On Sunday, January 24th, we’re getting together for some swimming, water slides, and hot tubs. Join us at 3:45 until 5 pm at Fountain Park Pool. We’ve rented the facility so you don’t have to worry about screaming kids or sharing the steam room with creepy old men. And as everyone knows, swimming makes you hungry, so we’ll probably band together and find somewhere to eat afterwards. Admission is $5 at the pool. See you there.
On Sunday November 15 we are going to the St. Albert Food Bank to help launch a new project at the food bank. This will be to help people who need clothing by providing clothing. We will be having a merge lunch and then leaving for the food bank. We will then leave the food bank at 3:30.
The food bank is beside Canadian Tire in St. Albert
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, what- ever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” -Matthew 25:34-40
Our next event is a “People’s Choice” Event and is voted entirely by you! Voting commences immediately, and will cease on November 15th, at Midnight – Mountain Standard Time. Although the last “People’s Choice” Event was fraught with vote fraud, voter intimidation, ballot stuffing, and the measles… we promise to improve the results this time… somewhat. Let’s talk about the options!
Lawn Bowling
Charades
Automobile Tag – people are organized into teams of 3-4 with a vehicle, and a car is chosen to hide in St. Albert and issue clues over cell phones. First car to find them wins and gets to hide.
Nerf Warfare IV – bring your nerf gun and aviator glasses so you can mow down opponents with semi-rigid polyurethane bullets.
Settlers of Catan – Nerd Paradise in board game form.
[poll id="3"]
So last year I took a theology course from Denis Lamoureux at the UofA called Science & Religion. It was the most interesting and inspiring course I have taken. He speaks on different views on Creation and how to interpret Genesis 1-11. He covers all sides of the debate (from young earth creationism to evolution and evolutionary creationism).
It is a very controversial and interesting subject, and Denis has alot of knowledge to share on it (he has a phD in Evolutionary Biology and one in Theology)
This professor is putting on a public lecture this thursday, and I know it will be super interesting. Last year he had to throw someone out because they were yelling at him.
So, details are:
Thursday Sept 24, 2009, 5-6:20pm
UofA – dentistry pharmacy building – room 2104
My # incase you get lost 780-686-8485
Also, you can check out his website with a web lecture and some papers and stuff @ http://www.ualberta.ca/~dlamoure/Menu.htm
I really just want to share this with all of you because it has been so filling and inspirational to me!
Cheers,
steve
ps. call me or email me (boschsteve@hotmail.com) if you have any questions or are lonely 
Hey everyone come on out for a serve event this Saturday (the 19th). We will be doing a food drive for the St. Albert Food Bank. This is their main fall food drive where they get what they need for the next few months.
There will be plenty of ways to serve. whether stocking at the food bank or going door to door.
We will be meeting at NOON at red willow church right by Servus Place in Campbell park.
If you have any questions comment away
Hey Everybody.
Just so you know Merge is back Sunday September 13th. Instead of at night, it will be after the 11am service on Sunday morning, so please come to church, and then for merge where will have lunch and find out what is happening this fall. There will also be a FUN surprise afterwards.
See you there
Also we will be having a serve event Saturday Sept 19th where we will be doing a food drive with Red Willow Church. So we will meet at noon @ Red Willow Church (which is by Servus Place) and will do a food drive and then have a BBQ at Lyons Park. Come on out. If you need a ride email go to the contact page on the website.
Matt
Hey all,
The end of the year is upon us and we want to kick it off in style so break out your camping chairs and join us at Cardiff Park. Check out the posted link for a map to where we will be.
The Cost is $5 and there will be food and Drink provided as well as some live music and a football game happening after the BBQ portion has finished.
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10
If you had a car that you knew was going to be destroyed tomorrow because you had lost a bet with a friend, and as a result he (a he because lets be honest a girl would get no joy out of this, but a guy most definitely would) was going to push it off a cliff, or well into the Sturgeon river which I assume would eat it. Would you change your oil or fix any problems with it?
Of course not. That would be a waste of money, that would be well stupid.
This is the argument of many Christians as to why we shouldn’t care for the planet. They argue that we already know what will happen to the planet, it’s gonna burn. And so since its gonna burn why should we try to improve it. To improve something that’s going to be destroyed is useless, and nonsense.
