New Creation

Trinity Sunday

Fr. Tim Nunez

May my spoken word be true to God’s written word and bring us all closer to the living word, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

The creation story in Genesis describes God bringing chaos into order, step by step. When he creates humanity, he goes a further step. The key verse is Genesis 1:27, which is perhaps the most important sentence ever written “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.”

We come into the picture, in the image of God, and God immediately includes us in his work. We are to continue to bring order to the chaos. We see words like “dominion” and “subdue” that evoke a sense of control, but they are also infused with stewardship. It is not our creation to use as we see fit. It is God’s creation into which he has invited us to participate as co-creators.

And we are creative. Our capacity for creativity, for imagination, solving problems and developing stories, innovation and art, are immense and have driven us ever since. Creativity exists on this edge of chaos and order. We are continually bringing order out of chaos, and even the order we establish requires constant review, reflection and renovation.

That’s all very theological and philosophical, but we can bring it into sharp focus with a local example which I can sum up in a single word: Disney. The Disney empire is built on creative genius, which is rare and tremendously difficult to get right. Whether rooted in old fairy tales or new ones, in fiction or true life, our imagination creates timeless stories that hit home because they dance on the edge of chaos and order, right where God has placed us.

A dashing prince slays a dragon to save his true love. The dragon represents chaos. True love is how things ought to be, which is to say, order. We connect to such a story because we, too, should courageously meet the dangers and challenges of life for the sake of true love. The old fairy tale becomes a cartoon or movie, which leads to a theme park, a ride, action figures, books, and on and on.

The magic of that story takes root in a child. That child embracing Sleeping Beauty or Prince Philip at Disney World is also magic, for which we will pay dearly and wait in ridiculously long lines. Behind all the creative “magic” at Walt Disney World is a massive, tightly managed corporation of about 77,000 employees with a very rigid set of ideals, rules and regulations, an army of accountants, engineers, and teenagers sweeping debris into dustpans all day every day. All of that organization is in a constant state of internal review, reform and renewal as they adjust to shifting tastes, economics and circumstances.

Which brings us to a very critical moment this morning. We have two children, Lilianani and Taliesin Maslanka, who desire to be baptized by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s body the Church. A couple of points need to be said.

First, their family is wildly creative. Their father, Christopher has a PhD in English literature and is a gifted teacher. Their mother, Tiana, is a professional performer, currently working for the aforementioned Walt Disney World. Their godparents are professional performers. Their grandparents are also performers. And all of their family are creative in writing scripts, choreography, set design and construction, puppeteering and I don’t know what else.

I suspect they have a very keen sense of the way creativity lives on the edge of order and chaos. And I suspect we all have a keen sense of the ways art reflects life as being on that border. We are constantly on that edge. Disney has viburnum bushes shaped like characters. They have to feeding and water the bush so it will grow is encouraging some chaos. That growth must be constantly trimmed to keep it in order, under control. That’s life.

There is a fundamental issue beneath our creativity. It is God given. We did not come by it of our own accord. We are created in his image to be creative. But in what direction and to what end are we creating? Is it to make money? Is it to feed our own egos? Is it to build and rebuild some measure of order against the relentless onset of chaos life brings? What is our highest and best purpose, our ultimate aim?

Which brings us back to Lilianani and Taliesin. They are wonderfully creative children. Lilianani has performed here at Good Shepherd in roles related to the many Vacation Bible Schools Christopher and Tiana created and produced for us. But it’s more than that.

One Sunday, she came to church wearing glasses. I said I didn’t realize she wore glasses. She said, “I don’t, they’re just a prop. I thought they completed the outfit.” Only then did I realize she looked like a girl heading off to a British school. What is she going to do with that amazingly creative mind?

And while he is much younger, spend five minutes around Taliesen and you’ll see the same creativity bubbling behind his eyes and in the ways he speaks and plays.

For a long time, they have come to the altar rail Sunday after Sunday and received a blessing. But their sweet faces have been etched with resignation that they could not receive communion until they were baptized. It has taken some time and effort to bring this creative family into a specific day and time to celebrate this moment together.

Through Christ, the Lord is continuing his project of bringing chaos to order and invites us to participate as Christ’s body. Jesus has inaugurated the New Creation. Sometimes that creativity will bring into existence things that are entirely new, or guide us to incorporate new things into the new creation. Often it drives us to reimagine, reform, or redeem order that has become too rigid, in any aspect of life. Often it requires us to preserve and represent truths that have been discarded or overlooked, but must be reasserted.

The highest and best grounding of our creativity is Christ himself. He is the ultimate revelation of God’s word and God’s character, the ultimate revelation of good. When we think of reforming ourselves, our families, the Church, our government, his standards frame our objectives. whatever else needs work; whatever else needs healing; whatever needs reforming, turn to him. Hear his voice, apply his Word, follow his example.

AMEN!