow what she is saying. It is tuning into her voice and tuning out all the other voices.
Which means, trusting God is listening and obeying His wisdom for life. “God, what good thing do you want me to do, respond, share? God, what bad thing, broken, non-functional thing do I need to rid within my life.”

Take a moment and read Proverbs 3:13-18 and 1 Kings 3:5-14. Both powerful passages, but I love the 1 Kings one because King Solomon has this dream where God asks, “Solomon, I will give you anything, what do you want?” God is giving Solomon a blank check. Solomon, in short says, “give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Kings 3:9) 

Give me a discerning heart to distinguish between tov and ra, good and bad, life and death, goodness and brokenness.

Take a moment and wrestle with what it means to trust God and His wisdom for your life. What does it mean to listen and obey what God has to say. How can you trust Yahweh over your way?

Listen to this song as an encouragement to live it out. Trust in God

 

Read Genesis 2:16-17- 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Here is a little play on both commands and God getting attention on what he is inviting us into. The phrase, free to eat, some translations have surely or certainly eat, in the original language was eat, eat. It was an emphasis, by repeating the word. God is saying, “I’m commanding you to eat, eat from all that I have given you.”

But the second command is, “don’t eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil because you will, die, die.” See that certainly, same idea as above. You can eat, eat according to God’s way or you will die, die, according to your way. The second command is don’t eat, because you will die, but it is more about if you depend on self, on the immaturity of self, living by your own wisdom, destruction will come.

Fast-forward briefly to Genesis 3:6- When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.

We’ll get into more of this in the weeks to come, I want to draw your attention to what Eve and Adam did, they were free to eat, eat by trusting God and the Tree of Life or they can take things into their own hands, live by their own wisdom of what they think life should look like and that leads to destruction. If you take things into your own hands it leads to destruction, you die, die.

Romans 5:12- 12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

The layers of death as we will see is back in exile, Adam and Eve had to leave the garden, they were in the wilderness, alive physically, but dead to God and that relationship.
So many times, I have simply seen this passage as the invitation to free choice, that God gave us free choice. Yes, to a degree, that is true, but I think it is bigger than that. I think it more than that. I believe this is creations divine invitation to trust God’s wisdom and life. Versus taking matters into our own hands that lead to destruction.

If you want to experience life, his goodness, a flourishing reality of God’s presence and provision, then trust his wisdom for life.

If you want to experience desolation and destruction, bad fruit, non-functional, broken reality of life, then choose your childish way.

That may sound harsh, but folks, I’ve see that firsthand in my own life. The number of times, I don’t trust God’s wisdom, and I take matter in my own hands you know what the result is? Desolation, brokenness, bad fruit.

John Walton, in his book, “The Lost World of Adam and Eve shares it this way. “Life is gained in the presence of God and wisdom is his gift (not to be taken on one’s own). God is the source and center of wisdom – not us... life and wisdom are the gifts of God, and human representatives incurred guilt for all of us by grasping the latter illegitimately and therefore losing the former.”

When we go grasping for life our way, we lose a deeper sense of life God’s way. Tree of knowledge of good and bad was the original “My Truth” declaration. It’s “my truth”, that’s “your truth”, you can’t tell me what’s right for me or not because it is “my truth.”

 

Read Genesis 2:8-9, 16-17- 8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil... 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Did you notice, in the middle of the garden, in the middle of all that is to be enjoyed, God highlights two trees? Tree of Life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
First tree I want to talk about is the tree of life. This tree symbolizes God’s gift of life, a source of life. Remember, we were created as mortal beings, we were created from desolation and dust, we were not created with immortality. Which means, we needed life beyond death. Through the imagery of the tree of life, God is showing us that we have access to eternal life, which is through His life source and His presence.

