Dcn Tom Lindell
Greetings my brothers and sisters!
When you read my offering today, I will be in Minneapolis for the memorial service for my brother Peter, who died on 12 January in his home, surrounded by his wife, children, and even some grandchildren. The evening before, we talked to him when the phone was held up to his ear. He knew that it was us on the line and tried to talk to us however labored. That evening the whole family stayed in the townhouse and had a wonderful sleepover. They were scattered throughout the house. Pete died peacefully the next morning at 8:30. We were blessed that Peter’s wife Judy had such wonderful support around her.
We had been scheduled to travel to Minnesota the next morning until we heard that services would not be held until early February. Since we could not stay that long, we postponed our trip until now.
The Eucharistic Lectionary for today lists Genesis 1:1-19. As a scientist, I cannot resist commenting on this beautiful Judeo-Christian Creation story. It was written by priests after the return from the Babylonian exile. They realized that the Hebrews did not have a creation story. The Babylonians had their own creation story, the Enuma Elish. Interestingly, Genesis 2 which is a completely different creation story, was written around 500 years before Genesis 1. While they are beautiful creation stories, there is no scientific veracity to them. Scholars label them Cultural Cosmologies. One of the striking realities about stories such as these is that they were never intended to be literalized. Unfortunately, many have chosen to literalize the story which “kills” the intent, which is to be an invitation into the story of Creation. So I encourage you to enjoy the story and to ponder its deep truths but not to feel obligated to accept it as fact.
In reading Chapter 1, a depiction of the cosmos from the ancient Hebrew perspective develops. I have attached a copy of that below. Note that the earth is on pillars, with water below and above. The waters above are separated by a dome or firmament in which floodgates were cleverly introduced to allow for rain, hail, and snow to provide needed moisture. God’s dwelling is above it all. This simplistic picture provides what is necessary for life on the earth.
While the biblical creation story was accomplished in seven days, the actual creation of our solar system took over 9 billion years to come to fruition. Another 4.8 billion years brings us to today, where we are just beginning to pay attention to how that delicate balance has been abused. A state of quasi-equilibrium existed prior to the Industrial Revolution. It has now been displaced because of human intervention. What we are observing is the earth attempting to reestablish that state of equilibrium through remarkable climate changes with very drastic results.
Many people and industrial conglomerations are in denial about our impact on the biosphere, favoring the short-term financial gains to be made through exploitation of resources over a concern for a habitable environment. There is an urgent need for awareness and opportunities for involvement.
—Dcn Tom