If God’s goal is to destroy it anyways, aren’t we getting in the way of his work?
To answer this question we need to figure out what God’s goal is with our planet.
And to answer that question we need to return to the Garden.
THE GARDEN
So lets return to the Garden. Everything in the Garden is good. Everything in the Garden knows its Creator, and is in perfect relationship to its Creator, and as a result knows no death (because God is the source of life). Adam and Eve have been given the task of ruling over creation, subduing it and thus bringing order to it (see pt. 1 – Dominion if you haven’t already).
Now we don’t know how long Adam and Eve were in the Garden for, but we do know how the story of their time in the Garden ends. It ends in separation. Separation from God, which leads to death both physical and spiritual. No longer will they know what it means to be in perfect relationship with God, no longer will they know what it means to walk with God in the Garden in the cool of the day, instead there was a divide.
Now I tend to think of this story from only the human side of things. Because well I am human, go figure. And well I never really thought about the divide that sin entering the world, and not just the human race, caused (that is outside of the thistles that would make our work harder, and poke my legs as I walk through a field). I assumed that the creation stayed in perfect relationship with its Creator.
But instead we read… “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.” – Genesis 3:17
Cursed.
The ground, the planet that God loves cursed. The vegetation that grows in the ground will now be choked by thorns and thistles, an image of this curse. This creation that God loves and says is good. Cursed.
And at the core of this curse is separation. Just like we as humans are separated from God, the rest of creation is as well. And just as we face death, the creation faces death.
Why?
Because of our sin.
Humans, the ones we were to rule over and subdue, which includes a large element of caring and protecting the creation have instead cursed it, and brought death and decay into its story.
Through our sin we caused the ground to be cursed.
So the ground is cursed not by some desire of God to destroy the planet, but because sin has entered the world. And when sin comes it brings separation, death, and decay.
And ever since Adam and Eve sinned the planet, the same planet that we walk on has been decaying, being separated farther and farther from God.
So what then is God’s goal for our planet? Does we still have a task in our ruling?
Paul writes this to the believers in Colossae
“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Jesus], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” – Colossians 1:19-20
Reconcile all things…through his blood, shed on the cross…
All things…
Not just humans…All things
Jesus reconciled all things to him on the cross? Jesus reconciled animals to him? Jesus reconciled plants to him? Jesus reconciled stars to him? Rocks, mountains, water, oxygen? Everything?
I thought it was just about humans. I thought the cross is just the story of how Jesus reconciled humanity to himself, but that’s not the case.
Look at John 3:16 the verse that everyone knows.
For God so loved the world…the world…not just humans…the world and the Greek is COSMOS which means the entirety of creation. How did I miss this!
God’s plan for creation is to reconcile it to him.
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we are saved.” – Romans 8:18-24
Just like we wait for the restoration of our bodies, for the return of Christ that he will come and make us into our perfect form. A form that is united with the Creator, that is connected with the source of all life. Just like we wait.
The Creation waits.
To be burned up?
No.
To be restored.
To be brought back to it’s perfect form, to be reunited with its Creator as it once was.
And how does Paul say this is done?
God’s goal is to bring his Creation back to himself, reconcile it with him, to bring restoration to it. Just like He is going to do with us.
SO WHAT ABOUT THE FIRE?
What about 2 Peter doesn’t it say that the earth will be burned up? Let’s step back a few verses and read it in context, instead of just by itself (which is what we tend to do far too much).
“They will say, “where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forgot that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. “ – 2 Peter 3:4-7
Peter talks about the burning of the earth as being related to the flood. And what happened at the flood?
The annihilation of the earth?
No of course not.
Instead purification. The earth was purged from the effects of sin by water.
Water is a purifying agent its how we clean nearly everything including ourselves. In the same way fire is a purifying agent, especially for metals. When metals are melted the impurities, or dross, floats to the top and can be cleaned away. The impurities are removed. The fire is to purify. By God bringing it to renewal, by God purifying it, just as He is purifying us.
Also think of a forest fire. When a forest burns does the place always remain dead? No. Instead it allows new life to form. There are certain cones from trees that only release their seeds when it is cooked to high a heat. Also the burnt trees provide nutrients to the soil. The fire allows new life, and what does Revelation talk about? A New Earth. A earth where heaven has crashed into it. A earth that is restored.
