Words Create Worlds - Audio

Words Create Worlds Genesis 1:1-5 I kind of fancy myself a bit of a wordsmith, so the title of the sermon is a catchy play on words; say it slowly, “Words Create Worlds.” That can preach in so many ways, so I’ll try to give you a couple today. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth with words alone, and our speech continues to create the world that we live in. Here’s a thought: Hitler did not come to power with tanks and guns. Think about that… Actually, he came to power with words. Once an idea takes root in your mind, it’s nearly impossible to be undone. There is no unlearning. There is only relearning. When have we heard or said, “You get something in your head and there is no convincing you otherwise.” Reflect on this past week’s news, with words creating a world of chaos and division, violence and assault. We as a country will have reverberations of this week for years to come. It will become part of our historical lexicon. President–Elect Biden said this last week, to paraphrase, “At their best, words can inspire. At their worst, they can incite.” Words create worlds, of good or of ill. Abraham Heschel, one of the leading Jewish theologians and philosophers of the 20th century, was the one who said that “words create worlds.” They are not mere metaphors and images on a page. They are the archive of ideas, the power to transform the world by transforming the people who call this world home. Every human being is created in the image and likeness of God — woman, man, black, white, or any other color. Words create civilizations, culture, communities, churches… words create worlds, and we need to use language that communicates the equality and mutual respect of the human beings created by God, as well as words that express the truth, love and mercy of Jesus. Here’s one for you: girls are as good as boys at math. Now how does that resonate with you? That sounds like an encouraging statement, doesn’t it? The sentence tries to send the message that both genders are equal in their abilities. Girls, it seems to say, are equal to boys in their ability at math. But words are very powerful, and subtle, and so is the order in which words are used. Because girls are mentioned first and boys are mentioned second, the emotional, subliminal implication is that being good at math is more common or natural for boys. What do you think? Does word order makes a difference? 2 Consider another statement: boys are as good as girls at talking about their feelings. You might say, “Yea, right. No way, boys are not good at sharing their feelings.” (It’s been our bane from the beginning.) Rather, most would say that girls are definitely much better at this. Because girls are mentioned second, the implication is that it is more natural for girls to talk about their feelings. Would you ever say, “Girls are as good as boys at talking about their feelings?” Probably not. It sounds backward, doesn’t it? Whenever we make comparisons, we include the primary, more typical or common object as the second item in the comparison. We say “tents are like houses” instead of “houses are like tents.” Comparing zebras and horses, we say “zebras are like horses.” No one would ever say “horses are like zebras.” The more typical or common item always comes second. The point is adults, especially parents and teachers should try to avoid consistently framing one gender as the standard for the other. Words really do shape the world that we live in. The book of Genesis begins with God creating the universe when “the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep.” God made the earth out of a dark, formless, watery and chaotic space, something we might imagine as swirling gas or liquid. Genesis makes clear that God was separate from creation, saying that “a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.” The Hebrew word for “wind” is ru’ah, which can also be translated “spirit” or “breath.” This word reminds us that God’s Spirit can come to earth as a mighty wind, such as on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), or in a gentle breath, as when Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). Wind, spirit, breath, all three are important words at the heart of God’s creative work. On the first day, God created the powerful light that is absolutely essential for life, and God did it using nothing but four words, “Let there be light.” God used a set of words to bring order out of chaos and light out of darkness. This creative speech of God has continued throughout history, through the words of the prophets and the teachings of Jesus Christ. Words create worlds. In the novel City of Peace, a Methodist pastor named Harley Camden speaks about the power of words. Harley explains, “I’m convinced that words create reality. It’s a very biblical idea. Think of God creating the world in Genesis, saying ‘Let there be light,’ and there is light. Jesus is described in the New Testament as ‘the 3 Word, and the Word was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made’ (John 1:1-2). When Martin Luther King, Jr., said, ‘I have a dream,’ people began to see a vision of a new world of equality.” Words create reality. Whether we say “I love you” or “I hate you.” it makes a huge difference. Words in the home are critical to making our worlds lovely or miserable, are they not? There’s an old story about a man named Harry who was hosting a dinner party. One of his guests was a surgeon. As he was carving the roast, Harry kept up a running commentary directed at his friend. “How am I doing, Doc?” he would say making a slice. “How do you like my technique? I’d make a pretty good surgeon, don’t you think?" After he was done, Harry proudly set the platter with the slices of meat in front of his guest. With a twinkle in his eye, the surgeon looked up at his prideful friend and said quietly, “Anybody can take them apart, Harry. Now let’s see you put them back together again.” The same is true of the words we utter. It’s a lot easier to use them to tear people apart and cut them up than it is to put them back together, especially if you are the one who cut them up in the first place. Words have always been critical to the creative work of God. In Genesis, this work continued when “God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.” Then God went on to use words to create Earth and seas, vegetation, birds, cattle, and finally humankind. At the end of this creative work, “God saw everything that He had made, and indeed, it was very good.” In Genesis, God used divine words to create a good world for us to enjoy. But human words do not always have such a positive effect. If a friend gossips about us, we feel hurt. If strangers yell at us, we feel stung. If people speak to us with disrespect, tensions arise. Words create worlds. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth with words alone, and our speech continues to create the world that we live in. As Christians, we are challenged to take words seriously as we follow Jesus, the One who is the Word of God in human form. Through history, think of how words have been used in the church to control, diminish or oppress people. “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling,” said the apostle Paul (Ephesians 6:5). These words were used to support the institution of slavery. “Women should be silent in the churches,” said Paul (1 Corinthians 14:34). These words were used to prevent women from preaching and teaching. “Accept 4 the authority of every human institution,” said the apostle Peter (1 Peter 2:13). These words gave oppressive governments permission to abuse innocent people. But these words were written in another time and place and context and understanding. They still have a negative impact on life in the 21st century for they do not draw us closer to the God who created the heavens and the earth with a powerful word, and they do not help us to follow Jesus Christ, the human face of God. Clearly, we need a better understanding of those words for today. Our speech should reflect God’s desire for equality and caring between people of every race. “God created humankind in His image,” says the book of Genesis, “in the image of God He created them, male and female” (1:27). Every human being is created in the image and likeness of God, whether black, white, brown or any other color of the rainbow. Until we treat everyone as an equally valuable creation of God, at any human encounter, we are not being faithful to the word of God. Genesis also tells us that “male and female [God] created them” (1:27). Men and women are made equally in the image and likeness of God, a design for humanity that has been ignored through most of human history. In fact, it was just a little over a century ago, on August 18, 1920, that the 19 th Amendment was ratified, giving women in the United States the right to vote. It took far too long for us to grasp the truth of the words “in the image of God He created them; male and female.” Here’s a thought - remember I said earlier that “the primary, more typical or common object is the second item in the comparison.” Well, maybe since male comes first and female comes second, the word order indicates that females are the standard and men are to follow suit! Imagine that. We need words that reflect the truth of Jesus, the Word of God, who became flesh and dwelled among us. “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you,” said Jesus; “for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12). “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another” (John 13:34). Since words create worlds, we need to be using language that communicates an acceptance and a peace and the equality and a mutual respect of the human beings created by God, as well as words that express the truth, love and mercy of Jesus. On the first day, God brought order out of chaos and light out of darkness. We can do the same, or not, with the words we speak every day.