After God crea\u00adted the world, He jud\u00adged it to be very good. This is abo\u00adve all becau\u00adse the rela\u00adti\u00adonships within the indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adal spe\u00adci\u00ades and bey\u00adond are per\u00adfect\u00adly har\u00admo\u00adnis\u00aded. When man dis\u00adre\u00adgard\u00aded the only rest\u00adric\u00adtion in his vast living space, the world was thrown devas\u00adta\u00adtingly out of balan\u00adce. In Jesus Christ, the new crea\u00adti\u00adon beg\u00adins with the goal of hea\u00adven coming to earth. For Chris\u00adti\u00adans, this means hope and respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty in equal measure.<\/p>\n
Tho\u00adse who gain distance see bet\u00adter. That\u2019s what hap\u00adpen\u00aded to the Ger\u00adman astro\u00adnaut Alex\u00adan\u00adder Gerst. In the Inter\u00adna\u00adtio\u00adnal Space Sta\u00adti\u00adon, at an alti\u00adtu\u00adde of 400 km, he gai\u00adned a com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly new view of our Earth. Over\u00adwhel\u00admed by its beau\u00adty and its obvious fra\u00adgi\u00adli\u00adty, Gerst beca\u00adme an acti\u00advist for a sus\u00adtainable approach to creation. \tWhat does the Creator\u2019s joyful\u00adly pro\u00adclai\u00admed \u00abvery good\u00bb on the sixth day refer to accor\u00adding to Hebrew thought (Gene\u00adsis 1:31)? After God crea\u00adted the world, He jud\u00adged it to be very good. This is abo\u00adve all becau\u00adse the rela\u00adti\u00adonships within the indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adal spe\u00adci\u00ades and bey\u00adond are per\u00adfect\u00adly har\u00admo\u00adnis\u00aded. When man dis\u00adre\u00adgard\u00aded the only rest\u00adric\u00adtion in his vast living space, the world was thrown devas\u00adta\u00adtingly out of balan\u00adce. In Jesus Christ, the\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7069,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[81],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-creatio","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-3807","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"has-post-thumbnail","8":"hentry","11":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nDo we need this chan\u00adge of per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve to get a sen\u00adse of how God sees the world? Let\u2019s take a risk this year and try to focus the lens to gain a litt\u00adle more of the crea\u00adti\u00adve-divi\u00adne per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve. The goal is not for us to beco\u00adme ideo\u00adlo\u00adgi\u00adcal envi\u00adron\u00admen\u00adtal acti\u00advists, but to beco\u00adme peo\u00adp\u00adle who take up their very first mis\u00adsi\u00adon to this world.
\nThe good creation
\n\u00abIn the begin\u00adning God crea\u00adted the hea\u00advens and the earth\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 1:1 NLB<\/span>). The first thing descri\u00adbed in the Bible is God\u2019s crea\u00adti\u00adve act of crea\u00adti\u00adon. Fasci\u00adna\u00adting and rich in detail, God fills one day after ano\u00adther with beco\u00adming mira\u00adcles. Ima\u00adgi\u00adna\u00adtively and fan\u00adta\u00adsti\u00adcal\u00adly, crea\u00adti\u00adon unfolds through his word. Why does he actual\u00adly crea\u00adte the seven\u00adte\u00adenth moth? Only one wing spot is dif\u00adfe\u00adrent from the six\u00adte\u00adenth! God felt like it. Such crea\u00adti\u00adve varia\u00adti\u00adons illus\u00adtra\u00adte divi\u00adne abun\u00addance and his joy in play.
\nAnd it was good! This line resounds like a refrain through the Song of Crea\u00adti\u00adon. This excla\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon lets us share in God\u2019s fee\u00adlings during crea\u00adti\u00adon. The joyful satis\u00adfac\u00adtion when some\u00adthing turns out real\u00adly well. After his final work, the Crea\u00adtor steps back, like a chef exci\u00adted\u00adly con\u00adtem\u00adpla\u00adting her gour\u00admet menu \u2013 and it escapes him: And behold, it is VERY<\/span> good!
