The question arises in some form or another almost every time I teach a course on the Bible: If God knew what a mess humanity would make of God’s creation, why did God create the world as we know it? The question has force for us, as it projects our own experience onto the cosmic screen.
If the political movements of the second half of the 20th century taught us anything, it was that names matter. It matters that a mature African-American male be addressed as “Mr.” or “Sir” and not as “Boy.” It matters that a married woman be free to choose the surname by which she will be known. It matters, because names are more than labels.
This week’s texts are striking for their marvelous intertwining of
themes that creedal Christians, in particular, often tend to keep
separate: creation and redemption. This appears especially when the
Gospel reading speaks of the word of creation as the Word-become-flesh
who reveals and reconciles us with the Father.
