Monday, November 30, 2015

It Is Good

Sacred Gifts and Holy Gatherings
What We Bring to God


The Lord's Day

Genesis 1:28-2:4  The Message

26-28 God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them
        reflecting our nature
    So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
        the birds in the air, the cattle,
    And, yes, Earth itself,
        and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”
    God created human beings;
        he created them godlike,
    Reflecting God’s nature.
        He created them male and female.
    God blessed them:
        “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
    Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
        for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
29-30 Then God said, “I’ve given you
        every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth
    And every kind of fruit-bearing tree,
        given them to you for food.
    To all animals and all birds,
        everything that moves and breathes,
    I give whatever grows out of the ground for food.”
        And there it was.
31 God looked over everything he had made;
        it was so good, so very good!
    It was evening, it was morning—
    Day Six.
Heaven and Earth were finished,
    down to the last detail.
2-4 By the seventh day
        God had finished his work.
    On the seventh day
        he rested from all his work.
    God blessed the seventh day.
        He made it a Holy Day
    Because on that day he rested from his work,
        all the creating God had done.
This is the story of how it all started,
    of Heaven and Earth when they were created.

For Reflection 
God is the source of all things -- even us.  God has made us in the likeness of God.  We have the capacity to be creative so that we can bring to God what God as brought to us.  We can return to God the best of what we are meant to be.

We can do that only if we remember that we are not independent from God. Our rituals and holy days are means by which we remember to whom we belong.  We often think of the ritual of the Sabbath as a day of rest.  However, agreement about the nature of this day is far from resolved.  What does it mean "to rest?"  What is your definition of the Sabbath?  How does your Sabbath strengthen your relationship to God?

Pray
Pray prayers of praise and thanksgiving to the God who gave you the capacity to live creatively.  Pray that what you create will honor your creator.  Pray that you will remember to set time aside to reflect on your activity and to lift up your work to the glory of God.

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