St. Paul's On-the-Hill Episcopal Church

The Rev. Stephen C. Holton, Rector

Trinity Sunday; May 18, 2008

Genesis 1:1-2:4

Matthew 28:16-20

WORD OF SCIENCE; WORD OF LOVE

Stewards of Creation, Image of God, Empowered, Now Commission Everyone

In the beginning, when God spoke, he shaped air. That is what speaking is. It is shaping air. It is giving form and vocation to air. It is filling a particular breath you make with a particular meaning you choose, and transmitting that meaning to someone else's ear and someone else's life; and so giving them life through the words they hear; or health, or love, or hate, or confusion, or despair.

And its all in the words you choose to share.

So choose the words carefully, for they transmit life. They shape the living air of God. They can be delivery systems of God's love and yours, God's justice and yours, God's mercy and yours.

God shapes the living air of his living Spirit and of it makes . . . “a butterfly” and “a dinosaur” and “a waterfall” and “a human being.”

But there is something different about the human being he makes. And I don't think its important if he makes it by evolution or any other way. What is important is why he makes it and to what purpose. For he makes every other thing to operate in its own sphere and after its own kind. He makes the birds, the fish, the cattle, to inhabit the air, the sea, the land, which he had previously set apart to occupy different parts of the world and each species to occupy its part of the world.

Then each species has a destiny, which is to procreate and reproduce and continue the regeneration of its species for ever, so all the world could be full and flourish with each one.

Human beings are not made in such a way. Each other species is made after “its kind.”

But when God makes humankind, it is not in the same way as everything else. He does not produce humankind to be like itself.

He produces humankind to be like him.

He does not simply say: Let us make humankind and let it reproduce and fill the world. He says: “Let us make humankind in our image.” It is not our job or our destiny simply to be like ourselves and simply fill the earth with ourselves. It is our job, it is our destiny to be like God – created in his image and not just in our own – and to care for the world as he does.

We are his stewards, the stewards of creation, and not just its occupants. We are not just here for ourselves. We are here for him and for his plan.

Not only do we take care of ourselves; we care for others too – and not just people-others, but animal-others too, fish-others too, bird-others too.

That is our vocation. And that is what God empowers us to do. He blesses us with this dominion – not domination but dominion – this care for the whole world that he has made. He gives us the inbred ability to love it all as he does, and not just to love ourselves.

For when we love ourselves only, we are like all the other creatures – the animals, the fish and the birds. That's what creatures are supposed to do. But when we love them – the other species, as God does, because we can, because we're in God's image and not just our own – then we become more like God, more like the image we were created in, God's image.

We become more human, because we become more like God. We care for all things, as he meant us to.

So if ever you feel lost, uncertain about your humanity, then care for and help more people or things than yourself, in a specific way, and you will feel yourself restored to the image of God in which you were created and that still exists within you no matter what. And you will rise as if newly formed from God's creative hands, newly shaped by his creative breath.

It is this that Jesus came to remind us of. It is this that Jesus came to do for us. It is this that Jesus came to heal us for – this vocation as stewards of creation, stewards of this environment we worry so much about today; lovers of our friends, our neighbors, strangers and enemies whom we have forgotten.

He came; God himself who spoke over the waters now speaks in our ears and recreates our souls just as he called us forth at the beginning.

And he whispers 'love.' And we can do it though we never did it before because, just as he called forth light just by saying it, he calls forth 'love' just by saying it.

He whispers 'hope' and we can do it. He whispers 'faith' and we can have it. He bids us 'share' and we can do it. 'Help' and we can offer it. 'Give' and we can give money to those in need and we no longer fear for our need for he has provided for that too.

He created us as humans at the beginning. Now he creates us disciples at a second beginning. He spoke in our ears and made those discipleship powers possible just as you type a command on a computer and all kinds of things happen.

But he is not a commander but a lover and his words of love make love possible.

So he spoke to the disciples and sent them out to love and teach and commission all nations to love and teach and serve him and love the world themselves.

This is a new thing. It is not an imperialistic thing as we fear. He does not say 'make me new subjects,' 'bring new people, unwillingly, into my kingdom that they might serve me.' That is what we fear and that is why we do not do it for we know, deep down, that we serve a God of freedom and so we do not need to make people less than free.

In those days, though, in the ancient world, every nation had its god. And every nation did not care if every other nation was going straight to hell. They kind of hoped they were. They felt other nations did not deserve to be free. They did not deserve to know God or God's justice or mercy or love. They deserved only to die. Why share goodness with such savages? They did not know any better anyway.

Not so with Jesus Christ. The One through whom the first humans were made looked at all of them as his beloved children, made in his image, capable of being his stewards of creation; and said to his disciples – you have to tell them that. And it may be that they would want those other nations to die in isolation or serve Christians in slavery; but that is not good enough for Jesus. For all people are humans and need to be reminded of their humanity, their existence in the image of God.

And it is our job to do this for them if they need to hear it, if they are not currently living out of the image of God, if they have fallen to looking only after themselves like any other animal; and are not caring for others – humans, animals, birds, fish, the sea and earth itself in every sphere of creation. That is what God aspires to have us all do.

So he gives us the power to teach. He whispers 'teach' in our ear. He has given us the power to fill the earth – and not just our sphere of dry land. He has given us the power to have dominion – to be stewards of all creation and ones who care not just for ourselves but for birds and animals and fish and even creeping things too. And he has given us power, to teach others about this blessed gift and responsibility for the whole world that God has given into our care.

This is our Christian vocation. It may be the vocation of others as well. It is certainly ours. Go out, says Jesus, and make disciples of all nations – not leaving them alone because you simply don't care about them. You do. You should. You don't have to force it on them. Just teach it, offer it and they can reject it or even teach you since they too are created in the image of God and may have something to add to your knowledge.

And baptize them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Accept them – freely – into your community, even if they are different from you, even if you don't want to accept them. Jesus does.

Give them – gratis – this power and responsibility if they want it. They do not need to go through levels of initiation to get to the heart of God. There are not lower levels or higher levels of priesthood and power until you get the brass ring of sacred power as the last and best priest standing. No. It happens at the beginning; if someone just wants it. It all comes in the teaching and the baptism – the inclusion and blessing with all the power of God.

Make partners, says God. Not people to serve you but people to serve with you. Welcome them into God's service if they have not been in God's service already. They may have been.

Then join with them, together, as restorers of the universe, carers of Creation.

And go forth, but not alone. You have Jesus with you to the end of the age, the Power of Creation, the One who spoke 'love' at the beginning, 'hope' at the beginning, 'creation' at the beginning, 'butterfly,' 'dinosaur,' 'little baby boy' or 'little baby girl.'

Now he whispers in your ear, words of healing, words of love. And you and I are given the same power, power to speak 'love,' 'hope,' 'faith;' power to shape God's living breath, into loving words of power.