Let’s take some time with the other tree; the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yes, we see that we are given a choice, but I want you to wait on what that means and unpack this statement of the type of tree we are talking about. Because it would be easy to surmise what we think is good and what we think is evil. For some that is obvious, for others, not so much. If we are honest, we have a sliding scale as to what is good and evil; right or wrong, what is lawful or unlawful.

If we only see the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as the choice between good and evil, right and wrong, then whose scale are we using? Yours? Mine? Or is there more to this tree than meets the eye?

Let’s look at the words, good and evil, in the original language for a moment. Good = tov and evil = ra, which actually means bad.

Seeing this “knowing” good and bad parallels in other areas of scripture in regards to children and their innocence of not being able to discern what is good and what is bad. They need assistance, guidance, even direction of what that means, they need help in choosing, not only good or bad, but better and best.

Not only that, good and bad can refer to fruit. Read Jeremiah 24:1-2- After Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord. 2 One basket had very good (tov) figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very bad (ra) figs, so bad they could not be eaten.

This is a reference of two baskets of fruit, one is tov fruit and one is ra fruit. One is good fruit, good for eating, being filled, nourished and one is bad fruit, spoiled, doesn’t bring benefit, broken, not the original intent or condition, non-functional.

God is getting our attention that there are two ways to experience life. One way is trusting in the Tree of Life and having God be the life source. The other way is putting ourselves in control of the decisions, where left to our vices, we are but children, struggling to decide what is good and bad, struggling to decide what gives life and builds up or choosing what is broken, improper, doesn’t bring benefit, but harm. It’s choosing between good fruit or bad fruit.

What does it mean for you to see that life choices is more than just good or evil, but it is being guided accordingly to God’s wisdom of life? Choosing between what is good fruit or bad fruit within life? How could that change how you make decisions?

 

If you haven’t been with us for the last few weeks let me catch you up. If you have been with us, let me refresh you. We are in the middle of our Genesis series, and we have taken the last few weeks to unpack Genesis 2. It was intended to be a two-part series but quickly turned into a 4-part mini-series. Here’s the recap. Creation is about a who, not just a how.

Genesis 2 is about Creation’s divine intention, formation, and invitation. Divine intention is to bring life, through water and breath. Divine formation was with purpose and for a purpose. Now we are going to see Divine’s invitation through wisdom and community.
We should see a pattern in Genesis 2 of what God, Yahweh, Creator is about through the rest of scripture. Some of the patterns we can see are water, breath, trees, and people in sacred space. Which means our ears should perk up whenever we see these things, not just as tangible things, but things that tell a greater story within scripture and life.
Let’s open to Genesis 2. But to see the depth of this passage, let’s set the scene again. Remember vs. 5 tells us that there was no life, completely desolate, barren, dry, desert like. God adds water and breath, brings life.

Genesis 2:8-9, 16-17- 8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil... 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

The first thing I want you to pay attention to is the great garden. Out of desolation, out of lifelessness God filled it with life, many trees; trees that were appealing, that were good for food, that were a life source.

Let’s be honest, we take trees for granted; we can look outside and see beautiful, lush oak trees, birch trees, pine trees, cedars. Remember the ancients who were writing this lived in the barren desert, desolate, lifeless place and what they see is the Creator creating abundant life in the middle of a wasteland.

What does it mean for you to have that frame of reference, that out of desolation, God brings life?

Not only that, we also see our first command. Enjoy the garden. You are free to enjoy the trees and the fruit on the trees. They are good to eat, good for sustenance. The Creator of life is giving life to his creation and he commands us to eat and enjoy.

Which means, God is not holding out on you. Some of you need to hear that, write it down, allow it to sink in. God’s first command was a command of blessing, enjoyment, life and you did nothing to earn it or deserve it. God gives grace before our idea of grace is ever needed.

This should break any idea of an “if/then” faith. If I do this, then God will give me this. If I don’t do this, God won’t give me this. God starts creation with blessing and grace, and we did nothing to deserve it or earn it.

