Gathering song: Psalm 23 “The Lord’s My Shepherd” (old tune)
Hymn of Response “Shout to the Lord”
Hymn of Praise #486 “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”
God’s Will: 1 John 3:16(ESV)
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Hymn of Approach “Be Thou My Vision”
Scripture: Genesis 1:1-3, 6, 9, 11, 14-15, 20, 24, 26-28 & II Corinthians 5:14-20
Genesis 1:1-3, 6, 9, 11, 14-15, 20, 24, 26-28
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.
11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.
20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.”
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man[h] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
2 Corinthians 5:14-20
14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Sermon: “The Making of Culture: Beginning Again”
Sermon Notes
Intro: this past weekend they rented a cottage for the weekend. They needed to install a piece of art, a metal piece, to set into a large rock. The artist is an image bearer of God.
"The most interesting thing about a story ... is its beginning....it breaks the silence. ... the rest of the story amplifies what that first sentence began."
God broke the silence. He created. Everything develops from that point on.
So much beauty and it was very good.
God didn't have to create anything....he just wanted to create something......that it was so much fun. ( I don't know that I can see creation in this light. As God just having fun.)
We need to see ourselves as image-bearers, creators of culture.
Graphic artist ...banksie?
It is clear that our world was broken. Sin happened. God continues his creative works in our midst. God is restoring that which he created. This comes into play at Pentecost. The disciples don't know what is going to happen next....and the Holy Spirit comes and makes things new in them. He restored the disciples to people able to act. The Holy Spirit sanctified the work of the disciples.
How do we celebrate God's creative work within us?
We use the gifts and abilities that he has given us. We need to share them with the world. Showing others that we are made in God's image. We are God's image bearers.
Salvation is not just a ticket to heaven, it is an opportunity to point others to God.
Hymn of Response #288 “Take My Life and Let It Be”
Hymn #134:1,2 “You Servants of the LORD our God” (vs.3 #638)
Doxology “We Receive Your Blessing”