1. God is good Ps 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;     blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Ps 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;     the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold     from those whose walk is blameless. A basic tenet of the Hebrew/Christian faith The core of God’s nature is that he is good What he does is good Many people have distorted the Christian faith to portray God as angry and vindictive, punishment oriented, God “used to be” good Everything else we know about God builds on this concept

1. God is good Ps 119:65-68 65 Do good to your servant     according to your word, Lord. 66 Teach me knowledge and good judgment,     for I trust your commands. 67 Before I was afflicted I went astray,     but now I obey your word. 68 You are good, and what you do is good;     teach me your decrees. God uses afflictions in our lives to get our attention God brings good out of bad situations “what you do is good.” Doesn’t always feel good Those with chronic illness I want to say that God had nothing to do with your illness I want to say God is compassionate not punishment I want to say that God is not responsible; the devil did it God is all knowing, all powerful, present everywhere; Cannot create two gods, dualism Your situation does not change who God is at his core We have a tendency to see the suffering, the pain, the poverty, the injustice and say “God is not good.” But God is good; people are selfish and to blame for not caring for those

2. What God creates is good Gen 1: 11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. There is a deep seated goodness present in the world that God has created. Goes beyond the beauty of nature. A good God creates good things. God doesn’t fashion junk. There is a “rightness” to the way the world/ nature/ is formed and functions.

2. What God creates is good Gen 1; 14 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. We typically don’t have to “fix” nature. Forest fires are for the good of the forest. There is a goodness formed into creation that does not require that we make it so it will last. We adjust to make our lives more comfortable in the midst of it A/C in hot/ humid climate Humidity feeds the vegetation of that area

3. The world God fashioned is good Rom 1:20 …since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made… Nature reveals who God is Powerful Divine (good) Not pantheisem It is not that God is the tree But instead, the creator God, his power and goodness can be seen in the way the tree is fashioned The world naturally replentishes itself The world is resilient NOT AN ECOLOGICAL STATEMENT- CANNOT KEEP RAPING THE LAND!

3. The world God fashioned is good Philippians 4:8-9 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me— put it into practice.) And the God of peace will be with you. A plumb-line When horrible things happen Nature re-centers itself Concrete paved over, Flower comes up through crack Forest fire occurs, Aspen come back almost immediately There is a goodness that is built into nature; because it is fashioned by a good God There is a goodness that is built into life, because it is fashioned by a good God As Christians, we should be at the forefront of pain and suffering Feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, heal the sick, comfort the grieving We can lose focus on the goodness of God My sabbatical designed to get me back in touch with goodness A plumb line- recentering

3. The world God fashioned is good whatever is true,- noble, - right, - pure,- lovely, - Admirable- excellent – world points out what is false world points out the dirt world points out the wrongdoing world points out the smut world points out the ugliness of life world points out the fallen hero world points out the flaws Noble + an exalted moral or mental character of excellence Principle of 98% And grace

So What? The world around us sees God as a tyrant “…an act of God” is a phrase for a disaster People tend to focus on the disasters or evils that happen and forget about the re-centering of goodness that always follows. God has fashioned the world to be good Give people hope- Don’t fuel the fear