Sit with that reality for a moment. God starts with blessing, life, goodness and you did nothing to deserve it. How does that line up with the way you see God or interact with him? Do you feel like God is holding out on you? What would life look like if your starting point with God was his goodness, regardless of the circumstances around you?

If you want to sit with this song, please, allow it to connect to the deeper parts in you. Goodness of God

 

If we look back to Genesis 2:15 notice what God says. “15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

He gave us a command, it’s actually the second command he gave us, we’ll talk about the first one next week. But he gave us the command to work and take care of the garden. If we look deeper at the meaning of those phrases it relates to serving and keeping or guarding. Serve the garden and keep or guard the garden.

Before we go any deeper on this, that is why when we look at Genesis 3 in a few weeks, Eve usually gets the unfair play of eating the apple first. But Adam was given the command to guard the garden, it was a warning statement before anything happened. Oh boy, there’s another message, how many times do we ignore the warning statement? That we don’t guard what is of value or important?

Some may be questioning, well the garden doesn’t exist today, Garden of Eden is long gone, how does the statement of serving and guarding the garden apply to me today?
Again, what is underneath, beyond our language. Eden means delight, or abundance or luxury, paradise. Tremper Longman says, “Eden indicates that God provides all of humanity’s needs and more when they were first created.”

Eden was a sacred space for God’s presence and provision, where humanity was to serve and guard. As we look throughout Scripture where else do we see that formation? A sacred place for God’s presence and provision?

The Temple was originally designed as God’s presence and provision, where they would have priests and levities serve and guard the temple.

That’s why when we fast forward to Jesus and the Temple, people wonder why it was okay for Jesus to get so worked up. Notice Matthew 21:12-13- 12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

Jesus was worked up because the priests and Levities weren’t doing what they were created to do, serve and guard the Temple, the representation of God’s presence and provisions. Jesus shows us what it means to guard, protect, keep the Temple for that intention of sacred space.

Which some may argue, well Aaron, that’s your job, you are the keeper of the Temple, you are to serve and guard the church. Yes, that is part of what I have been formed by. But let us fast forward again to Ephesians 2:10-22.

Notice the start and the finish. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

I love it, formed by a craftsman for greater things, then it goes on to say how we came about to be formed by God, considering we were Gentiles/Non-Jews and outside of the Temple.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ…. 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Garden imagery to Temple imagery to the Body of Christ, we are formed to be a sacred space for others to experience God’s presence and provision, we do that by serving and guarding.

You were formed with a purpose, a purpose to serve and guard. Where in your life do you need to pay attention to who you are serving and how you are guarding?

I’m going to push on men for a second. Men, how are you serving and guarding your marriage? How are you guarding/protecting your children?

At creation God had sacred space for his presence and provision, he commanded each and everyone of us to serve and guard his sacred space. That isn’t just at church on a Sunday morning, that is in and through who you are and what you do.

God’s intention at creation was to bring life. God’s formation at creation was with purpose and for a purpose, that’s living out of the Garden principal, living out his Kingdom.
Where do you need to step into your purpose today? Don’t think micro-purpose. Think macro-purpose, Garden purpose.

 

Yesterday we saw that God’s formation at creation was with purpose and for a purpose. Because Adam is an archetype, what we see God do with Adam is a model for us. God’s formation at creation was with purpose and for a purpose.

Notice how we see God, the creator forming us throughout scripture. Jot down Psalm 139, “for we are fearfully and wonderfully made.” We are made with purpose, God’s purpose as his creation.

Read Isaiah 60:21- Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.

Read Isaiah 64:8- Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.

He is the potter and we are the clay. That we are formed by the hands of the Creator. Pause for a second. Think about how a potter forms the clay; works it, presses into it, smooths it out, can be gentle and intricate and other times firm and starts over. That’s what God is doing with you, forming you AND has a purpose for you.