So what is God’s goal for the planet? Restoration not destruction.
Restoration.
WHERE DO WE FIT IN?
So the question we need to ask is how can we help. How can we aid God is restoration of Creation? God always has us as humans as part of his plan, God is always partnering with humans to complete his tasks. So ask yourself these questions…
1. What can I do?
2. What can we do together?
To Be Continued…
Pt. 1 – Dominion
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
Genesis 1:26-28 KJV
This is the core of what it means to be human. This is the task of humanity at our truest form. This is before there is in the world. We are given two tasks, make babies and rule over (have dominion over) creation. Now the make babies I think is a blog for another time. But the rule over, that is what we are going to talk about.
What does it mean to rule over the creation and subdue it? I mean this is Eden we are talking about. Shouldn’t it have been completely perfect, all the trees in perfect lines, no weeds, the grass never needs to be cut, the pig walks over to you and hands you bacon. You know Paradise.
Rule Over.
We are created in the Image of God. This is an incredible idea, nothing else in creation can make this claim, not even the angels. Just us. And as being in the image of God we are given a task over the rest of creation. That is to rule over it.
We have been given this amazing creation by God as a responsibility. A wonderful little kingdom for a lack of better words. And right away Adam begins his rule over the animals not by eating them (not there this anything wrong with that), not by tying a plow to them, but instead by naming them.
And by naming them he gives them an identity.
Right away Adam is caring for creation by telling them who they are.
Subdue.
It’s strange to think of subduing creation within the garden. Even in its perfect primal form creation is wild and playful. It’s not a nice and neat orderly thing. It is not an orderly garden with specific rows of daisies and lilies, the tomatoes don’t all grow in a nice line. The bears aren’t riding unicycles (well maybe they are). The unicorns aren’t walking up to Eve and asking to be ridden.
Instead there is a sense of disorder, maybe even chaos, and God loves it, he says its good. And then he gives Adam and Eve this role to subdue it to bring some order to this chaos, to make sure that it doesn’t get overgrown, to bring some order to it.
That’s what we read when we hear this “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Genesis 2:15). To work it and care for it. To work and care. I thought it was paradise a place to relax and do nothing. We are created with a specific role and that’s to care for and work creation, this is written in our DNA, in the basis of what it means to be human, and when we are not doing this I think we are missing out on part of what makes us human.
It’s as if they are made king and queen over a dysfunctional society, and they are entrusted to get everything working together to make it functional. To make sure that the weaker members of the society are being cared for, to protect those in need. And set up the systems so that everyone is working for the best of the society. That needs are being met. To subdue the chaos of dysfunction and bring order out of it.
To rule and subdue.
And then as the story progresses we find humanity falling into sin, but rebelling against God and eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. And Adam and Eve are kicked out of the garden. But they are not removed from their role of ruling.
Instead it will become harder.
“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:17-19).
The work is now difficult, but it is still his work. He is still to rule, he is to still to work.
This is still written into us. This need to rule over creation. But what does this rule look like?
DOMINION
In the King James Version which I purposefully quoted at the beginning of the blog post it uses the word dominion. Which is a word of rulership. Which under it would fall ideas of rule and subdue. The problem is that we have read into it another word, a word closely related to dominion, and that is dominate.
And they do sound close, but they are very different. Dominion speaks of this rule that seeks care and subdue. Not out of a heart set on abuse. Domination of the other hand speaks of raising yourself up while pushing those below you down further. Domination speaks of using people as a means to an end. It sees people as being expendable.
And this is the way we as humans have seen our rule over creation. As a way to get everything we want and need no matter what the cost is. This has led to things like
numerous species and subspecies of animals going extinct,with many more following (often as a result of over hunting or stealing their habitat). Rainforests used to cover 14% of the worlds surface, they now cover 6%, all for the desire for more farm land. The Appalachian mountains have been severely disfigured by mountaintop mining for coal, so that we can power our homes.
We have thought that dominion looks like being evil dictators. That we can enslave creation in whatever ways that we want, and we can use it as a means to get what we need, regardless of the cost.
Is this what God had in mind?
Is this what he meant by dominion?
