S108P3 – Creation story: shared creation

Gen. 1:11-13

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day.

I was a gullible kid at times, but there were some things that I just would not fall for.  The first time I remember someone telling me that swallowing a watermelon seed would cause a watermelon to grow in my stomach, I also remember responding in complete disbelief.  In fact, I felt the need to test this claim by swallowing as many seeds as I could while eating slice after slice.  Although I understood that watermelons come from their own seeds, I also understood that there were only certain conditions under which that plant could grow.  Interestingly, I only thought of watermelons as coming from their own seeds but never thought of the first fruits created through the voice of God.

The story of creation highlights for me the incredible power God has not only to imagine what we see but to make it a reality.  It brings to mind the song Only God Can Make a Tree.  I love that song, and while it is true that no person could make a tree, there is something slightly inaccurate about that title’s statement.  This passage tells us that God created the plants of the Earth so that they would be able to spring forth in the future from their own seeds.  God made those first trees, but He also gave those trees the ability to make more trees over and over.  It is the same with human procreation.   God created, and He gave his creation a part in the future creative process.   He could have decided to make all the trees himself, but He let those plants have a hand in that work as He also allows us to do.

That is the awesome thing about God, that He would weave into the fabric of his creation the ability to continue creating.  It is a partnership, a synthesis between the Creator and his handiwork.  When He instructed Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, He was asking them to partner with him in creation.  It is a gracious privilege that He grants us and the animals and the plants the blessing to manifest his creative power through us.  God did not create all of this simply to be, but He created it so that it would create for him.  Father, thank You for letting us and all creation partner with You in this process of creating.