I was born singing a pure, “Ah,” according to my doctor and my mother. When I was baptized, I grabbed the pastor’s cross while he poured water over my forehead and then opened my mouth as if to say, “Thank you.” Even more than baptism, the Holy Trinity has come to mean what God truly is: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. When we pray, we have the benefit of all three parts of our Heavenly Father. Nothing is possible without Him.
It has been a while since this preacher’s kid, a PK, read chapter one of Genesis, but it seemed appropriate to do so today. I will paraphrase, or make as simple as possible, like my dad used to say from his pulpit on an every Sunday basis. He used to say, “If they cannot understand what I am saying, I might as well not be a minister.” Many of my father’s parishioners loved his ability to preach; they also loved that he and my mother had created a shared Christ-centered life with my brother and I. What pains me from time to time is the fact that my brother does not heed their Christian teachings and does not believe in God. For him, the world was created under scientific conditions, not God’s creative abilities.
The earth had no shape, and darkness covered this darkness. Wind swept over the waters, and God created light. He separated the light from the darkness and then the Day from the Night. There was morning and evening on that first day. A dome was placed over the separated waters, and He called the dome Sky on the second day. The waters were gathered together in one place and dry land appeared. God called the dry land Earth and the waters Seas. Vegetation sprang from the seeds He planted, and fruit trees bore fruit with seeds in them. On the third day, God saw that all was good, and there was morning and evening.
On the fourth day, God placed lights in the Sky and they gave light to the Earth and created the seasons, days, and years. There was a great light for days, the Sun, and there was a lesser light for the night, the Stars. The waters abounded with many living creatures, and many different kinds of birds flew across the skies. God told them to be fruitful and multiply around the Earth on the fifth day. The Earth brought forth living creatures of all kinds, cattle, creeping things, and wild animals. God made Mankind in His image and gave them dominion over the fish, birds, and all wild animals on the Earth. He created Humankind as male and female and told them to be fruitful and multiply across the Earth. Every plant and fruit-bearing tree would be their food; to every creature, He gave green plants for food. On the sixth day, all was good, and there was morning and evening.
On the seventh day, all the multitudes of the Heavens and the Earth were finished. God rested on the seventh day and blessed and hallowed it so that we could rest on the Sabbath day, knowing that our work was also done. From that day forward, we have been called to keep our things in order, to listen to Christ, to agree with one another, and to live in peace. We are ordained by our baptisms to greet one another with a holy kiss, and all the saints will greet us as well. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit will be planted in us.
Just as God saw that creating the Heavens and the Earth was good, we, too, must see that our works are good. On the seventh day, we must rest and keep the Sabbath holy. As I looked out across the park this morning for our outdoor service, I wondered how many people are not keeping today holy, how many are out at sporting events, how many have no time to even pray? If the park is an indication of what people do, people just seem to forget about God and do other things like camping. But isn’t the Great Outdoors the place where we can commune with the Holy Trinity the best, especially when the weather is so beautiful? We live in “a throw-away world” today, but I will not join the others who neglect to say, “Thank you, Lord, for Your wonderful Creation?” I will live in Your gift of love, grace, and light so that my light will shine through to those who live in the darkness. The Holy Trinity is blessed today and always.
Anna Hartt
