“Sacred Ground" Genesis 2: 4b – 25 Today’s Scripture: 1 Peter 2:1-10 Morning Message: “Sacred Ground" Genesis 2: 4b – 25 

Genesis 2: 4b – 25 “Sacred Ground” When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, and no wild bushes were on the earth yet and no wild plants had yet grown up (because the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth, and there was no human being to serve the ground, though a stream would come up from the earth and water the whole surface of the earth), the Lord God shaped a human person with dirt from the ground and blew into its nostrils living breath, and the human person became a living being.

Genesis 2: 4b – 25 “Sacred Ground” The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and put there the human being he had shaped. The Lord God made to grow up from the ground every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food, and the life tree in the middle of the garden, and the wisdom tree. There was a river coming out of Eden to water the garden, and from there dividing and becoming four headwaters . . .  

Genesis 2: 4b – 25 “Sacred Ground” The Lord God commanded the human being: “From every tree in the garden you may definitely eat. But from the wisdom tree you are not to eat, because on the day you eat from it, you will definitely die.”   The Lord God took and placed the human being in Eden Garden to serve it and look after it. The Lord God said, “It is not good for the human being to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for the human.”

Genesis 2: 4b – 25 “Sacred Ground” The Lord God shaped from the ground every creature of the wild and every bird in the heavens, and brought them to the human being to see what the human would call them. Whatever the human being called a living being that was its name. The human being gave names to all the cattle, to the birds in the heavens, and to all the creatures of the wild. But for a human being no corresponding companion was found.  

Genesis 2: 4b – 25 “Sacred Ground” So the Lord God made a dream fall on the human being so that the human slept. God took part of the human’s side, and closed up its place with flesh. The Lord God built the side that he had taken from the human being into a woman, and brought her to the human being.

Genesis 2: 4b – 25 “Sacred Ground” The human being said, “At last! This one is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh! This one will be called ‘Woman,’ because from a man this one was taken.”   Hence a man leaves his father and his mother and sticks to his woman and they become one flesh. The two of them were naked, the man and his woman. They owned nothing but they felt no shame.   Adapted from Goldingay, John (2010-03-19). Genesis for Everyone: Part 1 Chapters 1-16. Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.

Genesis 2: 4b – 25 “Sacred Ground”

“God shaped me to live with God on sacred ground. God shaped me to live as a priest serving sacred space. I help God’s life flow out to the entire world.”

God shaped me from earth “God made me. God shaped me from earth and blew God’s life breath into me.”

“God set me up on sacred ground to serve sacred space. I help God’s life flow out to the world. Wherever I am, I am a priest. I live in God’s presence and I help others know God.”

Respect and obey the Lord! This is what wisdom is all about. Proverbs 9:10 CEVn Respect and obey the Lord! This is what wisdom is all about. To have understanding,  you must know the Holy God.

God is dealing with me directly, God’s hands shaping me, God’s breath giving me life, God’s plan appointing me to serve sacred space, God’s grace making me a caretaker of blessings, giving me an abundance of everything, warning me not to take when God says “wait”.

God gives us an abundance of everything.” “God shaped me by hand out of earth and breathed God’s life into me. God set me up on sacred ground, to serve sacred space. I am a priest helping God’s presence fill the world. I am not alone. I name living beings. God shapes community for me, a family of priests. Serving together, there is no shame in having nothing because no one is poor. God gives us an abundance of everything.”