Let’s flip over to John 15:1-2- “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

Garden imagery, where God, as Creator, Gardener, tends to his garden. He cuts away what is dead and prunes. You know the beautiful challenge of pruning is that you cut away branches that do have life, but it is for the purpose to give life to other branches that have greater fruit options. You don’t keep the branches that barely have fruit, you cut those away to give life to the branches that have more fruit options.

God’s purpose in being potter and gardener is for us to be molded and formed with a purpose and for a purpose.

How do we need to be formed by God? What edges in your life need to be smoothed out? What branches that are dead need to be cut away in your life? Or what branches that may have fruit, need to be cut away so more life can be given to more fruitful branches?
Abide by Aaron Williams

 

Have you ever created something with just a few supplies or things or resources?

We just celebrated the life of a long-time member, Jim Goostree, this past Wednesday. Jim was a modern-day MacGyver. Granted if you didn’t live in the 1900’s you might not know who that is. But MacGyver, as well as Jim, could take a few supplies (especially duct tape) and make anything. One story of Jim’s was that he made a tailpipe out of pvc, because that was what was available to him. His motto was, “why buy parts from a store when you can find a solution or some way to fix the problem using something found in the garage.”

Let’s see how that plays out with God, because as we zoom in on creation notice how God took what he had and created, or formed you. Notice what he does with humanity.

Read Genesis 2:7-8, 15- 7 Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed... 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Notice that word “formed”, God formed man from the dust of the ground. I love that imagery. God was an artist, a craftsman, he was creative in nature. If we can bridge the first intention, that God gave life through water and now He formed us of dust, can you see the
parallel where God took water and dust, like clay and formed us into a being. He took what was before him and he formed us.

Now does this mean we were made of dust? Even the passage that said from dust to dust, born of dust and to dust you will go.

I like how Tim Mackie and then John Walton share it. “Literal meaning of the statement that humans are formed of dust is that humans are from the realm of death and mortality – of non-eternal life.” He is saying that because of the status by which humanity was created in chapter 2, in the midst of desolation and dryness, of non-life. Which means to have eternal life, something needs to happen. (More on that next week.)

John Walton continues the thoughts. “Being formed from the dust is a statement about human essence and identity, not our substance. In this, Adam is an archetype.” Which means that Adam is an example of what it is, as a mortal man, in need of eternity, not a prototype. Which also means, for all of humanity, this begins a series of patterns of what happens here will be a pattern going forward.

Adam was a real person and an archetype for the rest of scripture and humanity.
That pattern is God’s formation at creation was with purpose and for a purpose. Because Adam is an archetype, what we see God do with Adam is a model for us. God’s formation at creation was with purpose and for a purpose.

Take a moment with this song and see how it can begin to apply to your life. Water and Dust by Cory Asbury

 

We are going to look at a few passages in Ezekiel. Ezekiel is referred to as a major prophet like Isaiah and Jeremiah. Whereas the minor prophets are like Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah. The reference to major and minor isn’t about importance, it is more about the length of each of the books. Major prophets are longer and minors are shorter in length.

Read Ezekiel 36:26-27- 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Because of the brokenness of the fall, we will get to in a few weeks. God is recreating in us and he is doing it by putting a new Spirit in us, a life source to follow his ways.

Pause, as you spend time in the presence of the Creator, how is he giving you a new heart? Is your heart, the posture of your heart the same as it was a few years ago, a few months ago, if it is, then you are still in control and you are living with a hard of stone; immovable, impenetrable. Ask God to soften your heart and put a new Spirit, a new life in you.

Look at the imagery he gives us in the next chapter,

Ezekiel 37:1-10- The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

The visual that God gives Ezekiel is so powerful. The dry place, the desolate place, the lifelessness, even to the point that there can be the appearance of life, but without breath, they are still lifeless.

God’s intention at creation was to bring life. He did this through water and breath. Which means, today, you need to wrestle with a few of these questions.

