SERMON SHORT FOR JULY 19th, 2020
SPACE: THE PREMIER FRONTIER
Genesis 1:6-8, John 4:7-15, Isaiah 45:8-13
On this second day of creation God comes up with a “firmament” that separates the waters above from the waters below. The original writing in Hebrew makes it clear this was some solid divider between where we live and what is above that. It would be a mistake to think of this as a barrier between the earth and the heavens.
First of all, the Hebrew word used for “heavens” here is the same word used for “sky.” And we know there is no firm barrier between us and the sky. Secondly, if there was ever any sense that God is kept behind some solid curtain, like the Wizard of Oz, that barrier was destroyed by Christ who became God on this earth and upon his death tore that curtain away.
Oddly, the day lacks the phrase that is present in all the others. It does not mention that it was “good.” Maybe that means this firmament that separates what is above from what is below is not finished yet, but becomes finished at a later time.