INTRODUCTION TO THE SCRIPTURE

Year A - Trinity Sunday

GENESIS 1:1-2:4a.   This magnificent poem tells of God’s creation of the world in an orderly fashion during a six day period. It presents a statement of faith not a credible scientific hypothesis. While science may be able to give us plausible understanding of how and when the universe came into being, it cannot take us beyond the mystery of the beginning to God’s gracious spiritual purpose as this poem does. That theme is found in the repeated refrain, “And God saw that it was good,” after each act of creation, and the final Sabbath blessing in 2:3. 

PSALM  8.   Reiterating the majesty of the creation poem above, this psalm reflects on what God has done and still does in the universe in which we live. More than that, it states how we humans fit into the plan of God as conscious stewards of creation.

2 CORINTHIANS 13:11-13.    The Corinthians had many fights among themselves and with Paul. He ends this letter, however, with an appeal to them to live peaceably with one another so that they may truly experience the love and peace of God.

     His final trinitarian benediction is still in common use in many church services. The word “communion” is often translated as “fellowship.” It actually means the sharing of the Spirit which is the love of God communicated to us through Jesus Christ.

MATTHEW 28:16-20.  Many scholars hold that the original gospel text may have ended at verse 17 and that the closing commission was added in the 2nd century.  It does bring the gospel to a fitting conclusion. The church has used this commission as an effective mission statement ever since.

     The words confirm the tradition shared by both the Gospels of Luke and John and Acts that Jesus did commission the disciples to carry on his ministry in the world. The ecumenical fellowship still uses this trinitarian formula as its common heritage.

A MORE COMPLETE ANALYSIS:

GENESIS 1:1-2:4a.   This magnificent poem tells of God’s creation of the world in an orderly fashion during a six day period. It was never intended to be taken as definitive science, as some have tried to do. It makes a religious statement rather than presenting a credible scientific hypothesis. While science may be able to give us plausible understanding of how and when the universe came into being, it cannot take us beyond the mystery of the beginning to God’s gracious spiritual purpose as this poem does. That theme is found in the repeated refrain, “And God saw that it was good,” after each act of creation, and the final sabbath blessing in 2:3. 

Behind this poem and its counterpart in 2:4b-3:24 lay a vast collection of ancient Middle Eastern mythologies. Here especially creation is depicted as the divinely initiated spiritual victory over the threatening forces of chaos and the establishment of God as the creator and supreme ruler of the world. It is probable that this creation poem has close affinity with the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the post-exilic period. God’s victory over primeval chaos and enthronement were celebrated in a great annual festival at the beginning of each new year. (Cf. Psalm 74:12-17; 89:9-13; 93:1-4)

The poem closes with God taking pleasure in a completed and perfect creation, and hallowing it with rest, thus giving rise to the worship of the sabbath which became the centerpiece of Jewish and Christian ritual.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of this poem is its vision of the Creator acting in total freedom by means of a spoken word or command. Creation comes about by the separation of the elements of the universe which produces an ordered and habitable world in which humans dwell as spiritual and physical beings. It has been suggested that the creation of humans (vss. 26-30) had a separate origin from the rest of the poem. This shows that humans, made in the image of God and divided into male and female, are the crowning act of creation with whom God can communicate and who can respond because they are like God.

Humans are also designated as God’s vice-regents having dominion over the rest of creation. This language reflects the kingship motif of the temple ritual, not the concern for survival of our over-populated planet. It is anathema to modern environmentalists because it appears to permit humans to misuse creation for their own selfish ends. That we have abused this privilege and power with disastrous results has only recently dawned on our consciousness and conscience. Rather than fear the consequences of our past mistakes, we would be better to approach the unknown and environmentally dangerous future by living “with respect for creation” as the creed of The United Church of Canada declares we are called as God’s people to do.