What gives you life? Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I have come that you may have life and have it to the fullest.” Which means we have an adversary that wants to rob us of life, dare I say, give us a mirage of what life is. How have you been settling for a mirage of life? OR how have you, like the woman at the well, have been searching for life in all the wrong places hoping it would satisfy?

Seeking God, as the source of life, is orientating your life according to what gives life and his purposes. Time with his presence, following his way, doing the things of Jesus. Depending on his wisdom (get to that next week), His love, His direction.

 

Last week we jumped back into Genesis 2 and wrestled with how does this ancient text relate to today, much less relate to the creation story in Genesis 1? We dialoged around the beauty and the mystery of not simply reading the text through our 21st century, American eyes, but that when we take the time to dive deeper, we can see that there is more lurking below the surface.

We also stated Genesis 1 is a broad, overview look at creation and Genesis 2 zooms in on what I believe is creation’s Divine intention, formation, and invitation.

Remember, Israel’s creation account wasn’t about the how, it was about the who, Yahweh, God was the creator. With that being true, when we dive into Genesis 2, we see that God had intention, that God was forming, and that God was inviting, we don’t only see that in creation, but we see that throughout all of life.

Which should lead us to ask the question, where in my life do I need understand the Creator, God’s intention, how do I see his formation and what is he inviting me into?
Let’s reread portion of last week’s passage,

Genesis 2:4-7- 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

The first thing we noted last week was, God’s intention at creation was to bring life. He did this through water and breath.

Last week we talked about how water for the ancients meant chaos or destruction, there was fear surrounding water. But that God was sovereign, ruled over the water, because he told the water where to go and how water was a life source.

Which meant any time we saw water, spring, or well within scripture it is an indicator that God’s intention was to bring life, Living Water.

This week, which is part two of our conversation we are going to look at God’s intention to bring life through breath. I know we’ve talked about it before, God breathing the breath of life into us. But this imagery is so powerful, the breath of life. God’s breath into us. As well as breath is a reference to Spirit (ruach), the breath of God is God’s Spirit being breathed into us. Jot this passage down in the margin of your Bible by verse 7, Isaiah 44:3-4.

Now take a moment to read it. “For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children. 4 They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank.

Eden language of divine life through water and Spirit. As you read this passage, God giving us imagery for life, what impacts you personally? Where in your are you dry or thirsty? How do you need his water or (Spirit) breath to bring you life?

Take some time with this imagery and passage and write something to God in return.

 

Remember, Genesis 1 waters and the Genesis 2 waters form a combined statement of Yahweh as the master of the chaos waters, the one who can turn them into a source of life. Which means, when any story happens at a well or a spring it is a connect to creation, where God brings divine life.

Let’s go a little deeper under the surface of Scripture. What do we see with Jesus and the woman at the well? Remember, any reference to well or spring is a connection to divine life. I won’t read it all, but you can read the entire story in John 4. Jesus asks the woman for a drink from the well.

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to
eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

Do you see the tie to divine life through water? Living water, Jesus harkens back to the creation story and asks her, what is the source of life? He can see that her life is desolate, a wasteland, filled with loveless or hopeless relationships. She is thirsty for something more. And she recognizes that He is the source of life.

Where is this true in your life? Continuing to go back to places that are dry and barren expecting to see relief?

Sit with this song as a guidepost and encouragement to go towards God, the Creator with Divine intention to bring you life.

Come to the Altar

 

Read Psalm 1:1-3- Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.

Do you see the creation imagery? Parallels us to trees, where are we planted? Ultimately asking the question, what gives us life? What is the source of your life? When we are planted by God’s truth, God’s presence we are given life.

Take a moment and look at the parallels between what it means to walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way of sinners. Then look at what it means to be planted by the streams. What is the key in verse 2 of what it means to be planted by the streams? How can you apply that truth today?

 

Read Genesis 2:4-7- 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

What do you notice?