\nDuring the first five days, God pro\u00adno\u00adun\u00adced \u00abgood\u00bb six times. At the end of the sixth day, the word is used for the seventh time with an empa\u00adthic \u00abVery\u00bb to descri\u00adbe God\u2019s crea\u00adti\u00adon. In Hebrew cul\u00adtu\u00adre, the num\u00adber seven sym\u00adbo\u00adli\u00adses per\u00adfec\u00adtion and com\u00adple\u00adten\u00adess. With this \u00abvery good\u00bb the wri\u00adter com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtes the per\u00adfec\u00adtion as well as the per\u00adfect inter\u00adcon\u00adnec\u00adted\u00adness of crea\u00adti\u00adon. It is \u00abvery good\u00bb becau\u00adse each indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adal crea\u00adtu\u00adre is uni\u00adque in func\u00adtion and aes\u00adthe\u00adtics, and becau\u00adse the rela\u00adti\u00adonships within each genus and bey\u00adond are per\u00adfect\u00adly ali\u00adgned. The rela\u00adti\u00adonships bet\u00adween crea\u00adted works over\u00adflow with well-being and wealth.
\nThis is an essen\u00adti\u00adal point in Hebrew thin\u00adking: not only the indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adal object is very good, but the fine inter\u00adcon\u00adnec\u00adted\u00adness, the loving inter\u00adplay bet\u00adween God and man, bet\u00adween the sexes, bet\u00adween the nati\u00adons and bet\u00adween man and creation.
\nA bad decision
\nBut what is the first com\u00admand? \u00abBe fruitful and mul\u00adti\u00adply, popu\u00adla\u00adte the earth and pos\u00adsess it. Rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air and all the ani\u00admals of the earth\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 1:28 NLB<\/span>). Take pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adon and rule \u2013 if one takes this as a man\u00adda\u00adte for domi\u00adnant rule, in prac\u00adti\u00adce a short path leads to the explo\u00adita\u00adti\u00adon of the crea\u00adted world. And this with divi\u00adne legi\u00adti\u00adma\u00adcy! Many see here the root of the eco\u00adlo\u00adgi\u00adcal cri\u00adsis in the histo\u00adry of ide\u00adas. The world today is omi\u00adnous\u00adly des\u00adtroy\u00aded and feve\u00adrish\u00adly over\u00adhea\u00adted becau\u00adse man exploits it. And this wit\u00adhout a guil\u00adty con\u00adsci\u00adence. After all, the Crea\u00adtor wan\u00adted it that way.
\nThe second crea\u00adti\u00adon account says: \u00abThe Lord God brought man into the Gar\u00adden of Eden. He was to cul\u00adti\u00adva\u00adte it and keep it\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 2:15 NLB<\/span>). It is about devo\u00adted care and pre\u00adser\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon of God\u2019s good crea\u00adti\u00adon. Good ste\u00adward\u00adship ser\u00adves and pro\u00adtects the rest of crea\u00adti\u00adon. Man was crea\u00adted in the image of God, and as such, His style of lea\u00adder\u00adship, that of a good she\u00adp\u00adherd, must also be imitated.
\nRecent\u00adly, the Tages\u00adschau show\u00aded a stir\u00adring report about moun\u00adta\u00adins of clo\u00adthes in Accra, the capi\u00adtal of Gha\u00adna. We Euro\u00adpeans buy mas\u00adses of new cheap clo\u00adthes, often made by child labour. When we clean them out, we give them to the old clo\u00adthes coll\u00adec\u00adtion. Then the\u00adre are peo\u00adp\u00adle who earn money by ship\u00adping the\u00adse clo\u00adthes to Afri\u00adca by the ton\u00adne. A lot of it ends up in the rub\u00adbish heap, which cau\u00adses a big eco\u00adlo\u00adgi\u00adcal cri\u00adsis. The cows of Accra gra\u00adze on the\u00adse moun\u00adta\u00adins of rubbish.
\nWhe\u00adre has the \u00abvery good\u00bb gone? Explo\u00adita\u00adti\u00adon of peo\u00adp\u00adle and land, miso\u00adgy\u00adny, impo\u00adve\u00adrish\u00adment, envi\u00adron\u00admen\u00adtal des\u00adtruc\u00adtion, humi\u00adlia\u00adti\u00adon, spe\u00adci\u00ades extinc\u00adtion, etc. are pre\u00adsent on all news channels.
