Sacred Cynicism

There are some ways in which my wife and I are quite different. Yet one of the ways we are similar and well-matched is in the way we like to take vacations. In a world of beach-goers and Disney visitors, we love to see beautiful, out of the way places. There is nothing wrong with being a Disney visitor, I am just happy I did not marry one. My wife and I like to see lakes, mountains and lots of scenery. This past week we spent time in two National Parks (Olympic and Mount Rainier), and when I visit places like these, my mind often turns to the Creation story in Genesis 1 and 2. It is one of the most vibrant and stirring stories in all of Scripture, but it has been one of the most misunderstood. Let me try to explain why.

In our recent trip to the Northwest, I was awed by the grandeur and beauty that surrounded me. Not only was I awed, but I felt so insignificant and small compared to the scenery before me. Even more, I saw in the scenes around me the hand of One who loves beauty, harmony and goodness. In the period of 3 hours one afternoon, I traveled from alpine splendor, to searching for bright orange starfish in tidal pools. Such beauty lifted my soul into an appreciation for the Hand behind what I was seeing.

Yet this has not been the subject of the Creation story I have heard for many years. In our use of the Creation story, the rich meaning of the Creation has been stripped away in order to engage in a debate of how things were created, or how long ago it happened. Could it be that we need to be introduced again to the Creation story? Could this story be about more than timing or physical description, and instead be a deeply meaningful account that goes to the heart of what it means to be a person? Let’s look at this story again.

As I read the first chapters of Genesis, I am struck by unmistakable themes. First, we are not an accident, nor the leftovers of some larger, divine struggle. Rather, we are the purposeful act of a God that has an interest in His creation. Second, the story tells us strongly that the creation is good – all of it. The physical world is not some foreboding place, but reflective of the attributes of the One who created it. Next, the story tells us that there are things which are holy, and these are to be protected, nurtured and treasured. Even more we are to dedicate our lives to the celebration and recognition of the holy. The story also tells us that we are to maintain our relationship to the One who created us, and everything around us. Finally, for those of us who are married, or would like to be, this story tells us that we are to protect, and treasure this special relationship, that is to be unlike any other relationship. All of these are front and center in the creation account.

Not surprisingly, these themes from Genesis have reverberated with me this past week. In everything I have observed, I have seen purpose and design this week. There is no way this is some residue of a cosmic accident. There is beauty and goodness all around me this week. It reflects a nature more benevolent and grand than any cosmic leftovers from a random explosion. I look around, and I can tell you it is good. The grandeur of what I have seen reminds me that I am mere creation, and a small speck of that creation. As small of a speck that I am, I can also tell you that the voice of the One who made this has been loud in my ears this week. This Creator calls me to the goodness and beauty I have witnessed, and to live in relationship with the One who formed me. Finally, as I walk with the wife who has been with me for 25 years, the week has reminded me that there is holiness and goodness that is the focal point of Creation. It is to be guarded, protected, and treasured.

Should it surprise me that the lessons of this past week perfectly fit into these opening chapters of Genesis? No, isn’t that the whole point? Yet how often have we lost the meaning of this account to engage in a debate about issues the Creation story never addresses. Physical descriptions and timing are not important, but who we are, and how we are to live are vital. These are the central points of our story, and the first story. As we observe the beauty and goodness around us, perhaps we need to be reminded again that we may not really live until God has breathed into us His Spirit, our breath of life (Gen. 2:7). We live in a good world, filled with His beauty, and we are called to notice. Have you?