Set the scene, again creation story isn’t about the how of creation, it is about the who of creation. Who created? God made the heavens and the earth. But what is that state by which he created? No shrub, no plant, no humanity, just ground, just dust and dirt. The imagery I want us to start with is this was a space of desolation, dry, wilderness that had no life, it was a lifeless place, until the Creator comes on the scene.

What do we see the Creator do?

Streams came up and watered the surface of the ground and in the next section we see trees that have grown that are good. And we see God formed man and breathed the breath of life into him. This first intention of Yahweh, of God, was to bring life to what was lifeless, desolate and he did this through water and breath. God’s intention at creation was to bring life. He did this through water and breath.

Tim Mackie of the Bible Project shares it this way. “Water is a gift of divine life that makes two types of derivative life possible and both bear fruit in the land. Humans bear fruit through what they do and trees bear fruit through what they grow. In the biblical imagination, people are like trees and both have their life source rooted in water.”

I know this may sound unique and I will show you passages throughout scripture that carry this motif. But before we get there, let us remember what the ancients thought about water. Water was chaos to them, water filled people with fear from the chaos of a storm rising up or the chaos monsters that lurked underneath.

But what does God’s creation show us? Genesis 1 waters and the Genesis 2 waters form a combined statement of Yahweh as the master of the chaos waters, the one who can turn them into a source of life. Which means, when any story happens at a well or a spring it is a connect to creation, where God brings divine life.

Read Isaiah 43:19- See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

 

Monday
 
Read Genesis 2:4-15- 4 This is the account  of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. 5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
 
What in the world does this have to do with my life? I have more questions than answers, more confusion than application. Besides, is this a second creation story and if it is, feels like it contradicts the first creation story? I thought we were created by God speaking, created in his image, now it seems like we are made of dust. And we have rivers and trees, but where are the animals
 
That’s why if we treat scripture at just a surface level, we can read and move on, we tend to keep it to words on a page versus seeing more of what God is doing in an ancient text, with ancient people, and ancient culture.  
 
When we look at scripture we need to see what lurks underneath, because there is more to what is there when we are willing to look under the surface of our English text and American religious eyes. Not only that, but this “second” creation story in Genesis 2 is a zoom in to Eden from the original creation story. Genesis 1 is a broad overview look and Genesis 2 zooms in on what I believe is creation’s Divine intention, formation, and invitation.  
 
Today, I want you to take some time and reread the passage and what could you see below the surface? If you can’t, then what questions do you have of the text that you want to discover what is deeper.
 
Also, take a moment with the statement that Genesis 2 is about creation’s Divine intention, formation, and invitation. What could that mean to your life today?

 

Good Morning,

As we bring this week’s daily faith challenges on Holding Space for Both - Celebration and Grief to a close - I just want to encourage you with a worship song.

Play it loudly. Play it repeatedly.

• Let the words tend to your heart. 
• Let the words stand in the gap. The gap between what you currently may be feeling, and where you know the truth is. That gap is not too big for God.
• Let the words “It is well with my soul” be a form of warfare. 
• Let the words exalt the name of Jesus. 
• Let the words saturate you!

 

This week, we continue to talk about Holding Space for Both - Celebration and Grief.  On Monday, we talked about how we need to give our SELF permission to feel the grief. Yesterday, we talked about how we can trust and have assurance that God is who he says he is - and our grief is not too much for him.

The last thing that we need to grieve is OTHERS. We have to refuse to grieve alone. Which is contrary to so much of what we experience in our culture. I heard this powerful statement spoken by one of the leaders at a recent training I was attending. 

God’s healing prescription for loss is GRIEF + COMMUNITY=LAMENT. 

But our impulse is often to isolate in our grief. But the other reality is that if we don’t teach people how to lament - GRIEVE IN COMMUNITY - we teach them to pretend. 

When we are seen in our grief and pain, something heals deep inside of us because we need other people who bear the image of GOD - to witness our pain and not turn their face away from us. Do you realize that profound truth - YOU bear the image of God - You are an image bearer. 