No. Of course not.
So what did he have in mind for our rule. I think it comes down to image.
IMAGE
An image is a representation of the reality. An image displays the reality of the thing it is. In much the same way that a picture of you displays you. It shows people what you are like.
I think that there is something fundamentally wrong with our view of the heart of God if we can say that dominion looks like we’ve treated it in the past. I say this because if we are meant to reveal God to creation, which I believe is part of what the image of God is all about. So then what are we saying of this God that we are the image of.
Are we saying that God uses creation in the same way that we do. That God sees it as something to use until it runs out. Species as something to kill or steal their habitat until there is nothing left of them but a faint memory.
This is not the God who we see in the scriptures. This is not the God who notices when one of his creatures dies (Matthew 10:29-31). I mean the way that we are living today this is a full time job for him to notice when his creatures die, let alone when they go extinct. We also read that God cares deeply for the land and even wants a Sabbath rest for it (Exodus 23:10) just like there is for humans AND animals (Exodus 20:8-11).
Yet we work it endlessly without rest, without a worry about what we are doing to it.
I would say that the God that we have revealed to creation is not the God of love that the Scriptures have described but instead the God of greed. The God that we have possibly made in our image.
I wonder if we have traded in our God given role of ruling for the sin of greed.
This is where consumerism comes in.
We have use and abuse creation because of our hunger for more.
We kill animals for our clothes. Clothes that we already have too much of. But we need more…
We wipe out acres upon acres of rainforest so that more and more meat can be eaten.
There are so many ways that this plays out that it is not even funny.
Christ’s Rule
If we really want to understand rule we need to see the way that Christ’s dominion over us looks.
And it looks a lot like this…
In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a human being,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
-Philippians 2:5-11
This is the model of rule that Christ shows. It is a rule that is completely against our tendencies and sinful nature. It is a rule of service. Of using your power to help others, to use it not to push down those below you, but instead to lift them up.
He teaches that rule looks like service, rule looks like humility. Rule looks like the Jesus of everything grabbing a towel and washing the dirty feet of his disciples (John 13). It looks like the God of all the universe emptying himself, made himself nothing and took on the very nature of a servant (Phil 2:5-11). Jesus, who says the first will be last and last will be first (Matt 19:30). It is about putting the needs of others before yourself.
We are called to serve. To serve those around us, and to serve our creation.
So for our creation we are called to serve it. We are the top of the food chain. We are the dominant species and have used our dominance in some awful ways. What should our rule look like?
I think it needs to have two characteristics. Caring and protecting.
We have been given the creation to rule over and now especially it looks like caring for it. This should be our work. We should caring for creation. It is sick and dying and it is mostly because of our actions. We have not truly thought through the cost of what our actions are doing to our planet. Part of caring is making sure that we are lessening the amount of pollution and impact we have.
This could mean turning your lights off, turning your tv off, driving less and slower, planting trees, cleaning up trash, recycling, the options are endless.
Also we have the responsibility to protect, which leads us to the question of why do we have to protect creation from ourselves? Why is it that we are often the cause of the trouble facing creation?
Which should cause us to look at a lot of our choices, our choices to buy the things we do, to throw out the things that we do, to bike or to drive, to not keep looking for more and more, but instead living on less and less.
So what would that mean to you today? I think it means to take on the image of Jesus, which is not an image of domination, but instead ruling through love, service, and humility.
Here’s some questions to start our discussion, feel free to interact with more. Let’s be thinking this through together.
1. How does dominion look for you? Do you use your power over others for your gain, or to help others?
2. What part of creation has God entrusted to you for you to care for and protect?
3. How can you care for and protect it?
Be on the look out for pt. 2 – Restoration
So on Sunday night i experienced what I will call brain shut down. Where the synapses that fired to my brain either stopped firing or were firing ice cream. Instead of the message that i had prepared out came half explained ideas.
My apologies to those of you who had to sit through it.
I do hope that something stuck. That God triggered your mind about something. I hope that this still can be the beginning of a conversation.
Luckily for me i have control over the power of the internets. Over the course of this week I will be blogging my message out, and giving you a chance to interact with the various ideas that I failed to communicate.
So be on the lookout for part 1: Dominion which will come out this afternoon.
Matt
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