Psalm 104:1-15, 31-34/Matthew 7:7-12

 

This is the first of our Lent sermon series – completely4giving – responding to God’s love – as we build on our new shared vision for our parish.

To be… Rooted in Jesus… Nurturing his Love… Growing his Church…

The theme this week is giving creator.

That is, acknowledging that God is the Creator of all things and the Lord of all history.

And in words that we sometimes use to describe our faith:

We believe and trust in God the Father,

source of all being and life,

the one for whom we exist…

At the very beginning of the Bible, we read in Genesis, Chapter 1:

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light ‘day’, and the darkness he called ‘night’. And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day.

We are able to observe the brightness of God's glory in creation, and because God created light we are able to see and experience that glory.

As we think about what God has created for us, we find that verse 1, from this first chapter of Genesis, is re-stated in Psalm 102, verse 25:

In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

Not only re-stated in Psalm 102, but in our first Bible reading, from Psalm 104…

As we delve into Psalm 104, we discover that it’s modelled fairly closely on that of Genesis chapter one.

It’s clear that the Psalmist is speaking, or singing to God, praising Him, before describing what God has done and is doing.

Many hymns and songs, over the years and today, are based on creation truth, as described by the Psalmist, including…

‘O worship the King, all glorious above. O gratefully sing his power and his love! Our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days, pavilioned in splendour, and girded with praise.…’

With the remainder of the hymn describing God’s creation, clearly based on Psalm 104…

There is also a similar resonance with the song, ’The splendour of the King, clothed in majesty; Let all the earth rejoice, All the earth rejoice.’

And we can also see a comparison between the two hymns, ‘Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation’ and ‘All creatures of our God and King’, which catches the relationship between Genesis 1 and Psalm 104…

Along with the Psalmist, and all who’ve written songs of praise, we are able to marvel at the grandeur and the detail of perfection and completeness of God's work in creation.

Earth and sea, with everything in them, are His work and depend entirely upon Him…

Many years ago, and before I took that step onto the path of Christian faith, before I asked Jesus into my life, a favourite phrase of my mine was, 'Isn't nature wonderful!'

And it is - the world as we know it, the environment – God’s creation.

God has given us the birds of the air and the fish in the sea, the animals and trees and plants and flowers.

He has provided sunshine and warmth, and all that is needed to sustain the living world, everything that we require to live.

Our response, of course, is to thank and praise God.

Of course, we should also be mindful of how easily we can mar God's creation.

How easily we can and are causing damage, and in such a way that the brightness of his glory is eroded and destroyed.

Our attitude must be that of being good stewards, to care for God's creation, and to be concerned for the environment as we pass it on to the next generation…

We shouldn’t take creation for granted because it is so wonderful.

Gazing at the stars on a clear night…

…or surveying the horizon from a ridge of hills…

…or seeing the ocean pound against cliffs…

…or examining minute life-forms through a microscope…

…or watching exotic creatures on a wildlife programme…

…this all makes us wonder at the marvels of the world in which we live.

There is another side to creation, which also makes it impossible to take creation for granted…

…the sea pounding small fishing boats and large ships…

…the earth quaking and destroying towns and villages…

…a virus bringing affliction to young and old…

…and the fact of death which brings an end to the life of every living creature…

Psalm 104 sets both aspects of creation into perspective by seeing them in the context of God as creator.

If creation is so wonderful, then how wonderful is the God of creation, who not only gave it life at the beginning, but continues to sustain it.

God not only fulfils all that people need, but also cares for creatures who are seen as ineffective to humanity, but remarkable in their own right…

God watches over creation’s dark side too…

…overcoming the evil and disorder that threatens to overwhelm the world, with the light of Christ…

…alongside the responsibility we have to live in the light, to dispel the darkness that Satan endeavours to bring into the world…

Creation cannot be taken for granted; still less can we take for granted the God of creation…

The extent of God’s love for us is expressed in His generosity, especially in terms of providing for our needs through His creation, resources enough for the whole world.

This loving kindness is articulated in our gospel reading; from Matthew 7:7-12.

In this passage, Jesus establishes the importance of prayer, also spelling out God’s goodness in responding to all our needs.

What Jesus is saying here is, that from a human perspective we will more than likely fall short of what we are being asked for by those closest to us, but we’ll do the best we can.

In a similar way, God takes delight in answering the requests of all those in His family…

As we consider God’s love and His generosity, we remember the words from John’s gospel, chapter 1:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning (John 1:1-2).

These verses recall the words of creation, found in the book of Genesis, taking us back to the beginning of time.

The term 'Word', used to refer to Jesus, is very important, as it’s saying that Jesus existed at the beginning of time and will continue for ever.

In essence, there’s a direct relationship between God's work of creation and his work of salvation - both are the work of God through Jesus…

John also reminds us about the foundations of the Christian faith in the second of his letters (2 John 1:5-6):

I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

The overriding message that I want us to hear as we start out on our journey through Lent…

…is the importance of our relationship with God and how we respond to Him.

God, in Jesus, is not only the beginning he is also the end, embracing all aspects of our lives, faith and church.

God not only created the earth and everything in it, but at the beginning of time Jesus also existed…

…and with him a message of love and salvation is brought into everything that affects us, in word and action.

Today, we are not only beginning a new Sermon Series, but I believe a new period in the life of our churches as we consider where God is taking us…

New beginnings must always be built on solid foundations…

…that of Jesus Christ, remembering his command of walking in obedience to him and to love one another.

With this in mind, let’s journey together, in his strength and in the power of the Holy Spirit…

seeking God’s will for our lives and church… building up the church family – the body of Christ – in knowledge and love… and a firm commitment to serve Him and His purposes.

Mike Lodge

18 Feb 24