Daily Scripture
Genesis 2:4-25
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
On the day the LORD God made earth and sky— 5 before any wild plants appeared on the earth, and before any field crops grew, because the LORD God hadn’t yet sent rain on the earth and there was still no human being [or man, Hebrew adam] to farm the fertile land, 6 though a stream rose from the earth and watered all of the fertile land— 7 the LORD God formed the human from the topsoil of the fertile land and blew life’s breath into his nostrils. The human came to life. 8 The LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east and put there the human he had formed. 9 In the fertile land, the LORD God grew every beautiful tree with edible fruit, and also he grew the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river flows from Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first river is the Pishon. It flows around the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 That land’s gold is pure, and the land also has sweet-smelling resins and gemstones. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It flows around the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris, flowing east of Assyria; and the name of the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The LORD God took the human and settled him in the garden of Eden to farm it and to take care of it. 16 The LORD God commanded the human, “Eat your fill from all of the garden’s trees; 17 but don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because on the day you eat from it, you will die!” 18 Then the LORD God said, “It’s not good that the human is alone. I will make him a helper that is perfect for him.” 19 So the LORD God formed from the fertile land all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky and brought them to the human to see what he would name them. The human gave each living being its name. 20 The human named all the livestock, all the birds in the sky, and all the wild animals. But a helper perfect for him was nowhere to be found.
21 So the LORD God put the human into a deep and heavy sleep, and took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh over it. 22 With the rib taken from the human, the LORD God fashioned a woman and brought her to the human being. 23 The human said,
“This one finally is bone from my bones
and flesh from my flesh.
She will be called a woman [Or wife—Hebrew ishshah]
because from a man [Or husband—Hebrew ish] she was taken.”
24 This is the reason that a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 The two of them were naked, the man and his wife, but they weren’t embarrassed.
Reflection Questions
In yesterday’s GPS passage (Genesis 1:1-2:3), God created humans last. In today’s reading God made a human first, then put a garden and animal life around him. Two creation stories—two nearly opposite orders of creation. Neither creation story was literal “science” or “history.” They were archetypal stories, told by different people (note the different styles) and/or editors for a spiritual purpose: to affirm that one good God created everything. Genesis 1 and 2 both point us toward God’s goodness in creating the earth, humanity, animals, and the heavens.
- Both creation stories made vital spiritual claims (e.g, that humans were made in God’s image, that God made certain portions of time holy). Could the scientific method possibly prove or disprove claims like this? Many scientists (including those who spoke to Pastor Hamilton for this week’s sermon) believe science and faith are not mutually exclusive. What part of creation brings you a sense of sacred wonder? What scientific truth causes you to marvel at its principles?
- Have teachers, parents, friends or just general voices in our culture ever told you that faith and science cannot co-exist? Have you felt (or do you feel) the need to choose one over the other? In this week’s sermon, you heard our senior pastor and a set of eminent scientists say they believe in both God and science. Could it be that the idea that the two are incompatible is due to misunderstanding the function and limits of science, faith or both?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, give us faith to know that God is the creator of all that is, while at the same time helping us to honor the beauty of science. Thank you for the world you have created for us to enjoy. Amen.
"creation" - Google News
January 05, 2021 at 11:03PM
https://ift.tt/3pUMfCW
A second creation story—a human created first - Downtown - Church of the Resurrection
"creation" - Google News
https://ift.tt/39MUE4f
https://ift.tt/3bZVhYX
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "A second creation story—a human created first - Downtown - Church of the Resurrection"
Post a Comment