Lectionary Readings for October 3, 2021
Reading One: Genesis 2:18-24 (NRSV)
Song: God the Maker of the Heavens (lyrics here)
Reflection
The thread that ties our lectionary readings together this week is a powerful one which speaks to nothing less that humanity’s role in creation. It begins in Genesis, where we see an example of the dominion over the created order that has been entrusted to the human race—the very act of naming is a picture of that earthly rule for which we were intended.
It’s a difficult topic to think about at times, because so many have turned that commission into permission, and have seen it as God’s stamp of approval on anything and everything we want to do to his creation. That is not what is happening at all. As those created in God’s image, the human race is entrusted with creation and charged with its stewardship. The words “dominion” and “rule” are potentially confusing because we associate them with earthly power and abuses of power. But the rule over creation that we were meant to display was always meant to reflect God’s rule over the universe: we are agents of his benevolence and loving care for the entire created order. How often we lose sight of that and treat creation as ours to do with as we please, reflecting human power instead of God’s kingly rule.
This passage from Genesis also reminds us of an important truth—our role in God’s creation is not a solo act. We cannot do it alone. As magnificent as God’s creation is, it is only in human relationships that we find the deepest understanding of who we are created to be. In this passage it is specifically linked to marriage, but I believe that the truth that we were not meant to be alone applies to all relationships. It would be wrong to imply that only in marriage are we made complete, but it would be correct to state that only in connection with one another are we the fullest expression of ourselves. And only in relationship with one another can we truly live out the call which God has placed on our lives.
As you turn to God in prayer, spend some time thanking him for his creation. Where have you been most awestruck by its beauty and majesty? And how do you see yourself called to help steward what has been entrusted to us? As you pray, think about the people with whom you have found deep connection and partnership. Spend some time expressing your gratitude to God for them, and ask the Holy Spirit to use the relationships in your life to reflect God’s kingdom.
Reading Two: Psalm 8 (NRSV)
Song: How Majestic is Thy Name (lyrics here)
Reflection
Once again, the language of dominion over creation is front and center. But before we get there, we are reminded who is responsible for creation in the first place. The Lord God, majestic and glorious, has set the heavens in place. His glory resonates throughout all the earth! And then in response to this truth, the psalmist is both humbled and amazed:
“…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 honor.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet…” (vv. 4-6)
As he contemplates this charge, the psalmist then brackets his hymn with the same words that began it: “O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (v. 9)
There is an important word for us here: our interactions with creation, including our acts of stewardship, are rooted in worship—not of the created order, but of the one who set it in place. To contemplate the wonders of this world and the universe is to place ourselves before God in awe and wonder, not only at what he as made but also the fact that he invites us to be part of his work. The God who flings galaxies into space calls to you and me, and asks us to be partners in what he is doing. How amazing is that?
Spend some time in worship before God. Think again on places that fill you with awe and a sense of majesty. Let those images in your mind lead you into praise of the God who made them. How might you incorporate connection with God through his created works more intentionally in your spiritual walk? And how might that impact your understanding of yourself as a steward of his creation?
Reading Three: Hebrews 1:1-4, Hebrews 2:5-12 (NRSV)
Song: Fairest Lord Jesus (lyrics here)
If you prefer a more upbeat version, click here (and here for lyrics)
Reflection
The book of Hebrews is a masterful treatise on the person and work of Christ (truth be told, it’s my favorite book in the New Testament after the gospels). And in today’s reading the author is still in the early stages of the argument about to come: that Jesus is our Great High Priest whose perfect sacrifice is both supreme and sufficient. However, that can only be true if Jesus was fully human. Only by being one of us can his sacrifice atone for us.
That’s where Psalm 8 comes in. It becomes a testimony to Jesus himself being “a little lower than the angels,” a reminder that while on earth Jesus didn’t just appear human, he was human. He lived as one of us, and he suffered as one of us. And because of that suffering, God’s “many children,” the ones Jesus calls “brothers and sisters,” will one day be crowned with glory.
As we think about our role in the world, the kingdom work to which we’ve been called, including the stewardship of creation, we must remember that our ability to live that out well is entirely dependent on Jesus and what he has done for us. Human history has given testimony over and over again to the ways we abuse God’s gifts when left on our own. As one pastor, Louis Evans, Jr., put it:
“Designed for the blessing of all creatures, fallen humanity’s authority has become devastating to both the earth and the human race.”—Louis Evans, Jr.
Apart from Christ, the authority entrusted to us at creation becomes warped and self-centered. Because of Christ, we are empowered to redeem that authority and use it for the good of our planet and its people.
Jesus became one of us so that we can learn what it means to be fully human ourselves. As we surrender to his work in our lives, and to the power of the Holy Spirit, we can finally live out the calling we received at the very beginning.
Spend some time contemplating the person and work of Jesus, and what it makes possible for us, and for you. Let that contemplation lead to gratitude. Let that gratitude lead to praise. Let that praise lead to intercession. Let that intercession lead to surrender. How is Jesus calling you to a deeper appreciation for what he’s done, and to a deeper understanding of what he is calling you to do?
Reading Four: Mark 10:2-16 (NRSV)
Song: Jesus Loves Me (lyrics here)
Reflection
In some ways, this pairing in the lectionary confuses me a little bit. The three readings linked to the gospel reading for today speak much more to creation and our calling then they do to marriage, and yet here is Jesus’ famous teaching on marriage and divorce. It can seem a little jarring.
But then the gospel reading takes us someplace else—to the image of Jesus with little children. Quite a contrast to his interactions with the Pharisees (although, let’s be honest, they can be a little childish sometimes)! It’s one of my favorite stories in the gospels, and it centers around a time when we see Jesus described as “indignant.” The people bring their children to Jesus for a blessing, and the disciples try to send them away. But Jesus won’t have it. I love how Eugene Peterson renders it in The Message: “But Jesus was irate and let them know it.” (v. 14a) And then Jesus makes the statement that, for me, hearkens back to the other texts we’ve looked at this week in a powerful way:
“Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it” (vv. 14-15)
Our remit as God’s agents in this world is all about kingdom work. Whether we are stewarding creation, forming relationships, or telling others about Christ’s love for them…it’s all about the kingdom. And to be workers in the kingdom, we need to have the heart of a child—the trusting, joyful, playful, open, expectant heart of a child.
It can be so disheartening to see everything that is happening in and to our world today. And if you’re like me, it can be tempting to assume that all this kingdom work is leading nowhere. It’s so easy to step back and give up and see the work as too hard, too daunting.
When those temptations to despair come, how good it is to be reminded of the kind of trust a child can have in their parents. The kingdom is about that kind of trust. It’s a trust that believes our Heavenly Father knows what is happening, and is able to provide what we need (even if what we need is simply a lap to crawl into and cry).
May this be our prayer: “Let the children come. And let me be one of them.”
Spend some time in the presence of the one who knows you best and loves you most, trusting in his perfect care and his ability to meet you wherever you might be. Offer to him your hopes, your fears, your despair, and your every need. Come as a child, and let him wrap his loving arms around you.