The Creative Creator (Trinity Sunday)

Genesis 1:2-2:4

May 17^th and 18^th, 2008

            This past Monday we had a field trip to Wicks Pipe Organ Company in Highland, IL.  It was quite impressive to see the amount of detail, time, and personalized attention it takes to make or refurnish a pipe organ.  Most organs have hundreds of pipes, each of which is to be individually tuned and many have electrical components, one of which had been worked on for three years.    Many of us were left with this thought “I had no idea “that much” went into making an organ.  Most of the time when a discussion of the Trinity happens in the church it is in confirmation and it goes like this.  “We believe in one God and three persons, not three Gods, and though it is hard to understand that is what scriptures say”.  Usually we respond, ok, I’ll buy that.   However, the Trinity is more than a one sentence statement, that ends with ‘I don’t understand, but believe in him anyway”, for you see our God is a creative God, and he continues to be intimately engaged with his creation and his creatures.  The Trinity conveys that active God.  Recently we celebrated the primary work of the Son through Good Friday and Easter as he brings redemption to humanity.  Last week we heard how the Spirit actively brings the reality of Jesus into the hearts of his people, and it is he who gives the church its strength and mission.  Today, we will see how our triune God is actively in shaping his world, and keeping it going.   Hopefully you will leave the service today, with an attitude “Wow, I had no idea all that went into this World, and into loving us”, and thus forms a new respect for our Maker, redeemer, and sanctifier, ie the Trinity.

            “In the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth”….. Here we see that our Creative Creator is the starting point for salvation.  The bible spends little if any time defending the existence of God, rather it assumes he is there.  Frankly to assume there is no God is like looking at the Sis teen Chapel, and wondering “mmmm…, I wonder if someone made that”.  Sometimes the question is asked, where does God come from?   The answer, is he doesn’t.  The Father has always been, Jesus has always been, the Spirit has always been.   That’s right, more than the Father were involved in creation.     In Colossians 1:16 it says “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him”.  It says in our text that the Spirit was hovering over the deep.

            Secondly our creator creates out of nothing.  In Hebrew the word create is something only God does.   He doesn’t start with something, he creates out of nothing.  The evolutionary theory, assumes that even if matter (stuff) was extremely  small, everything started from something.   This is also the way it is with Christ.  2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.”  Jesus is in the business of creating salvation even when there is nothing there to work with.  We think we bring something to the table, at least our attempts our acknowledgement of God.  No, as a believer in Jesus it is all him, all his work, all his doing.  He creates something out of nothing”. 

Thirdly our Creative Creator creates all things good and with order.  I am not an artist, and am very impressed with those who can take stuff like clay or paint, and out of that create something beautiful.   Here you have the picture in the darkness mind you of a formless and void deep with waters.  What does God do? He starts working with it, and says let there be light.  Notice he doesn’t here create the sun because latter he will put the light into the sun.   He simply speaks and like a light switch and there is light.   God’s first artistic Word, called forth light in the midst of darkness.  He speaks and it happens.  He then continues to form backdrops to his artistic designs.  On Day one he forms light separates it from darkness.  On Day four He creates specific lights.  On Day Two were back to the backdrop of water and sky.  On Day four he fills the water and sky with living creatures.  On Day three he creates dry ground, and on day six he fills it in with animals, plans, living things.   All this is good, there is no sin, no fall, no destructive forces like hurricanes or earthquakes.  All things are good.    Sometime this week take a look at John 1 for in this book Jesus retells the creation story. John 1 .  Here we see that he would be the true man that gives light to every man in the world.  Here is Jesus doing a creating thing wherever there is darkness.  There is darkness, there is disease, there is hatred, there is the evil one, there the darkness of sin which  soils our own being.  Yet, Jesus alone brings light.  He is the Word, the Word made flesh.  He is that powerful Word who speaks, and things happen.  Romans 10:17 says “Consequently Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”  That Word of Jesus has power to change lives, and put them back on the lighted path.  When God speaks things happen.

            Fourthly God makes man, male and female, in his own image.  God doesn’t make his favorites first, but rather  saves his best for last.  Here he puts his final touches on the portrait, the touches where everything else comes together.  We are not talking about physical looks here, like looking at ones image in a  mirror.  However, we are talking about a likeness in holiness and righteousness, true fear and love of God.  God thought so highly of man, that he delegated his authority to him and so rule, dominion over all creatures was bestowed on humanity.  He then blesses him and says I’m not going to limit you, go ahead make more of yourself, be fruitful and multiply.  The Creator is saying, add more to the painting for  the more the better. 

            Jesus is indeed the first born over all creation.  He became flesh, he became man, why?  Because we got in our mind that somehow we could live life separate from our creator, separate from the one who loves us and sustains us.   Jesus would then send a counselor, the Holy Spirit who show the world what he said and what he did.  Yes, indeed the creative creator, had ways to fix this painting even when through the fall it became broken, distorted, and even ugly.

            On the seventh Day God rested, well sort of.  What I mean is that he didn’t cease from his work, rather he ceased from his creative work.  Indeed, he still kept all things going.  Remember he had a living creation, not merely a stationary people and planet on a painting.  He continued then, and continues now to give us all that we need to support this body and life.   In Hebrew 4:9 it says “There remains , then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.”   In other words, he is saying the real Sabbath, the real rest is found in Jesus, and the key to entering that rest is giving up your way of doing things.  Giving up trying  to get there, and simply rest in the one who says “Come unto me all you who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest”. (Matthew 11:38).   Jesus stopped breathing, and allowed nails to pierce his hands, and a sword to pierce his side.  He, along with the Father, and the Spirit got together and saw this as the only way to reestablish contact, a connection with you and me was to allow his lifeless body to lie in a tomb some 2,000 years ago.  He arose from the his burial plot, and once again like his first words in Genesis  had  light overpower darkness.  Only this time he literally was and is the light.  .  This God,  the Creative Creator, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit the Trinity has done all of this for you out of love that simply knows no bounds.  To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.