In the beginning...Part 2

OK. So let us begin, in the beginning. Now, I'm not trained in theology, I'm not a pastor, deacon, youth leader or Sunday school supervisor. I'm just a person, with faults and flaws; so this isn't my attempt at spewing doctrine, or telling people what to do with their lives. This is me, interacting with God's word, in any way I know how: Humourous, sarcastic, serious, intellectual, confused, lost, and genuine. I'm not writing this to engage in debates with people, or have arguments. I'm writing this for my own sake, my own discovery, and if someone else finds a piece of themselves as a result, so be it. So with those emotions to guide us, please be considerate and non-judgemental should you choose to post comments. Thanks! GO!



Genesis chapter 1

Man, can't we start somewhere easy? Hmm...should I have tried to jump around a little more, instead of this 'chronological' order stuff? Because, creation is a heavy topic. It's usually peoples' go to section of the word to challenge whenever faith or bible or Christian come up in a conversation. This is like throwing yourself into the deep end when you can't swim, relying on cheap dollar store water wings to keep yourself afloat. Baby steps. First blog will be on just one chapter. But, here goes nothing...


Gen. 1:1

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."

Sounds like a movie trailer for Avatar 2.

That was the first thought I had after reading this chapter. The second one was: Is this a simplified version of the moments of creation? Why water it down?

Chapter one goes through the first 6 days of creation. It is historically thought to be written by Moses (or so says a few scholars I consulted and my archaeological version of the NIV study bible). So, written thousands of years after the events in question, if you are interpreting exact dates of the Bible. This is a big contention for some people, and me. Do I believe that those are literal 6 days of creation? Or metaphoric? Did God let the earth grow into its new features before populating it? Did He create man after the animals got a bit boring? I'm getting ahead of myself. What is chapter 1? Well, it's a condensed account of creation, written by a man who wasn't there but called to write about it by God.

Each day, God shifts the land, water, sky into position, throws some lights up in the sky so the new platypus and zebras don't bump into trees, and creates asparagus and shrimp. Yum.

That might be flippant, but it's honest. Did God really take 6 days to create the earth? Did a 'God' really create the earth in the first place? Didn't we just evolve from the microbes sticking to the side of a giant meteor or something? Wait, no, it was a BANG thing, right?

Creation. Sigh. Here's my take on it: I once had to dissect an African Grasshopper, this giant black and yellow monster who looked like he wanted to suck out my brains. While squeamishly cutting into him, I realized how many tiny, delicate, perfect parts there were to this brain sucker. He was perfect, balanced, a piece of art. Did he just eventually make himself that, slowly through evolution, and decided, meh, who wants to be an advanced life form, Grasshopper is good enough? Many people think he did. I, however, see it a bit differently. I think someone designed him to be a perfect contributor to the world in which he exists, a member of a functioning world of nature, earth, sky, and rain; God created him. The Bible tells me this, but so does my appreciation for the art that is life. How could I not see it in the perfect movement of life around me? Now, man might be a fallen creature with sin and our perfection is a different thing all together. Let's save that for chapter 2, however.

So, if I look at the natural world around me, I can see God. I see His work, his art, his humour, his ingenuity, his perfect nature in a world meant to be perfectly in balance. But Kelsey, you might say, earth is far from perfect. Sure, circle of life and Simba put it into a decent perspective, but humans screw a lot up. We're pretty crappy stewards.

And I'd answer that with a resounding YA. Genesis makes me want to vote green in the next election. We ARE meant to be stewards of God's art, his creation. We're not doing a very good job.

Gen 1:26 "Then God said 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'"

Rule implies some sort of control, and some Christians interpret this as a right to dominate nature and creation. That is their interpretation, though it is not mine. My thought is that man was set above the creatures of the earth because of free will and moral thought. Nothing more, nothing less. The ultimate design, but not the most deserving or better than anything that came before. We are suppose to be a part of the natural world around us, not a destroyer of it. Now, don't all go out and go Vegan on me. God gives the earth to man for nourishment, (and let me take this moment to state that when I say man, I mean human. I know, it's male language and some of you have the particular fact that Christianity degrades women as your number one argument why I shouldn't be a Christian, but bear with me, please) and grants man dominion over the animals and trees and seeds, and slimy things under rocks. We need the nourishment of the animals of the fields and the fruit of trees to be active members of God's original design of the earth. The Fall of humans, however, ultimately interferes with the perfect idea that God had when He made man rulers over the beasts of the earth and seas. Again, we'll get to that.

Some of you might notice the fact that my blog is entitled: Art of Me. That was borrowed loosely from the title of a Jars of Clay song, See the Art in Me, which describes the art of the creation of humans, the art of the Lord in forming us in the wombs of our mothers, made to be just as we are. Keep that thought in mind for the next blog post, which hopefully will cover chapters 2,3 and 4. You are Art.