Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.
Many people are familiar with the story of creation in Genesis Chapter 1. Despite what you may have heard before, the first chapter of the Bible’s first book was a poem expressing the Jewish people’s take on how things came to be. It was never meant to be a scientific document. It was meant to draw a contrast between how other cultures and religions thought about the cosmos and how the Jewish people understood it from their experience. The dominant idea about the cosmos that prevailed in antiquity was that the gods above ruled over everything below on earth. They didn’t care much about the creation itself or its inhabitants. People were noisy nuisances that were barely tolerated, and sometimes wiped out for their bad behavior. The Jewish rendition viewed God above as deeply, lovingly creative. What God created was deemed good – everything. When God made human beings, who shared some similar creative traits as Godself, God declared them very good. Since Christianity developed from Judaism, this is also the beginning story for Jesus followers.
Of course, everybody knows the story of Adam and Eve as well, a Jewish myth about the first human beings. Most Christians view this as the entrance of sin into the world, therefore highlighting our need for some form of redemption lest we die forever. That idea, however, was not original to the story, but rather developed from a metaphor Paul used to convince Jewish Christians that non-Jewish Christians were equally loved by God. The real gist of the story of Adam and Eve is that human beings are prone to give into their temptations, which always often come with painful consequences. Yet God, despite our decisions not to follow God’s lead, comes to find us in our pain in order to help us heal and move forward. That’s the original story’s primary meaning. So, what do we learn from this? God creates good and very good things and is interested in being a part of seeing that very good story unfold in very good ways.
I think this is important to remember at times like these when it really feels like the wheels are coming off of the global bus given COVI-19’s ongoing threat and all the ways it is showing us where we are vulnerable. God is still good and so is the creation itself. Rooting ourselves in this truth keeps us grounded and fed by the very Spirit which breathed life into creation itself and helps us get through times that don’t feel so good.
I am named after my grandfather, Pieter Smit, who immigrated from Holland in the early 1900’s. He was a cabinet maker by trade but felt a call from God to be a pastor in his early adulthood. He devoted his life to serving churches primarily in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, and California. He was really good at it. But in his early years it almost came to a screeching halt. He had what we would call today a mental health crisis. His doctor may or may not have called it a nervous breakdown. He had been burning the candle at both ends and worked himself into physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. He was ordered to dial his work way back in order to heal, which he did. From that point forward, things changed for him. He was no less devoted, but he was certainly more rooted in the creation story. In particular, he paid attention to a key part of the story I left out. After six days of creating everything (remember, this is a poetic expression not literal 24-hour days), the Jewish story says that God rested. The seventh day was a Sabbath, a day off in order to become rejuvenated, to recreate. For many faithful people, part of the Sabbath is attending a service. Kinda sucks for pastors, because the day of rest for everyone else is the most energy-consuming day for them. My grandpa didn’t notice what was happening in him until it was nearly too late. Even when doing very good, God-honoring things, we can get out of balance, out of sync, and find ourselves exasperated.
Many of us today are experiencing this right now. We are doing the best we can to survive all that COVID-19 has brought to our doorstep. The race through this season has shifted from a sprint to a marathon where we are not sure exactly how long we will be restricted. Most likely, normal won’t return until a vaccine is discovered. We’re talking many months. Mental health professionals are seeing the signs of stress this has caused. Anxiety and depression are more pronounced. Couples therapy is on the rise as this season wears on. We are in a collective mental health crisis as we keep marching forward, and it is wearing us down.
The Jewish people went through a range of troubling seasons. One of the most storied is their journey out of Egyptian slavery and their long trek to the Promised Land. Their season lasted 40 years. The stress showed up in various ways again and again. Moses, the one God called to lead them through it all, was not immune to the struggle. At some point, Moses sent his wife and kids back to his father-in-law Jethro’s land so he could focus everything on his work. Eventually Jethro, in good I-really-was-enjoying-the-empty-nest-phase-until-you-screwed-it-up, brought his daughter and grandkids back to Moses. He heard about all the things God had done, and they partied together in celebration of God’s faithfulness. And then Jethro caught a glimpse of Moses’ life up close and personal:
The next day, Moses took his seat to hear the people’s disputes against each other. They waited before him from morning till evening.