In his most recent book, The Sins of Scripture, (Harper San Francisco, 2005) Bishop John Shelby Spong goes much farther. He proposes that we abandon the whole concept of a perfect creation celebrated in this poem. He believes that it has done far more harm than good, especially the words of vs. 28 “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it….” The text gained so much power by being taken literally. It may have been appropriate for the exiles recently returned from Babylon in the 6^th century BCE, but it has disastrous consequences in our global society of the 21^st century with six billion people struggling for control of the planet’s scarce resources. He sees no hope for the future other than to limit the expansion of the human race with has trebled in number during the past 100 years.  He goes so far as to wonder if we can even hear a new divine command that will avert the coming environmental disaster.

Spong does propose an alternative theological basis for an ecologically provident future. He outlines an alternate attitude toward the nature of God, creation and humanity. This includes a new definition of our human experience of God. We need to recognize God as “the life force that flows through all that is,” not the external supernatural being who set creation in perfect order and delivered it to humanity to dominate and subdue. This, he believes, is the true concept of God as Spirit, an indwelling presence ultimately expressed as love, that is also found in many parts of our scriptures. “It makes a vast difference to our sense of responsibility to our world if we redefine God, not as an external deity who calls the world into being by divine command, but as the power that emerges within all of life.” (p. 64)

Accordingly, Spong finds hope in the theology of Paul Tillich definition of God as “the Ground of Being” and Jergen Moltman’s view that “the alienation of nature brought about by human being can never be overcome until men [and women] find anew understanding of themselves and a new  interpretation of their world in the framework of nature.”

PSALM 8.   Reiterating the majesty of the creation poem above, this psalm celebrates what God has done and still does in the universe in which we live. More than that, it states how we humans fit into the plan of God as conscious stewards of creation.

Few psalms surpass this one in its exaltation of the sovereignty of God and the manifestation of God’s glory in the created universe. Its poetic insights parallel those of Second Isaiah (e.g. Isa. 40:28; 45:18), Psalm 104 and Genesis 1:1-2:4a, all of which are post-exilic in origin.

Vs. 2 contains a reference that seems strange to our modern ears. How can babes and bulwarks be meaningful in the same sentence? The psalmist had intimate knowledge of the ancient myth that creation came about as a result of the divine victory over the dragon of chaos. Was this the tale told to children who asked, “Why does the sun shine in the day and the moon and stars at night?” The firmament above with it shining lights were seen as the bulwark against “the enemy and the avenger” who might challenge God’s sovereign power.

Quickly, the psalmists attention moves on to the night sky at which one still gazes at in wonder when one can see it clearly without cloud cover or the dulling of artificial light. How infinitely small and insignificant such a view makes one feel. Knowing what we know from the discoveries of modern astronomy and cosmology, does that sense of insignificance not become all the more intense?  What place then do human beings have in such a vast universe? Has anyone yet surpassed the spiritual insight of the psalmists answer to his own question in vss. 4-5?

The sacred gift of “dominion” described in vss. 6-7 carries far more meaning today than in the pastoral culture of ancient Palestine.  Environmentalists decry the assault we have made upon the sustainability of life on our planet resulting from a literal interpretation of what the word implies. Simply put, the environmental creed of the psalmist is identical to that of Gen. 1:26-30. The natural world and its products have been given into our care for our use. Today, sadly, we must add “but not for our abuse.” Under God’s sovereignty, reiterated in vs. 8, we are beginning to pay the price for our sinful exploitation of what we have been given in trust.

2 CORINTHIANS 13:11-13.    The Corinthians had many fights among themselves and with Paul. He ends this letter, however, with an appeal to them to put “things in order” and live peaceably with one another so that they may truly experience the love and peace of God.

From earlier passages in both letters we learn how disordered the life of the Corinthian community had become. Conflicts existed between different factions caused by interpersonal rivalries, spiritual arrogance, a lack of sensitivity toward less experienced members, sexual immorality, and possibly some theological differences. The arrival of some other teachers had exacerbated the situation.

Scholars tend to regard 2 Cor. 10-13 as a severe letter sent from Ephesus after a hasty and unsuccessful visit Paul had made to Corinth. Immediately before this reading Paul had discussed his future plans regarding the Corinthian church and had made a number of miscellaneous appeals. A more complete discussion of the background of the passage requires consultation of the many commentaries including those which give insight into the sociological structure of the early Christian church.