\nWhy is that? God pla\u00adced man in the huge Gar\u00adden of Eden. Eden is per\u00adhaps as big as Switz\u00ader\u00adland. A gar\u00adden full of pos\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties for deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment. God gave man a sin\u00adgle com\u00admandment: \u00abBut he com\u00adman\u00added man: \u00abYou may eat any fruit in the gar\u00adden, except the fruit from the tree of the know\u00adledge of good and evil. If you eat the fruit from that tree, you must defi\u00adni\u00adte\u00adly die\u00bb \u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 2:16f NLB<\/span>). At the tree of the know\u00adledge of good and evil, man was con\u00adfron\u00adted with the ques\u00adti\u00adon: Do you love God? Trust and choice are among the most fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal requi\u00adre\u00adments of an adult love rela\u00adti\u00adonship. To make a long sto\u00adry short: Man mis\u00adtrus\u00adted God and made a fateful choice with far-rea\u00adching and devas\u00adta\u00adting con\u00adse\u00adquen\u00adces. The bro\u00adken fel\u00adlow\u00adship bet\u00adween human beings and God is the decisi\u00adve reason for all other rup\u00adtures in crea\u00adti\u00adon. In other words, it is impos\u00adsi\u00adble for huma\u00adni\u00adty to vio\u00adla\u00adte its rela\u00adti\u00adonship with ano\u00adther crea\u00adted being wit\u00adhout vio\u00adla\u00adting its rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God. When one rela\u00adti\u00adonship is bro\u00adken, the others are also destroyed.
\nWe also see this con\u00adnec\u00adtion in the pro\u00adphe\u00adts: \u00abHear the word of the Lord, O Israe\u00adli\u00adtes! The Lord is waging a legal batt\u00adle with the inha\u00adbi\u00adtants of the land. He reproa\u00adches you: In your land the\u00adre is no faithful\u00adness, no com\u00adpas\u00adsi\u00adon and no know\u00adledge of God. You cur\u00adse and lie, mur\u00adder, ste\u00adal and break mar\u00adria\u00adge. One bloo\u00addy deed fol\u00adlows ano\u00adther. That is the reason why not\u00adhing grows in your coun\u00adtry. The who\u00adle land mourns and ever\u00ady\u00adthing that lives in it beco\u00admes sick. Even the ani\u00admals, birds and fish peri\u00adsh\u00bb (Hosea 4:1\u20133 NLB<\/span>).
\nThe land beco\u00admes a baro\u00adme\u00adter of the spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon of its inha\u00adbi\u00adtants. It beco\u00admes clear: God crea\u00adted man as part of a fine\u00adly woven web. He lives and wea\u00adves his being in depen\u00addence on God, fel\u00adlow human beings and the envi\u00adron\u00adment. Whe\u00adre man cuts this web, ever\u00ady\u00adthing degenerates.
\nThe inge\u00adnious new creation
\n\u00abFor behold, I will crea\u00adte a new thing; now it grows up, do you not reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00adse it?\u00bb (Isai\u00adah 43:19 LUT<\/span>). The who\u00adle Bible from the inci\u00addent in Eden to Reve\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon speaks of God\u2019s plan to rede\u00adem the world and res\u00adto\u00adre the ori\u00adgi\u00adnal peace. The linch\u00adpin of this is Jesus Christ. In him God shows how he intends to rede\u00adem his lovin\u00adg\u00adly con\u00adcei\u00adved crea\u00adti\u00adon and the who\u00adle cos\u00admos (cf. John 3:16).
\nJesus, too, was a vic\u00adtim of human vio\u00adlence and self-ser\u00adving power poli\u00adtics. When he dies on the cross at the age of 33, some\u00adthing spec\u00adta\u00adcu\u00adlar hap\u00adpens: the inte\u00adri\u00ador of the earth is shaken by a tre\u00admen\u00addous tre\u00admor. The crea\u00adted world sen\u00adses in its core that its new crea\u00adti\u00adon beg\u00adins on Gol\u00adgo\u00adtha. His resur\u00adrec\u00adtion body is a first tas\u00adte of the new crea\u00adti\u00adon. The new crea\u00adti\u00adon is not only spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal and other-world\u00adly, but mate\u00adri\u00adal and this-worldly.
\nThis is also how Paul descri\u00adbes it: \u00abChrist is the image of the invi\u00adsi\u00adble God, the first\u00adborn befo\u00adre all crea\u00adti\u00adon. For in him were all things crea\u00adted, that are in hea\u00adven and that are on earth, [\u2026] And he is befo\u00adre all things, and all things con\u00adsist in him. [\u2026] He is the begin\u00adning, the first\u00adborn from the dead, that he might be first in all things. For it plea\u00adsed God [\u2026] through him to recon\u00adci\u00adle all things unto hims\u00adelf, [\u2026] making peace by his blood on the cross\u00bb (Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 1:15\u201319 LUT<\/span>).
\nThrough Jesus, ever\u00ady\u00adthing is to be recon\u00adci\u00adled to God. It is not uncom\u00admon for evan\u00adge\u00adli\u00adcals in par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar to sneer at a com\u00admit\u00adment to all of crea\u00adti\u00adon. Under no cir\u00adcum\u00ads\u00adtances do you want to be put in the cor\u00adner of an acti\u00advist like Gre\u00adta Thun\u00adberg. Her gos\u00adpel can be pre\u00adsen\u00adted with a few brush strokes: God loves us, but we are sin\u00adful. As a result, we are sepa\u00adra\u00adted from God. Jesus died to pay the penal\u00adty for our sins. All we have to do is belie\u00adve that Jesus\u00bb death is enough and we will go to heaven.
