Sunday Inspiration: Sunday, May 12, 2024
Announcement: The newsletter is getting an update. Beginning this week, the Sunday email will be built around the Sunday sermon, including prayers, discussion questions, and a benediction. The regular email with links, photos, and my weekly collection of exciting things will come out on Thursday. The mid-week inspiration will go to the paid subscribers. Thank you for being so committed to follow along. Please share and help me get the word out.
Digging In The Dirt
Sunday, May 12, 2024 (Mother’s Day)
Growing up, I had the nickname “Green Bean.” It was given to me by a great-uncle, Frank Anderson. Frank was an old farmer who lived in the Shoal Creek community of White County, Georgia. I was given that name because my summers were spent with Frank in his garden, and my job was picking the green beans. We arrived as the sun was coming up and picked until we had enough bushels to load up and bring down to the farmer’s market in Gainesville, Georgia. We would sell green beans by the half peck and full peck. I don’t know if the word “peck” is a legitimate measurement, but that is how we measured the beans for the customer.
We would bring back home the ones we didn’t sell, string them, and break them, and the women in the house would can the beans to be stored for the winter. Picking green beans, shucking corn, and digging potatoes is how some of my summers went as a young boy growing up in the country.
As a boy having to get up early in the summer, I didn’t care much about those days, but looking back on the experience, I am grateful. It taught me the value of hard work and the importance of digging in the dirt.
In my childhood, I spent my days digging in the dirt. My brothers and I would build miniature roads in the sandbox for our Matchbox cars, dig in the dirt in the woods behind our house, and pretend we were sitting in foxholes fighting off imaginary enemies. When the sun was going down, my mom would ring an old school bell that my dad had mounted on our porch, and we were expected to come home and wash up for dinner. When I would walk back into the house after a day outside, my clothes had dirt and briars and brush all over them, but I didn’t feel dirty. Instead, I felt rather clean; I felt like I had been baptized into the glory of God’s creation.
In the first chapter of Genesis, we hear the refrain, “and it is good,” six times in reference to God’s creation. What makes creation good is that it reflects God's character. After humanity was created, God looked over his creation and declared it was not only “good” but “very good.” Humanity becomes the capstone of God’s creation. Within that goodness, God calls us to care for creation. God placed Adam into Eden “to work it and keep it” (v. 15) and gave Adam the privilege of naming all the animals, a sign of our unique place within the created order.
The story of our creation from the book of Genesis reads with the simplicity of a child who is making mud pies. The Lord takes dirt between His fingers, molds, and shapes until He gets the image He is going for. Then, God breathes into the nostrils of this little mud doll, and life begins. It is not just any breath. God breathes his Spirit into our soul. We are God’s breath, and yet we are also mud from the ground. We are made of dirt. After humanity's downfall in Genesis 3, we learn that we shall return to the dirt. Our origin is in the dirt, and our future is in the dirt.
I suppose this could be a sermon about being good stewards of the earth. It could be a challenge to take responsibility for God’s good creation. We can be sad over how our greed and selfishness have caused so much pollution that our grandchildren and great-grandchildren won’t be able to experience the beauty of nature the same way we have. In theory, Christians should be excellent at hearing information that shows we might have made mistakes that need correcting; we are people of repentance, after all. We should be the first to step into the unknown and build a new and hopeful future. But study after study has demonstrated that we are the most unlikely people to take seriously caring for God’s creation.
And I find that odd since we say we are people of the Bible. Psalm 24 declares, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” And Psalm 8 instructs that humans have been given dominion over everything God has created. The Psalmist says of God, “You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority— the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents” (Psalm 8: 6 - 8). If the earth and everything on it belong to the Lord, and we are charged with caring for it, you would think we would do a better job.
But this is Mother’s Day, and I don’t want to make you feel guilty. Maybe just commit to spending more time outside. You don’t have to do that alone. Did you know we have a hiking ministry? We do! Contact Ginnie Highsmith for more information.
Taking my lead from Genesis, I want to tell parents, let’s focus on creating gardens where the hearts of our children can flourish. The fruit we hope to cultivate in our children is what the Apostle Paul describes as the fruit of the Spirit. In Galatians, Paul says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5: 22 - 23). This starts by teaching the two sides of our creation, as explained in the beginning. We are dirt, and yet, we are created in the image of God. Each child reflects God’s beauty and wonder. Each child has value. Each child matters. Each child has a purpose regardless of ability, talent, or productive value to society. Every child is created in the image of God.
