Humanity Sunday Background Reading
For leaders of the church service.
There is quite a lot of information to read. It is necessary to read it all. This Sunday we have a golden opportunity to celebrate the mysterious wonder and the beauty of humanity. We also need to take this opportunity to confront the challenges and responsibilities that fall on all humanity regarding our fragile and threatened environment.
Aims and objectives
Main Aim. To stand in awe and amazement of humanity, to celebrate the complex unity as well as the potential of human beings and be thankful.
Other important aims are,
1. To explore what ‘dominion’ and ‘made in God’s image’ mean, in the context of the Genesis readings, and in doing so, compare the 2 creations stories in Genesis.
2. To prompt reflection on the different ways of living within our fragile environment.
3. To acknowledge the Godly dimension of all that is.
4. To discern the gospel’s Good News for today.
Resources offered
1. Background reading and commentaries on Bible readings
Genesis 1:1 – 2:25.
There are 2 creation myths in Genesis. It is helpful to read these stories right through, at one sitting - Genesis 1:1 to 2:25. The 1st creation myth is told in Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a. The 2nd. myth is in Genesis 2:4b - 25.
Fretheim, in his commentary on Genesis 1:24-31 in the New Interpreter’s Bible (Vol 1 Page 345-346), states -
The phrase, ‘image of God’ has been the subject of much discussion over the centuries. This language occurs only in Genesis 1 -11(though implied elsewhere, e.g. Psalm 8). In describing the relationship between Adam and Seth (5:3; cf.5:5, 9:6), the words ‘image’ and ‘likeness’ are reversed, suggesting that the second word dominates. In 1:26, ‘likeness’ may specify the meaning more closely, so that ‘image’ should not be construed in the sense of identity. …….. The ‘image’ refers to the entire human being, not to some part, such as the reason or the will. As for ‘likeness’ in body, one may suggest that this notion appears in the later physical appearances of the ‘messenger of God’ (see 16:7).
My comment
One could also say that the ‘likeness in body’ is the most predominant way in which God is presented right throughout the Bible. Even though God has been presented in some abstract ways, nearly all through the Bible, God is presented anthropomorphically, as a superhuman-being with human attributes and attitudes. In both the Old Testament and the New, there is a continuous use of anthropomorphisms regarding God.
‘Anthropos’ is the Greek word for ‘man’ or ‘human’. An anthropomorphism, when speaking of God, is a statement that uses words and concepts, emotions and behaviours which are appropriately used when speaking of human-beings and their activities. These anthropomorphisms all seem to be describing God, the essence and nature of God, the activity of God and what prompts God to do what God does.
Brueggemann, in the New Interpreter’s Bible, in his commentary on Exodus, Vol 1, page 803, states -
Such ‘anthropomorphic’ portrayals as we have in the text belong to the core of biblical faith and are not incidental footnotes.
Nearly every time God is spoken of, words used which try to describe the activity of God, the nature of God, the relationship of God to things or humans, etc., are couched in anthropomorphic language and pictures. The Bible is full and church teachings are full of it. Church dogma and doctrine are also full of it.
In the Bible, God has human physical features. Here are some. Fingers, hands, arms, ears, eyes feet. I’m sure there are others.
In the Bible, God does lots of things that human do. Here are some. God creates, sits, shuts in, walks, goes about, calls, rests, pours out, fights, destroys, kills, smiles, listens, looks, sees, smells, laughs, whistles, touches, blesses, forgives. I’m sure there are others.
In the Bible, God is stated as experiencing many human feelings and emotions. Here are some. God has feeling of jealousy, hatred, love, delight, pity, sorrow at what ‘he’ has done, anger, revenge; God remembers, changes ‘his’ mind. I’m sure there are others.
Together, with numerous others, they create the constant image of God as a super-human Being.
Most of these texts are poetry or poetic and none should be taken literally. However, although it can be difficult to speak of God in ways other than with anthropomorphisms, these are used constantly in the Bible without much effort, it would seem, to move beyond them. In many cases it was thought unnecessary to try. God was a supreme super-human and spoken of as such.
God ‘lives’ and ‘acts’. These are both anthropomorphisms. That’s what humans do. God is referred to as the ‘living’ God and God is always doing things. The Bible teaches that God is deeply involved in human history, performing God’s actions. This is all anthropomorphic talk.
Might one say that the bible writers have created God in our human image?
Other biblical scholars and commentators have been part of this discussion.
Matthew Fox, in his book ‘Original Blessing’ on page 175, states
It is our creativity which is the full meaning of humanity’s being an ‘image of God’.
From the Wisdom of Solomon, a Christian document used by the early church, but not included in the Canon of Scripture. Wisdom of Solomon 2:23: -
For God created man to be immortal and made him to be an image of his own eternity. The righteous, because they are made in the image of God, can rest in the full hope of eternal life.