When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?”
Moses replied, “Because the people come to me to get a ruling from God. When a dispute arises, they come to me, and I am the one who settles the case between the quarreling parties. I inform the people of God’s decrees and give them his instructions.”
“This is not good!” Moses’ father-in-law exclaimed. “You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself. Now listen to me, and let me give you a word of advice, and may God be with you. You should continue to be the people’s representative before God, bringing their disputes to him. Teach them God’s decrees, and give them his instructions. Show them how to conduct their lives. But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. They should always be available to solve the people’s common disputes, but have them bring the major cases to you. Let the leaders decide the smaller matters themselves. They will help you carry the load, making the task easier for you. If you follow this advice, and if God commands you to do so, then you will be able to endure the pressures, and all these people will go home in peace.”
Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions. He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people. He put them in charge of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. These men were always available to solve the people’s common disputes. They brought the major cases to Moses, but they took care of the smaller matters themselves. – Exodus 18:13-27 (NLT)
Moses, who was so close to God through this whole event, missed a key part of the creation story: rest is required in order for us to re-create.
Jesus apparently got the point of this from the very beginning of his ministry. Instead of jumping immediately into the work, he took time away to get his head on straight – 40 days of camping in the wilderness. Note: “Forty” anything was a way the Jewish writers would communicate an extended period of time, not necessarily 40 literal days away. Jesus knew he needed this at the beginning, and he continued his practice of re-creating regularly throughout his ministry, taking time away from his routine demands to re-create in solitude, stillness, and silence. He was able to live the life he led, teach the things he taught, and heal the maladies he healed because he stayed in sync with the God of creation, the God who cannot help but create, the God who sees the good and very good all the time, and the God who cannot help but come to the aid of those in need. Staying in sync, making sure it was a part of his rhythm, is the secret sauce Jesus used to be the person he was. This was part of the Way of faithful life he taught people to embrace. The Way itself was the salvation, the hope, the life that people were looking for. When they followed in Jesus’ footsteps, they found themselves rooted in the very heart of God. The Way is filled with choices to follow – to be life-long learners, to kneel in service to others, to gracefully stand for justice, to go deep in relationship with people through the ups and downs of life, and to connect with God. I’m focusing on that connection piece today – breaking away to reset yourself, taking Sabbath. Maybe the missing ingredient for you has more to do with learning, or serving, or standing up for justice, or going deeper in relationship. All combined, we find ourselves swimming in the presence of God, buoyed in waters that save and nourish us.
By the way, this story we find ourselves in is going somewhere. At the beginning of the Bible, we heard about a beautiful creation. That’s how it ends, too – a very good, abundant creation marked by the goodness of God providing nourishment and healing for all who want it. What you need is already here. The grace and salvation you seek has already been provided. The question is, will you reach out and embrace what is freely given?
Praxis Questions…
1. Have you ever found yourself overcome with despair while surrounded by beauty? In retrospect, what kept you from seeing the beauty that was there? What helped you see it again? What impact did seeing the present beauty have on your experience of despair?
2. Have you ever been in a season related to Pete’s grandpa’s, where your pace of life was unsustainable, and it began to catch up to you? In retrospect, were there any warning signs leading up to that moment? If so, what kept you from heeding the warnings? What take-away lessons did you keep after the crash?
3. Why did it take Jethro to clue Moses in? It seems like he should have been able to see it by himself, or that other key leaders may have noticed, too. What do you imagine was required for Moses to actually take Jethro’s advice? How well do you think Moses did keeping his balance?
4. If Jesus was so incarnated, why did he need to break away to reset himself?
5. In the Gospel of John, we can identify five practices that contribute to the life Jesus modeled: lifelong learning, serving others, gracefully standing up for justice, connecting with God intentionally, and going deep in relationship with others. Which of the five come really easily for you? Why? Which are harder? Why?