\nSuch a gos\u00adpel falls far short and reflects only a frac\u00adtion of the good news. This thin\u00adking beco\u00admes the bree\u00adding ground for an unhe\u00adalt\u00adhy spi\u00adri\u00adtua\u00adli\u00adty of pas\u00adsa\u00adge. One no lon\u00adger expects a new crea\u00adti\u00adon, but focu\u00adses on the Rap\u00adtu\u00adre as a redemp\u00adti\u00adve libe\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon from ever\u00ady\u00adthing phy\u00adsi\u00adcal-earth\u00adly. Tho\u00adse who belie\u00adve this way do not care about crea\u00adti\u00adon. \u00abLea\u00adve it. The soo\u00adner the earth pas\u00adses away, the bet\u00adter!\u00bb If God wants to des\u00adtroy the uni\u00adver\u00adse any\u00adway, what should we care about the CO2<\/span> footprint.
\nJesus brought a much \u00abthi\u00adc\u00adker\u00bb gos\u00adpel. His death and resur\u00adrec\u00adtion bring about much grea\u00adter things. The who\u00adle crea\u00adti\u00adon gro\u00adans and longs for redemp\u00adti\u00adon (Romans 8:22). The resur\u00adrec\u00adtion power is not only able to recon\u00adci\u00adle peo\u00adp\u00adle with God, but also to res\u00adto\u00adre the rela\u00adtio\u00adnal webs of all crea\u00adti\u00adon \u2013 towards the pre\u00addi\u00adca\u00adte of very good.
\nChris\u00adti\u00adan hope for the future is not a spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal eli\u00admi\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon. On the con\u00adtra\u00adry, Chris\u00adti\u00adans hope and pray that God\u2019s king\u00addom will come on earth as it is in hea\u00adven. We expect God to unfold his king\u00addom here on earth. Just as Jesus in his new body was equal\u00adly hea\u00adven\u00adly rene\u00adwed and visi\u00adbly mark\u00aded by scars, so too is the new crea\u00adti\u00adon of the world to be thought of: rene\u00adwed with the inclu\u00adsi\u00adon of all that has come befo\u00adre. Our earth with all its mate\u00adri\u00adal sub\u00ads\u00adtance is the raw mate\u00adri\u00adal for God\u2019s eter\u00adnal king\u00addom. The crea\u00adti\u00adon freed from its peri\u00ads\u00adha\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty (Romans 8) finds the eter\u00adnal place of its recon\u00adci\u00adled being not in hea\u00adven but on earth! God gives us an impres\u00adsi\u00adve glim\u00adpse of his new crea\u00adti\u00adon in Reve\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon 21: The New Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem floats down to earth! The new crea\u00adti\u00adon takes place as a cos\u00admic wed\u00adding in which hea\u00adven finds its place on earth.
\n
\nCrea\u00adtio \u2013 Hope and Respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty is our the\u00adme for the year. Peo\u00adp\u00adle who are united with Christ and live their lives accor\u00adding to his stan\u00addards hope with con\u00adfi\u00addence for their own new crea\u00adti\u00adon and that of the who\u00adle earth. They also take on the respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty of giving the King\u00addom of Hea\u00adven a face in this world. Huma\u00adni\u00adty has been given the task of ser\u00adving and pro\u00adtec\u00adting crea\u00adti\u00adon. If Chris\u00adti\u00adans are to ful\u00adfil their role as the new huma\u00adni\u00adty in Christ, then caring for other peo\u00adp\u00adle and the envi\u00adron\u00adment must be high on their list of priorities.
\n
\n
\nQues\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead Bible text: Colos\u00adsi\u00adans 1:15\u201319; Hosea 4:1\u20133<\/p>\n
\n\tGod con\u00adfron\u00adted man with the ques\u00adti\u00adon of whe\u00adther he loved him by for\u00adbid\u00adding him to eat of the one fruit. Try to descri\u00adbe this connection!
\n\tWhat does the resur\u00adrec\u00adtion body of Jesus say about the new creation?
\n\tHow would you descri\u00adbe the gos\u00adpel (good news) of the Bible in a few sentences?
\n\tCrea\u00adtio \u2013 Hope and Respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty: What is the hope of Chris\u00adti\u00adans? What is their responsibility?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"