To return to Fretheim’s commentary, looking at the Genesis context of ‘image’ and ‘have dominion’, -
On page 345, then 346 -
The ‘image’ functions to mirror God to the world, to be God as God would be to the non-human, to be an extension of God’s own dominion. …..
A study of the verb ‘have dominion’ (rada in Hebrew) reveals that it must be understood in terms of caregiving, even nurturing, not exploitation. As the image of God, human beings should relate to the non-human as God has related to them. This idea belongs to the world of ideal conceptions of royal responsibility (Ezekiel 34:1-4; Psalm 72:8-14) and centres on the animals. The command to ‘subdue the earth’ (kabas in Hebrew) focuses om the earth, particularly cultivation (see 2:5, 15), a difficult task in those days. While the verb may involve coercive aspects in interhuman relationships (see Numb 32:22,29), no enemies are in view here. More generally, ‘subduing’ involves development in the created order. This process offers to the human being the task of intra-creational development, of bringing the world along to its fullest creational potential. Here paradise is not a state of perfection, not a static state of affairs. The future remains open to a number of possibilities in which creaturely activity will prove crucial for the development of the world.
When God conveys blessing (see 1:22; 2:3) God gives power, strength, and potentiality to the creatures. Such action, therefore, constitutes an integral part of the power-sharing image, a giving over of what is God’s to others to use as they will. God will not pull back from this act of commitment, which God renews after the flood (9:1).
Genesis 1:30
“And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
My comment
This verse does not speak of the nature as we know it. Many animals are carnivores and have always been for millions of years. They are meat eaters.
Mark 10.42-45
Comment is made on this passage in a ‘conversation’ in the suggested liturgy.
2. Thoughts and information about human beings
A. Our physical body
Our human heart -
· is a little bigger than a fist;
· is a strong muscular pump, pumping about 2,000 gallons of blood through our circulatory system each day;
· beats about 100,000 times a day, or about 35 million times each year.
Our veins, which take blood from all parts of our body to our heart, if stretched out in a single long line would measure about 100,000 miles.
Our kidneys clean about 200 litres of blood every 24 hours and turn toxins and waste in urine.
Each human cell has around 6 feet of DNA. Humans are composed of about 10 trillion cells, a low estimate. This means that each person has around 60 trillion feet or around 10 billion miles of DNA inside of them.
B. Our learning capacity seems nearly endless. We can learn to -
sew on a button, etc., etc
construct a building, 160 stories high, etc., etc
make a sandwich, etc., etc
travel to, and walk on the moon, etc., etc
complete a jigsaw puzzle, etc., etc
do quantum physics, etc., etc
have a shower and get dressed, etc., etc
transplant a human heart from one human to another, etc. etc
fix a leaking tap, etc., etc
be a primary school teacher or a pig farmer, a computer website designer or window cleaner, a philosophy lecturer or a vet, a nurse or a designer of bigger and more lethal weapons for war, a motor mechanic or a poet. Maybe be multi-skilled, etc., etc.
C. We can, with effort -
run 100 metres in less than 10 seconds, etc,. etc
climb Mount Everest, etc., etc
win a football match, etc., etc
lift over 450 kilograms, etc., etc
get excellent marks in exams, etc., etc.
For some of us, it takes a lot of effort to walk or talk, get out of bed in the morning or eat; but we do it.
D. We can -
love or hate, and everything in between;
play by the rules or cheat, and everything in between;
be belligerent or sensitive, and everything in between;
be generous or mean, and …
be violent or compassionate, and …
be dogmatic or flexible, and …
listen or always talk, and …
be humble or arrogant, and …
be patient or aggressive, and …
lie or be honest, and …
be abrasive or gentle, and …
be exclusive or inclusive, and …
do all we can to protect our environment or do nothing and everything in between.
We can be ourselves or try to be something/someone we am not.
AND
We can look back at all this, particularly our behaviour, and be ashamed or pleased, maybe both, or just not care.
What other creature in the cosmos can do and be these things? We don’t know of any.
What about the myriad of unsung heroes who, although seriously disabled, live a full life and inspire others to do the same? And the parents of disabled children who make sacrifices and face challenges, for many years, far beyond the normal. There are so many human heroes. Ordinary people do extraordinary things.
Let us stand in awe of my/your/all humanity.
3. Suggestions for congregational (including children) participation; dialogues and individual contributions.
a. Conversation about humans.
See Suggested liturgy
b. Personal sharing.
See Suggested liturgy
c. Play ‘Follow the leader’ with the children.
See Suggested liturgy
4. New lyrics.
There are new lyrics in the suggested Liturgy.
5. Suggested Liturgy.
The content of the suggested liturgy takes about 45 minutes, which includes time for the children’s game, prayers of the people, dramatic readings, etc., so there is time for extra insertions which you might like to add.