Church of the Holy City

Brooding over the Waters

Brooding over the Waters
Rev. Dr. David J. Fekete
January 6, 2013

Genesis 1:1-5 Mark 1:4-11 Psalm 29

The first chapter of Genesis that we heard this morning puts the human race in perspective. It tells us that God created the heavens and the earth. It tells us that God preceded everything. Before there was anything, there was God. It tells us further that God governs the whole created order. We are in a universe over which God is in control.
Other creation myths in the Ancient Near East narrate the creation of the universe as a cosmic battle between the chaos waters and a hero-god. These stories have the chaos waters existing at the same time as the other gods exist. It is by subduing the chaos waters that creation happens. These myths do not begin with a God who creates everything.
These Babylonian myths, however, do find their way into the Hebrew scriptures. In Psalm 29, which is older than Genesis 1, the raging waters are mentioned. We read that “The voice of the Lord is over the waters;” “The Lord thunders over the mighty waters;” “The Lord sits enthroned over the flood.” Lines like this suggest the influence of Babylonian mythology that has creation begin with the defeat of the chaos waters. And we find an analogous idea in Genesis–God is supreme over the chaos waters. This is only hinted at in the line, “the Spirit of God was brooding over the face of the waters.”
What these readings give us is an image of creation. It is an image in which God is in control of the forces of chaos. It is an image of the world that God made by His own Word. The Bible writers put these stories first to say that all the history of the world to follow is a history that God works in.
Immediately after the creation of the universe, the human race is created. There are actually two creation stories. The first one is Genesis 1:1-2:3. In this story humans are the last thing created, and the human race is the culmination of the whole creation process. We are created in God’s own image–male and female. In the second creation story, humans are created first, and then the Garden of Eden is planted for Adam to live in.
This sequence of events tell us two things. First, that all of creation is made by God, who governs it. And second, that humans are the primary beings created, who are watched over by God.
This, too, differs from other world-views in the Ancient Near East. In myths of other cultures in the ANE, humans are lowly creatures whose only purpose is to serve the gods by performing sacrifices. The gods live above the world of humans, and care little for our wellbeing. In fact, the flood story from the ANE happens because the human race makes too much noise and keeps the gods awake. The flood occurs to get rid of the noisy human race.
But for the Hebrew culture, we are God’s children. We are made in God’s image; we are set in a world created by God; we are watched over by a loving God.
How comforting this is! The world we live in can look very grim. We see the horrors of war and its violence. We see terror. We see genocide. We see random shooting acts of unspeakable tragedy. We see unemployment and privation. When we contemplate all these ungodly events, we can yield to despair. But in all this, we need to remember that this is my Father’s world.
When the Bible writers composed the first creation story–the story that put God above the created order–their world had seen terrible calamities, too. The creation story at the beginning of Genesis had been written after the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel. The writers of that story had seen the horrors of war with Assyria, and the complete devastation of their king and kingdom. Not only that, but I think the case can be made that the Assyrian kingdom was perhaps the most bloodthirsty and cruel the Ancient Near East had ever seen, maybe the world had ever seen. And yet the Bible writers could still see human history as one in which God governs creation from the beginning of the universe to the giving of the Law to Moses.
In the gospel of Mark, we learn that the same God who created the universe and who governs history actually entered history. Just after Jesus is baptized by John, the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus. A voice from heaven says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom i am well pleased.” In this passage, we see the power of God descending on Jesus. It is as if God is saying, “From now on, Jesus represents me.” Or put stronger, “Jesus is my embodiment.” This is what John’s gospel makes clear. It begins with a beautiful hymn:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God; all things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, . . . No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known (1:1-3,14, 18).
In the Christmas season, we think about the birth of Jesus. We then think about the gifts from the Magi. Now we turn our attention to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. The gospel of Mark begins not with Jesus’ birth, but with His baptism and the beginning of His ministry. The only stories we have of Jesus infancy are in Luke and Matthew. And those infancy stories are exhausted in the first two chapters of each gospel.
Clearly, the gospel writers are interested in what Jesus does as an adult. They are interested in Jesus’ teachings, His ministry, and His healings. These are all examples of God’s interaction with humanity. For the Bible is all about humanity’s relationship with God. Although there is a lot of history and narrative in the Old Testament, there is also meaning to that history and narrative. The meaning of those stories is how sin or obedience led to prosperity or destruction for the Israelites. So the essence of the Old Testament is examining the consequences of turning from and turning toward God’s laws. Or, in other words, the essence of the Old Testament is a person’s relationship with God.
The same is true of the New testament. Jesus’ advent and healings show God’s love for the human race. They show the eternal covenant God made with us from the very beginning of creation. God came to us to heal and save.
And Jesus’ teachings show us how to live in relationship to God. They are a reminder of the essential teachings of the Old Testament. They are demonstrations and stories about how to live with God in a love relationship, and how to live with each other in Christian love.
They are a reminder, also, that God is governing the universe and watching over us. For when the powers of darkness became too great in the spiritual world and on earth, God Himself came to us. He opened up a connection to heaven and to God through Himself. He was and is the new Way, the Truth, and the Life. And in the person of Jesus, that creator God flowed through heaven, and into the material body of the Only Begotten Jesus Christ. Creator and creation became fully one as God merged with the Divine Humanity of Jesus of Nazareth.
In Jesus, humanity is again made central to the created order. The Divine Humanity of Jesus Christ dignifies the human form. And in doing so, it places humanity at the center of creation, as is the case in the very first book of the Bible. The birth, baptism, and ministry of Jesus show that God is ever watching over us. They show that God is governing creation and history. They show us that we are never alone; that we are never apart from God; that we are always in a caring universe. Wherever we are, in whatever state we find ourselves, God is always with us; God always cares about us; God always is in the process of leading us to greater and greater joy, happiness, and love. I think the Psalmist said it best,
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast (Psalm 139:7-10).

PRAYER

Lord, we give you thanks for this world, which you have created. We give you thanks for our place as your special creation in this world of so much variety. We give you thanks for your constant care for us; we give you thanks for continually watching over us; we give you thanks for your constant effort to bring us into communion with you. We look out at the events in this world, and we sometimes question your governance. We see wars and violence, terror and random shootings. It is hard sometimes for us to trust that you are looking after this world and that things are unfolding under your loving governance. This morning we affirm our faith in your divine providence. Although we may sometimes fail to understand this world, we do thank you for your unfailing divine providence.