As valiant as his efforts were at making peace in this congregation, Paul may not have been the best pastor for this particular faith community. The rigidity of his Pharisaic background, his self-assurance as a convert, and his confidence in his apostleship may have done more to create difficulties than to resolve them. Do not the various of debates still carried on in the church today about several controversial passages in the Corinthian letters also confirm such questions about Paul’s effectiveness? Perhaps more surprising, therefore, are the many passages in these letters which rise to splendid heights of faith and give a dynamic vision of what the redeeming love of God in Christ can do for those who accept the power of the Spirit to work love’s miracle among us.

The final benediction is still in common use in modern worship services. Questions have been raised as to whether it came from Paul himself or is the addition of a later editor of the letters. It goes much farther than Paul’s usual closing benedictions. Normally, he prayed for the grace of the risen Christ to be with is readers. This may be the reason for mentioning grace first. Yet it is through the redeeming work of Christ that the love and purpose of God have been revealed. This certainly is what Paul had experienced and sought to communicate in all his preaching and writing. He also believed and taught that the Spirit was the agent by whom he had been empowered and the faithful were sustained in their new relationship with God and with each other.

The word “communion” is often translated as “fellowship.” It actually means participation in and the sharing of the Spirit which is the love of God communicated to us through Jesus Christ. While this benediction may not express a fully developed doctrine of the Trinity, it certainly describes the experience from which that doctrine arose. It also explicitly summarizes Paul’s urgent desire for his Corinthians friends and so fittingly concludes the letter.

MATTHEW 28:16-20.   This pericope brings the gospel to a fitting conclusion, and the church has used the trinitarian commission as an effective, ecumenical mission statement ever since. It confirms the tradition shared by Luke and John that Jesus did commission the disciples to carry on his ministry in the world. By no means do the gospels share the same tradition as to the exact words that Jesus spoke on the occasion of his final appearance. The diversity of their interpretations points to the absence of a fixed tradition. This is particularly true with regard to the locale: Luke 24 and John 20 tell of an appearance in or near Jerusalem; Matthew and John 21:1-14 place the final appearance in Galilee.

Matthew adds another little detail that may link this pericope with what has gone before. He specifies “the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.” This may be an intentional allusion to other mountains where he had placed significant events in the ministry of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount and the Mount of Transfiguration.  Speculative as such an allusion may be, it would add faith-inspiring power to Matthew’s conclusion. He further emphasized the element of faith by stating that “when they saw him, they worshiped him.” But what does the additional clause “but some doubted” mean? Could Matthew have also known, but chose not to include,  the tradition about Thomas which John wove into his gospel? (John 20:19-30) Luke also knew of the disciples doubt (Luke 24:11; 37-42). The tradition appears to have been widespread.

Today the ecumenical fellowship still uses the trinitarian formula as the essential proof of participation in the Christian church. There seems little question that it  dates from the earliest tradition although it may have not been had the same controlling force  now vested in it. C.H. Dodd clarified its historicity by showing how it fulfills all the requirements of a “pronouncement-story, ... a folk-tradition in which “an oft-repeated story is rubbed down and polished, like a well-worm pebble, until nothing but the essential remains, in its most arresting a memorable form.” [“Essay in the Form-Criticism of the Gospels” in *Studies in the Gospels,* ed. D.E. Nineham, 9-35] We should not be surprised at this, since Paul also frequently linked the Spirit with God and Christ as did John’s Gospel, thus laying the foundation for the later doctrine.

The command to make disciples by baptizing and teaching states the means the  church used from the beginning and still uses to witness to and continue in its faith relationship with the risen Christ. The promise to be with us “to the end of the age” confirms elements of the original kerygma: the ascension of Christ, the gift of the Spirit as his continuing presence, and the promise of his second coming. Thus the church lives in that ambiguous eschatological state of “already” but “not yet.” Baptism is the symbol of this state of grace. The teaching is the way in which those who believe continue to grow in grace and mature into a more experienced discipleship until our transition to life beyond death makes it complete.

-30-