Morning Has Broken

“God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good.” and

Gen 2:9 “9 Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

On the Third Day...

Our scriptures today range from Genesis to Revelation; the beginning and the end of our cannon of written scripture but certainly not the beginning or end of our Creator.

As we consider Gen 1:10-12 and Gen 2:9, we enter the Creation Story already in progress.

…God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together, God called Seas. And God saw that it was good. The Scripture says, “Then God said... more and continued to create.

As we read scripture, we enter a time of sacred remembrance and revelation. We discover and review what has come before and reflect on what God has done through the long arc of biblical history.

In the early pages of Genesis, in the two creation accounts in chapters 1 and 2, we get a sense of movement from chaos to order; from darkness to light; from what was to what is in the moment and also a sense of momentum as God continues to speak creation into being.

In the Creation story, for each day we read, “God spoke. It was so. God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, moving from darkness to light. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day, the second day and so on.

The ‘and’ keeps moving us forward.

On that third day, having commanded the waters to gather and the dry Earth to appear, God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. And God saw that it was good.

I think this answers the question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” That question is the same as, “Which came first the seeds or the trees. Scripture tells us the trees.

Gen 2:9 expands on God’s work.

“…the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; God also grew the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of the garden.

Illustration:

Did you know there are more than 60,065 species of trees in the world?

Brazil has the greatest number of tree species—over 8,700 varieties.

—Mark Kinver, “World is home to 60,000 tree species,” BBC News, April 2017, bbc.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.

Can you imagine the diversity of plant life in the Garden of Eden?!

I’ve walked through some gardens structured by Frederick Law Olmstead— Central Park in NYC; the Biltmore Estate in NC; and even the campus of Emory University was an Olmstead design. These would pale in comparison to the Garden of Eden with “every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.”

God created and saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning...

As we look around, God’s creation endures. Some trees live epic lives, hold stories, have seen varied histories, and even make their impressions on us if we will engage them.

When I was a teenager, I spent 3 summers at Phillips Academy at Andover, MA. Andover is an old school founded in 1778; and was visited by George Washington.

I found out Olmstead graduated from PA and laid out parts of its campus.

There is an elm tree on campus that’s over 200 years old nicknamed GW. In 2019, it measured circumference: 21 feet; spread 100ft; height 65ft .

That elm tree helps anchor my memories at PA.

Some trees are marvelously marked by time. The olive trees in the Holy Land are interesting specimens. Each one seems to embody a history it can’t wait to tell but speechless, their trunks are contorted like faces that have seen what they cannot speak, so they produce lots of olives instead.

Images of olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane - remembrance

These tree have witness more than 2,000 of Middle Eastern history.

The grandfather of them all is in the 3,000 year range; was in the garden while Jesus prayed.

These trees have survived the extremes of time and circumstamces; extremes of temperature and human temperaments; they have suffered through disease, dis-ease, and lost and yet have endured and thrive to still produce fruit.

On that third day, God created sustainable life to sustain the lives to come. Plants and trees that bear seed for regeneration…re-creation.

Today, God’s re-creation continues. It is our collective lived experience— an ongoing, epic saga with mystery, intrigue, tragedy, drama, and comedy with a plot that thickens with unimaginable twists and turns.

These past 14 months have been twisted in many ways. We have found ourselves doing what we never imagined and not able to do what we could imagine.

In the midst of the twists and turns, God has still been at work.

Despite the loss of lives and livelihoods, we have seen evidence of God as more neighbors helped neighbors;

Our routines were interrupted giving us opportunity to assess and prioritize; to adapt to a different way of life.

And God saw that it was good; and there was evening and there was morning...

In the turmoil of politics, the racial reckoning, and pandemic crises, the world has been stirred to see a broad spectrum of insidious and ubiquitous inequities and injustices

We cannot unsee; we cannot, must not ignore what has been revealed.

We must not forget the sacrifices and losses endured

This last week has been a time of remembrance.

On Memorial Day, we remember those who died in active military service.

Memorial Day also marked one year since the murder of George Floyd

2021 marked 100 years since the Tulsa, OK massacre of the Greenwood Community; not just Tulsa

Other race massacres occurred in Colfax, LA; Willington, NC; Atlanta, Ga; Elaine, AR; Rosewood, FL;

We cannot unsee; we cannot, must not ignore what has been revealed.

On this day of remembrance, let us commemorate what we have lost in the last 14 months or so;

The impact of the spectrum of circumstances to lives and livelihoods

Let us remember the more than 560,000 deaths from the virus itself;

We also remember other lives long-seasoned and well-lived and whose legacies will live on through us.

Let us also reflect and respond to the revelations

within our families, within our hearts

the innovations and renovations in our lives and homes

As God made the plants and trees grow, there was provision and promise available in the garden with some parameters.

Humankind was placed in a perfect setting—a pristine paradise on earth.

Adam and Eve pushed those parameters. But in God’s mercy, they were required to live their lives differently.

Today, God’s provision and promise are still available to us with some parameter.

We are required to live our lives differently as people of God.

We are in the midst of God’s work and are God’s work in progress.

With vaccine distribution and ongoing research, evening has come on the pandemic and morning has broken, a new day is forming.

With growing awareness of inequities and injustices, evening has come on ignorance and complacency, morning has broken.

A new era is forming and we have choices to make.

Commemorate or commiserate over the past.

Longingly look back for what was or lean forward to what God has planned

On this day of remembrance and beyond, I challenge you to

Hold on to memories, not miseries

Release what has been and make space to receive what God is creating.

And there was evening.

Let us reflect on all that God has brought us through.

And all that God is showing us anew.

Morning has broken and it is good! Amen