In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.[a] 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. NLT
Beginnings begin with being
Being in formless emptiness
As the Spirit hovers.
Being in the darkness
As the light becomes.
Being in the moment
As your name is called.
Beginnings are gifts of mercy
Mercy that creates
By the Spirit’s power.
Mercy that brings light
To dispel darkness.
Mercy in the moment
That calls your name.
Beginnings are always waiting
Waiting to be born.
Waiting to be received.
Waiting to begin.
Beginnings begin with being
Where you are.
Where the Spirit hovers.
Our scriptures today are about beginnings. Genesis tells us of the beginning of creation. That beginning, by the power of the Spirit, by the call of God, came out of darkness and confusion and emptiness. That beginning seemed to come from something that simply wasn’t or if it was it was desolation. God created a new beginning.
Paul brings a new beginning to the disciples in Ephesus. The disciples seemed to be in the dark and uncertain of what was to come after repentance. That was what John’s baptism refers to. Repententance, the changing of one’s mind. But then what? Paul brought to them the baptism of the Spirit. The same Spirit that brought the beginning of all creation. And that beginning brought the disciples out of uncertainty to the full life the Spirit created. Renewed life as only the Spirit of God brings. A new beginning.
And Jesus’ baptism is yet another beginning. It is the beginning of the ministry of the Spirit of God through the human named Jesus. I can not tell you if Jesus knew for sure what was next. Scripture does not tell us. Tradition has a lot to say but scripture isn’t so forthcoming. I can tell you however that scripture reveals that Jesus’ ministry of healing and forgiveness begins when the Spirit hovers over him and calls his name. Perhaps Jesus was uncertain exactly what was the next step. We tend to forget he was human. Perhaps the spirit within him called for one way of living and the human desired another. Is that not what the temptations in the desert reveal to us?
And the Spirit hovered over Jesus and there was a new beginning. One that has changed history.
Beginnings are pesky little devils. They begin when they want to. They cannot be hurried. They are given to us when they are ripened. And in the meantime, we are left in uncertainty, darkness, and perhaps even a sense of emptiness. And yet, just over us, perhaps just out of sight, the Spirit hovers. John saw the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, did Jesus? Scripture does not say. Did the Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness to find the beginning that John saw?
Sometimes it feels like that. Before I became a pastor everyone else saw it coming but me. Honestly, I thought I could never stand in front of people to talk, little lone preach!
Here is what I wonder. The church wonders what is its future? Answers are a little confusing and pews are empty. There are times in our lives when we feel like we don’t know what is next, where we are going, who we are meant to be. Sometimes lives feel empty and formless. And one can even take this into the evolution of humanity and creation.
Sometimes we have to simply be where we are and trust. We have to be in the darkness, the uncertainty, the wilderness and trust the Spirit is hovering over us.
Waiting till the new beginnings have ripened. Until the time is full.
I also noticed in these stories that water seems to draw the Spirit to come and create and proclaim. Water, the most prevalent element on earth.
I love this fun fact from EPA.org:
There is the same amount of water on Earth as there was when the Earth was formed. The water from your faucet could contain molecules that dinosaurs drank
Or in which Jesus was baptized or that washed the feet of Peter or that Jesus walked on. In fact:
Up to 60% of the human adult body is water. According to Mitchell and others (1945), the brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water. The skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys are 79%, and even the bones are watery: 31%.
The Spirit hovers over the water and creates new beginnings.
Often churches put out their fonts so that people might remember their baptisms. Today, as we come up for communion, let's touch this water, maybe even splash in this water, bless ourselves with this water and remember that the Spirit hovers here and desires to create new beginnings. For us. For the church. For all humanity.
Beginnings are always waiting
Waiting to be born.
Waiting to be received.
Waiting to begin.
Beginnings begin with being
Where you are.
Where the Spirit hovers.