Thoughts for Sunday April 23

"God sat down on the side of a hill where he could think. God thought and he thought until he thought, "I'll make me a man." Up from the bed of the river God scooped the clay, and by the bank of the river God kneeled him down and there the great God Almighty who lit the sun and fixed it in the sky, who flung the stars to the most far corner of the night, who rounded the earth in the middle of his hand, this great God like a mammy bending over her baby kneeled down in the dust, toiling over a lump of clay till he shaped it in his own image. Then into it he blew the breath of life and the man became a living sould." (from the poem The Creation by
James Weldon Johnson) Art offers us the best language with which to depict God. Maybe, art is the language of God the Creator. Johnson's poem happens to be one of my favorite narrations of the Creation story and offers an image of God that is the perfect marriage of God's parental nature, almighty attributes, and position as creator in one vivid poem. (Before I forget, here is a link to this week's reading.)

Thoughts & Questions to Consider/Comment on:

• I believe that asking better questions leads to gaining a more faithful understanding of any subject, God included. So, what question is Genesis 1 (and following) seeking to answer (Who, what, when, where, why, and/or how)?
• Thomas Aquinas stated that theology was the Queen of the Sciences. What is and what should be the relationship between science and faith? How does "science" impact "faith?"
• Why did God create us? What is our role in creation? What makes us special (or are we)?