May 3 - Fourth Sunday of Easter
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Deborah Laforet Genesis 1:26-28
May 3, 2020 Psalm 8:3-8
“Made in God’s image”
When I was eight years old, my family moved to a small town in mid-Michigan. My brother and I were registered in the local Catholic elementary school. The tradition in that school and church was for second graders to receive their first confession and first communion, but first had to undergo religious training to prepare for these very important sacraments. Being a third grader, I was put in a second grade classroom for a portion of the day for this training.
One of the ways to prepare for these sacraments was to memorize two prayers: the Hail Mary and the Lord’s Prayer, the two prayers that are used when praying the rosary. Memorization comes easier to children and the words tend to stick around for a long time. Although I’m not a part of the Roman Catholic church anymore, and have little use for the Hail Mary prayer, I can still recite it easily. And of course, the Lord’s Prayer is a prayer recited in most churches and all over the world. Although the words may vary, you can usually join in this communal prayer wherever you go.
There was a time when I thought memorization was an archaic method without a lot of use, but I have seen people recite the 23rd psalm when in times of crisis, or recite passages of scripture when having a theological discussion, or recite psalms when praying or meditating. The words come easily to mind and are there when you need them.
Once in a while though, it’s helpful to take a deeper look at these memorized words. When communities recite the Lord’s Prayer, in the same way every week, the words can become senseless., without meaning. After 2000 years of saying this prayer, it’s possible the original meaning has been lost or forgotten. During the month of May, Carolyn and I will explore different phrases of the Lord’s Prayer and we will be using the writings of John Dominic Crossan in his book, “The Greatest Prayer.” Today, we will look at the first phrase: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name.”
There has been a lot of debate in the United Church, a church that strives to be inclusive and respectful of everyone’s stories, as to whether we should refer to God in the masculine. The church has grappled with this issue, modifying hymns and creating new ones with inclusive language, embracing an Inclusive Bible that refers to God as Yahweh instead of Lord, encouraging people to embrace the many images and metaphors of God that include both masculine, feminine, and non-gendered images, and even wrestling with one of our oldest prayers that begins with the words, “Our Father.”
There are many who appreciate this image of God as father, but I was one of those struggled with this metaphor. I grew up without a father, and no matter how many times I was told me that I should then see God as my loving father, I couldn’t make the connection. I am one of those who appreciate the vast variety of images for God that are accessible to me.
In his book, Crossan tends to see this word, Abba in the Greek, to be more inclusive than just the male parent. He sees it being used throughout the bible in the same way many tend to use the word “mankind” as inclusive of all people, and believes that this was Jesus’ intent when teaching this prayer to his disciples. As the church evolves and embraces more inclusive language, how we pray can vary and be just as meaningful and inclusive.
In the gospel of Matthew, which is written in Greek, the prayer begins with, “Father of us,” which doesn’t really roll of the English tongue as well as “Our Father.” It can be tricky to translate poetry, because, although “Our Father” sounds more poetic in English, we then lose the framework of the original Greek poem.
Poetry isn’t just about the beauty of the language but can also be about how the language is structured. There is a pattern to our Lord’s Prayer.
The prayer is divided between heaven and earth and God and humans. When we start the prayer with “Father of us,” we see this pattern in the very first words of the prayer. The first part of the prayer speaks of the divine and the heavens: Hallowed be YOUR name, YOUR kingdom come, and YOUR will be done. The second half speaks of humanity and the earth: Give us this day OUR daily bread, Forgive us OUR debts as we forgive OUR debtors, and Lead US not into temptation but deliver US from evil. Divine and Human, heaven and earth. Why separate the poem in this way? Is one more important than the other? What does it mean?
Crossan offers the image of a two-sided coin. Heads on one side and tails on the other. You cannot pull the two apart. They can be distinguished and seen as two, but it is really one whole. Humans cannot be set apart from God, just as God cannot be set apart from humans.
Kent very creatively shared with us a couple of pieces of scripture. He told us that he does often read scripture, but when he does, he uses the King James version, a very poetic version of the bible, but when I read scripture, I tend to read the New Revised Standard Version, which is the version that tends to get closest to the original intent of the writings.
The first three verses Kent read to us from Genesis, can be seen in this way:
26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
27 So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
Verses 26 and 28 mirror each other, both speaking of dominion of the fish and the birds and every living thing that moves upon the earth, and those two verses embrace the words, “God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them.” Over the years, we have put a lot of our energy into the dominion part of this passage, or, in Kent’s reading from the King James bible, the subjugation or the subduing of all creation.
But in this passage, the very first chapter of our bible, God is creator. God is the architect. God has shaped this world and given it life. If humanity has been created in God’s image, I think we need to ask ourselves what it means for humanity to have dominion over all living things on the earth. If we believe in a creating God, a God of justice and mercy, of love and peace, and if we, humanity, have been created in God’s image, doesn’t that mean that we are also creators, that we are also a people of justice and mercy, love and peace? Two sides of the same coin?
Psalm 8 reads, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established, what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honour. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet.” As co-creators, as people made in the image of God, we have a great responsibility for the care of all creation, for all living things.
As we continue to delve into this prayer, I want you to hold onto this image of the two-sided coin, maybe even hold a coin in your hand when you speak the Lord’s Prayer. What does it mean that we are created in God’s image? What does it mean that this prayer distinguishes between God and us but weaves them so masterfully together?
Next week, we’ll look at the next phrase that also resides on the God part of this prayer: “Your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
May we see ourselves as co-creators with God. My this prayer teach us how to live in just and peaceful ways. As we study this prayer, may we know that we are not alone, that God is with us, that, like the two-sided coin, we are never separated from the love of God. Hallelujah and amen.