It's a sign of how busy I've been that I haven't bogged in several months. Not that I've been that regular in posting anyway, but in the last six months I've completed 60+ pages of writing and a half day of intense interviews for the ordination process in the Missouri conference of the United Methodist Church, taken 6 classes, written 37 papers, prepared and delivered 11 presentations; all while writing and preaching sermons for all but 3 of those 26 weeks, conducting 3 funerals, baptizing a family of 6, being elected student council president, losing almost 40 pounds, and turning 40. Whew!!! It's been a whirlwind, but it's been good, my mind and heart have been expanded by interacting with a host of people, learning a great deal, being pushed to think in ways I hadn't been, and just being with people in the ordinary and challenging stages of life. Thank you, Creator.
Lately, I've begun reading through the Bible again and just 9 chapters into Genesis I find myself full of questions and wonder. Here are my musings for what they're worth.
- It doesn't matter if the first 2 chapters of Genesis are literal or not; it's amazing to contemplate the beginning of life in this world and to know that God was intimately involved in it.
- What does it mean that day began with evening, with rest, in God's created order?
- Why didn't somebody just step up and take responsibility? It seems like this might be the real root of ongoing sin and brokenness in the world--that we blame others rather than taking responsibility for our actions thus preventing ourselves from learning and growing.
- What does it mean that God shortened humanity’s lifespan from hundreds of years to just over a hundred? Is this why we’re always in a hurry, or is it an attempt to explain that?
- What did these people do over hundreds of years, if they lived that long?
- Enoch is unique in having his life described by the phrase “walked with God 300 years”? Is this meant to be a reflection back on the early days in the Garden when Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day?
- I can’t think of a better epitaph than “... walked with God.” Maybe with Micah 6:8 under it.
- Where were the women? Where did the wives come from? It’s an indictment on those who recorded scripture and all of us who have not asked these questions that women have been left our of scripture and Christian faith all too often?
- Why is Ham seemingly confused with his son Canaan after the flood? Is this a way of justifying the dispossession of the Canaanite’s from their land? (see Genesis 9)
- Are the dinosaurs extinct because Noah and his family ran out of things to eat while waiting over a year for the earth to completely dry out?
- How many people will realize the preceding question was a joke?
Faith is a journey of wonder and unanswered questions. I hope I never have more answers than questions, and I wish the same for all those around me. Questions keep us seeking, learning, and growing. Above all when we think we have all the answers, we are no longer aware of our need for and dependence on God.
Lord, teach me to bring my questions to you, not always looking for answers, but sharing the journey and trusting that you will share with me what I need to know. Amen
