This past week, our landscaper, Kevin, and his crew began to restore the plants that had been killed by our recent freezes, and trim back the burned portions of the ones that survived. Kevin does beautiful work. I wonder if he realizes how biblical it is! Adam and Eve’s initial job description is to till the land in the garden of Eden and keep it, just like Kevin.

Being created in the image of God means Adam and Eve are capable of seeing things as they are, imagine how they ought to be and then bring that vision into reality. A garden isn’t just nature. It’s nature tended with purpose, shaping nature, improving upon it.

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In the Bible, most often we see God’s Word shared through patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, or prophets like Elijah and Isaiah, or through the authors of the Psalms, Proverbs or Ecclesiastes. We note their authority in our service when we say, “The word of the Lord...Thanks be to God.” The witness is usually brought to us through divine inspiration: inspired human witness, inspired human writing, inspired choice of which writings to include, and inspired human translation.

Along with divine inspiration, we recognize its truth because it has also stood the test of time. God’s Word holds up. It applies today, to our own times and circumstances, thousands of years later, as it did for the writers in their own time.

But the way God spoke to Moses and Israel in this morning’s passage from Exodus is not that. Everything about this witness and the larger story from which we’ve nipped out these seven verses, is a whole other thing.

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It’s Super Bowl Sunday.  Any Patriots fans here? Any Seahawks fans? Any “anyone but New England” fans? And “I don’t care”? Be nice.

By 10:00 or so, one team will win the trophy, many of them will quickly put on hats and t-shirts. Soon, they’ll get rings. Usually the entire organization, players, coaches, support staff and front office people, get rings. They are the team behind the team, after all.

The fans will buy their own keepsakes. I was eleven when the Dolphins went undefeated in 1972. I bought a book about that season. I got a jersey with my name on it. That’s what fans do, if you’re into that kind of thing. I saw an Indiana shirt here a few weeks ago after they won their college championship. Fans become walking advertisements for their teams.

Or, you might say, we become salt and light for our teams. Some fans are a bit saltier than others. Some shine more brightly than others. Note how that loyalty and visibility come easily to people. Now let’s look at how Jesus instructed his followers in the Sermon on the Mount.

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