1st Equality

I was reflecting on this idea of creation that I talked about in my last post and had some more thoughts. We are all created. Created equal, even those things that are not human share in the equality of creation. Just as I am created, so is the flower created, and even the soil that the flower is rooted in. Yet, I as a human am given dominion. It is not that I am better then the flower, nor that the flower is better then I, but that I am the 1st of many equals. The reason being, I think is that although the flower has life like I, it is different (lol, obviously its a flower, but...read on). We, the flower and I, are different because I can take in the flower, but the flower cannot take in me. I can lay upon the soil, covered with grass, and take it in the moment. To look out and see the color of the world, feel the warmth of the sun, float upon the stillness of water, and take in. I think this is what life is. The God I worship does not disconnect me with life, and no he is not an existentialist, nor am I. God does not give me some spiritual high where I become de-joined to what is created along side me, but closer too it. Colors become brighter, textures, life, I begin to see the soul in everything, God in everything, his created hand, touch, life and light. This is nephesh, this is the throat I have. I take in, I eat, drink, breathe, hear, see and live in God. The flower cannot do so, it does not have the nephesh I am given, it doesn't have the rational soul I have. I take in this God, this life, and it begins to fill my veins, reflect and shine out in my skin, and the glory of God shines forth from me, his Kavod comes in and out of me. I become as it says in the scriptures part of "the kingdom of priests" (Exodus 19:6). It is not that I become literally a priest, but I become a representative of God to all the world. I become further called out, given more kadosh, as it says earlier in verse 5 "Now therefore, If you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine." This means I am given more kadosh, I become God's own possession. I am not greater then the flower because of this. Why? Because at the end of the day we are both created from nothing, and should not even exist, but for the grace of God we exist. A grace that existed long before the fall of man. Grace is not a reaction, it is not merely mercy to the sins I have committed, but has existed all along. Grace is action. Grace that is active, constantly active in the creative genius of God. The grace that happens when something is made from nothing. The flower has grace given to it like I because it too should not exist and does, the flower and I are created from nothing. We are called from the abyss. The flower and I have life and are moved into primordial light (goodness). I am first because of nephesh, but equal because of grace.

Genesis

The mythologies of all the world's people are designed to answer such questions as "Who are we as a people?" "How did we originate?” and “Where are we going?”

Read Genisis chapter 1:1

It’s an interesting story, the very beginning our faith, the first key into understanding the rest of the biblical text. A mythological story designed to remind us just exactly what we are.

Read Genesis 1: 1-5

Before all the earth we find that one thing exists, God. He is uncreated, un-begotten. His spirit is hovering over nothingness, chaos, the void, the deep or sometimes translated the Abyss. And As the spirit hovered above the waters, God called out, and his very Word (His logos, The Christ) begins to create. God said “Let there be light”; and there was light. Vs 3. We see Father, Son, and Holy spirit (Elohim) in harmony, each taking active roles in the creative genius of The God head. And what do they create? Light! And the light is good. And he calls it Day, and he separates it from the darkness, which he calls night. And God saw that it was good. (light) And there was evening (night) and morning (day) the first day.

Read Genesis 1: 6-8

So on the second day God begins to create and the things he creates are the waters of the earth, and the deep blue waters of the sky. And he calls this sky heaven. And God saw that it was good. (light) And there was evening (night) and morning (day) the first day.

Read Genesis 1:9-13

God separates the seas, and brings fourth dry land and this dry land brings forth plants and vegetation. Vs 11. “And God said, ‘Let the Earth put forth vegetation…’” And God saw that it was good. (light) And there was evening (night) and morning (day) the third day.

Read Genesis 1:14-19

And here God creates the sun to have dominion over the day, and moon to have dominion over the night, to separate the light from the darkness. And he puts them there to give light to the earth. And he creates stars to be signs for seasons and days and years. And God saw that it was good. (light) And there was evening (night) and morning (day) the fourth day.

Read Genesis 1: 20 -23

And God has the waters’ (Sky and Sea) bring forth birds and fish, and every living creature that swarms them and he tells them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters. And God saw that it was good. (Light) And there was evening (night) and morning (day) the fourth day.

Read Genesis 1:24- 25

And God has the earth bring forth all creatures that walk it and he tells them to be fruitful multiply and fill the earth. And God saw that it was good. (Light)

Read Genesis 1: 26-31

And finally after the rest of creation God creates Man. And he creates man and women in his own image. And he gives the dominion over every living thing, every creature of the sea, ever plant, every creeping thing. We are to subdue it and have dominion over it. And he gives us everything that carries the breath of life to eat. And God Saw everything and behold it was very good. (light) And there was evening (night) and morning (day) the 6^th day.

Now we’ve reached a point in this story where some explanation is due. Now the very first thing that God creates is Light and he “separates” it from the dark. The Hebrew word for separation is Kadosh. Kadosh means differentiation, to separate. All which is holy is separated from that which is not. Light is separated out from the darkness, it is called good. And from here forth everything that is created is called from the chaos, the abyss, the deep, the darkness and moved into the light. It is called out, set apart, given Kadosh. It is moved from Evening (darkness) to morning (light).

So here I am, a man, called out of nothingness, separated, set apart and placed into the light. I am moving from darkness to light. Evening to Morning.

The order of creation is interesting. The creation of those things that are not living goes as follows. They Sky and Seas, land and finally the Sun and Moon to which is given dominion and rule over material things. Then we have the order of those things living. Plants created first, then Birds and Fish, creatures of the earth and Finally Man. Man, who is given dominion over all. We are created in the image of God, both male and female, and we rest here as a half-bread between part earth and yet part sky, part angel and part animal, stuck right in the middle.

The story tells me at my very core rests Kadosh and Nephesh. Nephesh is the word for body, soul, creation, mind, spirit. I am separated from darkness because I am created by Kadosh. I am given life, because I have Nephesh. Nephesh is often translated soul, and more literally translated throat, but to the Hebrew the soul is everything, there is no distinction or division between my physical self (body) and my spiritual self (soul). Genesis teaches me that I am literally a throat for God. I receptical made solely to eat, drink and breathe in God. The story teaches that everything we do is spiritual, whether I eat four pancakes in the morning or three is spiritual. If I decide to study one more hour or hangout with my friends is a spiritual decision, because in my center I have kadosh, and nephesh. Immediately there is relationship between God and I, because I am made in his image I am granted Kavod (the Hebrew word for holy, weight or significance) and nephesh (life) from his breathe. Like a parent and a child, God uses kadosh to call me from, and teach me dark too light and through nephesh breathes into me his Kavod (light). And on The 7^th day we rest in the Kavod of God.