Yet, we are shaped out of the dirt of the ground. We all come from the dirt, and we will all return to it. If anything, this should keep us humble. No one is better than anyone else. When you want to start thinking of your child as better than the next child, remember we all get to go back to being dirt. The next time you dig in the dirt, it is good to remember that from dirt, we have come, and to dirt, we shall return.
We should teach our children the beauty of the fact that one day, God was playing in the dirt and making mud pies. When God got the image he wanted, God breathed life into that mud pie and made it a human being. And human beings became a reflection of God's image. Our children are of infinite value and humble creatures, all wrapped up into one.
And we are worth God sacrificing God’s very best. With dirt on our faces, hands, and hearts, Jesus came to restore us to God's image and make creation new. We are promised that when tears are wiped away and death is no more, God will make all things new.
Another thing about this story that is a valuable lesson for us living in a busy world is that annoying tree in the middle of the garden. Genesis says, “The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9).
Adam and Eve had all the trees they wanted but were told to stay away from the one in the middle - the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” We can do a sermon on this, but I want to close with a little reflection. The tree was in the middle of the garden. Adam and Eve had to walk past the tree every day. Every day, they had to go past the pecan, peach, and apple trees, but the temptation of what they were missing out on got them. They had everything they needed to survive but wanted what they were missing out on. We stumble every time when we focus more on what we don’t have instead of what we do have. Parents, don’t parent from a place of lack; instead, do so from a place of abundance. Focus on what the Lord has provided instead of getting caught up in what you don’t have. Maybe a good place to start is spending time digging in the dirt as a family. Amen.
Discussions
Reflect on your earliest memories of interacting with nature. How have these experiences shaped your understanding of God’s creation and your responsibility towards it?
Discuss the concept of being made from dirt and returning to dirt. How does this idea influence your view of human equality and humility? How can this perspective affect the way we treat others?
Reflect on the idea that focusing on what we lack can lead to discontent. How can adopting an attitude of abundance and gratitude change your personal life and community interactions?
What are your thoughts on the role of repentance in addressing environmental issues? How can acknowledging and correcting our mistakes lead to a more hopeful and sustainable future for the planet?
The sermon ends with an invitation to spend time outside and in the dirt as a form of spiritual and familial bonding. Plan a group outdoor activity where you can experience God’s creation together. What might this look like for your group or community?
Prayer
Creator God, Help us embrace the humility of our origins and remember our place in Your creation—neither above nor apart from it, but a part of it, tasked with its care.
On this path of stewardship, inspire us to cultivate gardens in the hearts of our children, planting seeds of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. May these seeds grow into a harvest rich with Your spirit, reflecting Your beauty and goodness.
As we dedicate ourselves to this task, we ask for Your wisdom to prioritize what truly matters, avoiding the distractions of lesser things that can lead us astray. Teach us to live in the richness of what You have provided, finding contentment and strength in Your provisions.
Bless our hands as we dig in the dirt with our families, reminding us of the circle of life and the joy of simple things. In these moments, let us feel closer to You, our Creator, who sculpted humanity from mud with divine breath.
We ask all these things in Your holy name, celebrating Your creation and our part in it today and every day. Amen.
Benediction
May the Lord bless you and keep you, as you walk through the gardens of life. May His face shine upon you, radiating warmth like the morning sun on freshly tilled soil. As you step out into the world, may God's hands guide your actions, planting seeds of kindness and harvests of joy.
In all you do, may you reflect the beauty of God's creation, caring deeply for the world and those who dwell within it. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Tweet This
👶 We're made from dirt but crafted in God's image—a blend of humble origins and divine breath. This duality teaches us humility. Remember, we're all from the same earth. #Humility #SpiritualReflection
🌼 Spend more time outdoors and connect with the land—it's a living sermon. Digging in the dirt isn't just about planting; it's about grounding ourselves in what truly matters. #FamilyTime #NatureHeals
🌍 In Genesis, God's declaration of "it is good" invites us to view creation as a reflection of His character. Let's honor that gift by being diligent stewards of the earth. How are you caring for creation today? #CreationCare