In Genesis 1:27, at creation - God shows us - “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them.” We ALL have been made in his image, in his likeness. It is how we have been created! And we also see that in Genesis Chapter 2:18 - “The Lord God said, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” This was God’s design of community, not just marriage between a man and woman. God knew Adam needed Eve - he needed community. 

So, how do we do that? How do we grieve with others?

Being present and not looking away from others who are grieving or sharing their pain is reflecting who God is. We don’t have to have the right words, we certainly don’t need to fix or solve it, we don’t need the perfect prayer to match the circumstance - we just need to be present. And through the power of the Holy Spirit, and God’s Glory reflecting through us, through our faces - there is deep and profound healing, I believe far beyond our understanding. That is the power of grieving with others!

We  NEED others to bear witness to our grief. Just like we want others to see the celebrations we experience in our life too.

So I want to encourage you today with a few things:

• Meditate on the fact that YOU are an image bearer! 
• Who do you need to invite into your grieving? Ask God to show you who they are. 
• How may God be asking you to hold space for someone’s grief today? 

God bless you all!
~Steph

 

Good Morning, 

This week, we continue to talk about Holding Space for Both - Celebration and Grief.

Yesterday, we looked at needing attunement to our SELF in order to grieve well. And the next thing needed to grieve well is God - DRAWING NEAR TO GOD. We need to know that if we allow ourselves to feel the grief - that it will be tended to by our heavenly father. We can trust and have assurance that he is:

• SOVEREIGN - powerful, over everything, sees all and knows all, and he is BIG. Bigger than any grief we hold, bigger than any change or loss in our lives, BIGGER than it all.

Isaiah 25:8 “The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all face” 

• GOD IS LOVE. He is not just loving - he is THE VERY DEFINITION OF LOVE. 

1 John 4:16 - “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”

• And that GOD IS GOOD. 

Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him”

So, we can be assured when we allow ourselves to go there -in our grief and pain - we have a God that is GOOD, is LOVE, and SOVEREIGN. He cares about everything we are going through or have gone through, and he just wants us to draw near to him! When we look at the cross and meditate on Jesus’ experience - it reminds us that there is no suffering or pain that we will ever go through that Jesus cannot relate to, that he came to heal and restore. You see, sitting in our grief allows us to see Jesus differently. He looks at us, exactly as we are, and says…”Let me love you…let me love you.”

I want to encourage you to meditate on the cross today. 

What does Jesus want to share with you about himself? 
What does he want to share with you about what you are carrying or feeling?
How does he want to encounter you today?

 

Good Morning!

This week, we are talking about Holding Space for Both - Celebration and Grief.

God GAVE us grief in the same way he GAVE us celebration - and I love thinking about it that way - he GAVE it to us. And our good father gives good gifts! We have been given a gift, but do we know what to do with it? Do we know how to grieve well?

In order to grieve well - we need three things. 
SELF
GOD
OTHERS
And we need ALL three things - not just one or two of them. 

One thing we need to allow ourselves to grieve well is our SELF. We have to start by honoring the grief, the loss of something by permitting ourselves to FEEL IT.  And I just love this and I need the reminder myself - WE NEED TO GIVE OURSELVES PERMISSION TO FEEL. How good are you at doing that?     

Journaling is a spiritual discipline and a great way to give yourself permission to name what you are feeling. The intentional time, a safe space, and conversation with your heart and heavenly father can lead to so much healing! When I talk with folks about journaling - many often say they don’t journal. And I get it. I used to struggle in that same way. [PAUSE] I would often think: What am I supposed to write about? What if I am not consistent - or how frequent should I journal? 

Here are a few prompts to get you started today:

• God, what AM I feeling right now about ____________? (Graduation, Loss of a job, the upcoming move, the loss of my loved one)
• God, what am I not giving myself permission to feel right now? 

And…as we begin to FEEL it for/with ourselves - something deep within us is being honored. 

May God continue to meet you all in your quiet time!