Bible reading
God took the Man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order … Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.” (Genesis 2: 15 - 23)
Meditation
This part of the Creation stories in Genesis suggests that work is intended to be about creativity and care - naming the essence and possibilities of a good creation. Our task is to cultivate creation (to make it fruitful) and to care for it (to maintain and sustain it), just as God told Adam to work the ground and keep it in order. Cultivating creation is a creative activity based on understanding the essence of each thing that we cultivate. This understanding comes from the task God gave to Adam of naming the creatures brought to him. Names in ancient culture were descriptive of the essence or meaning of objects or people. So, in this story Adam’s task was to identify the essence of each creature that God brings to him.
Because the creation is good, Adam is being asked to name all that is good, integrated and coinherent within it. James Thwaites has suggested that this is what creation is crying out for (Romans 8: 19-22): “It must be crying out for its goodness to be fully realised and fully released. The creation cannot be good apart from the sons and daughters because we alone were given the right to name it; we are the image bearers who were made to speak moral value and divine intent into it. We were created to draw forth the attributes, nature and power of God in all things”.
As we look for the essence - the attributes, nature and power of God in all things - we also see possibilities inherent in creation. Everything in creation is both what it is in its own right and what it could become. God has given us the task of naming both what things are - their actuality - and what they could become - their possibilities.
So, in our work, we are to look both for the good in the work itself and in those with whom we work and we are to name the good when see it. We are also called to look for new possibilities in our work - both in the work itself and in those with whom we work - and to name these possibilities as we see them.
Prayer
Creator God, you have given us the task of naming what things actually are, by looking for the essence of things and seeing the attributes, nature and power of God in all things. Enable us to do this in our work and for those with whom we work by naming the good when see it and by speaking moral value and divine intent into our workplaces and relationships. Through our speech, may we draw forth the attributes, nature and power of God in others.
Guide us to see the good in our colleagues and workplaces. May we name and develop new possibilities in our work and colleagues.
Creator God, you have given us the task of naming what things could become - their possibilities. Enable us to look for new possibilities in our work - both in the work itself and in those with whom we work - and to name these possibilities as we see them.
Guide us to see the good in our colleagues and workplaces. May we name and develop new possibilities in our work and colleagues.
Creator God, you have said that our work is intended to be about creativity and care - naming the essence and possibilities of a good creation. May we cultivate creation by making it fruitful and care for it by maintaining and sustaining it. Enable us to cultivate creation as a creative activity based on understanding the essence of each thing that we cultivate.
Guide us to see the good in our colleagues and workplaces. May we name and develop new possibilities in our work and colleagues.
Blessing
Cultivating creation, seeing the good in our colleagues and workplaces, developing new possibilities, speaking moral value and divine intent into people and places, drawing forth the attributes, nature and power of God. May those blessing of God almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon us and remain with us always. Amen.
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The Welcome Wagon - But For You Who Fear My Name.
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