Ok, so I left the word “versus” out of the title…  I thought it would be more eye-catching this way.

Last Sunday and this Sunday my sermon is on the two creation stories in Genesis 1-3.  Specifically, both are true (in that we live them every day), but one has to be primary for us.  Just as you cannot serve two gods, one of the stories will always take prevalence in how you live your life.  Will you focus on your sin and “the fall?”  Or will you instead focus on the fact that when God created you he didn’t say you were “good,” but rather that you were “VERY good?”  My point is basically that sin is very real, but it’s not powerful enough to remove God’s image from you.  Sin isn’t the point; don’t focus on it.  Instead, focus on who you really are underneath it and let the sin fall away on its own.

Ok, I digress…  The sermon seemed to resonate with a lot of people, many saying that had a lot to think about as they were leaving.  I don’t know how many of you read my blog, but I ran across a blog post this morning that isn’t precisely on the same topic, but seemed to add something really interesting to the conversation.  So, I offer it here as fuel for whatever fires I have started.  Enjoy!

Here is the post.

As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts!

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Ok, remember the days of closed book tests (some of you are in school now; I’m sure you remember them!)  Well I’ve got one for you: How would you tell the creation story without opening your Bible?  Not just the “seven days” part, but also the “Adam and Eve” part?

Now here’s the real kicker…  If you had to pick the most important part of the story, the part that has most affected human history and your life in particular, which part would you choose?  Would you choose the part where man is made caretaker of the earth?  Would you choose the part where man and woman were created for each other?  Would you choose the bit with the snake and the fruit as most pivotal for human history?

How you answer this question makes a tremendous difference in how you live and how you relate to God, to your fellow human beings, and to yourself.  Frankly, the parts you choose to focus on can change the meaning of the entire story.  Let me give you an example: if you don’t think much of the “caretaker” part, I’m guessing you’re also someone who doesn’t recycle.  I’m also guessing farmers and ranchers think of that section more often than the rest of us.

The biggest difference, though, comes with my last suggestion above.  If you think Adam and Eve eating the apple makes the most difference in your life, then it means you view the world entirely differently than if you instead focus on God creating us and saying “It is very good.”

This Sunday in Higher Ground and next Sunday in the traditional services I am going to tell several creation stories (or shades of creation stories) and ask which story you identify with.  I hope you’ll consider it between now and then, though.  What you think of our beginning makes a huge difference in who we are now and in who we will be in the future!

I also hope you’ll share your thoughts on my blog, http://ministrygeek.net.

As the Associate Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, KS, I write a weekly article for the newsletter article. I invite both members of the church and other visitors to my blog to share their thoughts!

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I’ve noticed that a few farmers in the area have already started to burn their fields.  I always love watching it…  I love the smell and the meteorologist in me likes watching how the smoke rises.  Now I should remind you that I am a true “city boy” and know hardly anything about farming, so forgive me if I speak beyond my knowledge here.  But, while driving by a burning field the other day it struck me that it was a good metaphor for sin and grace.

Think of it this way: if you were to remove from our lives that which is good and right and true, we’d still be left with a little “stubble” at the bottom: our sin.  Our sin, put softly, is that part of us which is unusable, not worth anything.  For most of us it’s not the focal point or the biggest portion, but for all of us sin is present.

Every now and then we take stock of ourselves and identify the sin for what it is.  In those times, if we’re faithful, what we need is a sort of “controlled burn” to singe that sin out of our lives.  It’s painful giving up things like pride or greed sometimes, isn’t it?

But here’s the amazing part– the sin doesn’t just burn off into nothingness.  Instead, the cleansing fire transforms it into rich nutrients that can be tilled back in to make us a better, more fertile person.  That’s God’s grace at its finest!

It’s not a perfect metaphor, and I don’t know if it can be taken much further.  But perhaps it will give you food for thought next time you see smoke in the distant Kansas sky.  As always, I welcome comments on my blog at http://ministrygeek.net.