June 7, 2020
Today’s scriptures
Genesis 1:1-2:4a; Psalm 8; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; Matthew 28:16-20
In the beginning, God had a dream.
God’s dream was so vivid, and full of so many beautiful and exquisite details. Nothing was left out.
We listened to a summary of God’s dream, in our Creation story today.
I can only imagine, how eager God must have been, to create this world God saw in this dream.
I wonder, though…if this was a one-time dream, that was so profound, that God had to do something right away…
Or, I wonder…if this was a dream that God dreamed about, for many days, and many nights?
And, I wonder, too…what it must have felt like to begin the work of creation…and to see its’ vision come to life…and then to sit back, on the 7th day, and look upon it all, this gift for all humankind to share in, for eternity…. and to rest…and declare it all good…very good.
In this dream, God thought of everything…
Beginning with light…to separate the light from darkness – calling the light, Day and the darkness, Night.
On the 2nd day, the waters were separated from the waters, and God created a dome and called it Sky.
On the 3rd day, the dry land appeared, and God called the dry land, Earth. And the earth brought forth the vegetation, plants yielding seed of every kind, trees of every kind, bearing fruit.
On the 4th day, God created two great lights – to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day, and over the night.
On the 5th day, God created all the living creatures of the sky and the seas.
On the 6th day, God created all the living animals of the earth and God created humankind in the image of God.
And then, on the 7th day, God looked upon all that was created, with great love…and rested…confident, assured…thankful…that the world and all that was in it…was indeed, good…very good.
God, thought of everything!
In God’s dream, there was enough for everyone.
In God’s dream, people were entrusted to take care of the land, the waters, the creatures of every kind, and most especially the care of each other.
For all God’s people, were created in the image of God. And the image of God is love. We were created out of this love…to love one another.
I wonder, if that’s what God sees now, when God looks upon us: Does God see people of all cultures, different colors of skin, and diverse walks of life, loving one another, as we have been so loved by God?
I wonder, if God is grieving for all of creation, and for all of humanity right now…as God’s beloved children are suffering in so many ways…hurting each other, turning against one another…
I wonder, how devasting it must feel, to God, to have such a beautiful dream, become distorted and destroyed, by the very people God created, in the image of God, to love one another?
What about you?
Have you ever had your dreams shattered?
Has your heart ever been broken, day after day, year after year, and as you have heard in the stories of your grandparents, and ancestors?
Can you think of a time, in your own life…that you have been utterly distraught, and left powerless, as you watched a loved one suffer needlessly, at the hands of another human being? And while others stood by…and watched, in silence…
We have all been witness to this horrific scenario, the past couple of weeks.
We have watched together, as a nation, and a world-wide community, protests, acts of violence, and the outrage of people whose dreams have been shattered for centuries – whose brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, grandparents, have not been given the opportunity to fully live into God’s dream that was created for them, and for all people.
That is, because as individuals, and as a society, as a whole, we have fallen short, in loving one another as we have been so loved by God, and as Jesus has shown us what it means to walk in the way of love, in word, and in action.
We have broken God’s heart, over and over again, by the ways in which we have not allowed all God’s people to love and dream and live into the abundant life that God dreamed, and created for every one of us.
We have not respected the dignity of every human being, every person that God so loves, and has created equally, in God’s image.
We have acted out in fear, instead of trusting and believing in God’s dream, for all of God’s people.
Here is the hope, that we can hold onto…
Because of God’s unending and all-encompassing love for us, and because we believe in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection – we know that this is not the end of the story…this is not the end of the dream…that God envisioned for God’s people…in the beginning.
God was there in the beginning.
God is with us now.
God will be with us, always…to the end of the age.
We can no longer, stand by and just watch. We must become part of the re-building of God’s dream, here on earth….and beginning now.
This is our moment now, to begin anew...to repent of our ways, known and unknown, our words and actions and inactions that continue to oppress others, and take the life and breath out of our fellow human beings…
This is our moment now, to begin anew…to listen with our whole selves, to the voices which have been silenced for too long…and to work alongside of those whose dreams have been shattered and stifled, for a lifetime and longer…
This is our moment now, to begin anew…remembering, that on the day of our baptism, we were sealed by the power of the Holy Spirit, the gift given to each one of us, to strengthen us, to empower each one of us…to always begin again...to empower each one of us…to work together, by loving one another, as Jesus has loved us, and to heal and rebuild the beloved community, the dream of God – for all God’s people.
God has not given up on God’s dream for all of creation, and for all of God’s people.
And neither should we.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are called to be a part of building up this kingdom of God…this dream of God...here on earth…right now…wherever we are…a beloved community where all will be free to dream dreams for themselves and their children, for generations to come…and to live into those dreams, that God has envisioned for them, and for all who will follow in their footsteps.
Oh, what a day that will be…when we, with God, can finally rest on the 7th day, and see, that indeed, all of this that God has created, for every one of us…is indeed good…very good.
In the beginning….God had a dream…
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all…
Rev. Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, Alaska