Dust

 

Then the Lord God formed (hu)man from the dust of the ground and breathed into the nostrils the breath of life, and the (hu)man became a living being.  Genesis 2:7 (NRSV)

 

So YHWH fashioned an earth creature out of the clay of the earth and blew into its nostrils the breath of life.  Genesis 2:7 (Inclusive Bible)

 

One day the Eternal God scooped dirt out of the ground, sculpted it into the shape we call human, breathed the breath that gives life into the nostrils of the human, and the human became a living soul. Genesis 2:7 (The Voice Translation)

 

God formed Human out of dirt from the ground and blew into its nostrils the breath of life. The Human came alive—a living soul! (The Message).

 

Yesterday, we began a series called Love Makes a Family.  In Genesis 2, after God forms, fashions, breathes, and loves the first dust being into life (Dusty), God observes that it isn’t good for a human to be alone.  This isn’t about dating or marriage.  This is about connection.  If you rewind just a bit to the first creation narrative in Genesis 1:1-2:3, at the very end, God says, “Let us make humans in our image” Genesis 1:26.  God is in relationship (with both the Spirit and Chaos) before the sky/seas/manatees/Creation responds to God’s voice.  God is in collaboration and cooperation with the Spirit, sloshing chaos, and Christ from the beginning.  God loves committees and group projects.  I asked you in the sermon to ponder some of the people who have left fingerprints upon your heart in your life.  In Genesis 2, God seeks a partner, helper, or companion for the first human.  While the dogs were great, while the birds sang songs, while the armadillos had a great sense of humor, it wasn’t until the first human gazed into the eyes of another featherless biped that the soul felt full.  We are meant/built for relationships because that is a central and core characteristic of our Creator.  Who are your partners who make your heart sing?  In fact, rewind and remember.  Who were your pals in elementary school, high school, when you started work, and right now?  This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive assignment.  Scroll through the photo album that lives in your memory.  Are you still in contact with any of them?  Which friend have you known the longest?  This isn’t a competition.  Sometimes we meet a soul friend late in life.  Further, it isn’t the length of the list that matters.  As a matter of fact, Dunbar’s number suggests we can maybe only have three to five intimate friendships and that we can only really “know” up to 150 people ~ after that, they become acquaintances.  Or as Arthur Brooks says, you can have deal friends (where the relationship is transactional) or real friends (where no one keeps a spreadsheet over how many times you ask for a favor).  Ponder your list.  What are your thoughts?  Can you have more than five close friends?  Do you feel like you really know more than 150 people?  Or do you find that several people are more deal friends than real?  If Love Makes a Family, then how can our church encourage caring and belonging (two of our values) that is real for each person?  May God expand and improvise our living out of these questions each day.