Where we are

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Where we are
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Theres only one thing you can do here Mr.
Navorski, shop!
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He waits
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Theres only one thing you can do here Mr.
Navorski, shop!
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Genesis

• God places the man and the woman in a good place
• The man and the woman decide they have a better
  idea the curses and the cursing just kept coming

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Genesis 423-24 (NRSV) Lamech said to his
wives Adah and Zillah, hear my voice you
wives of Lamech, listen to what I say I have
killed a man for wounding me, a young man for
striking me. If Cain is avenged sevenfold, truly
Lamech seventy-sevenfold.
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Genesis 528-29 (NRSV)When Lamech (a different
Lamech) had lived one hundred eighty-two years,
he became the father of a son he named him Noah,
saying, Out of the ground that the Lord has
cursed this one shall bring us relief from our
work and from the toil of our hands.
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Genesis 65-8 (NRSV)The Lord saw that the
wickedness of humankind was great in the earth,
and that every inclination of the thoughts of
their hearts was only evil continually. And the
Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the
earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the
Lord said, I will blot out from the earth the
human beings I have createdpeople together with
animals and creeping things and birds of the air,
for I am sorry that I have made them.
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Genesis 65-8 (NRSV)The Lord saw that the
wickedness of humankind was great in the earth,
and that every inclination of the thoughts of
their hearts was only evil continually. And the
Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the
earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the
Lord said, I will blot out from the earth the
human beings I have createdpeople together with
animals and creeping things and birds of the air,
for I am sorry that I have made them. But Noah
found favor in the sight of the Lord.
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Genesis 918-25 (NRSV)The sons of Noah who went
out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham
was the father of Canaan. These three were the
sons of Noah and from these the whole earth was
peopled. Noah, a man of the soil, was the first
to plant a vineyard. He drank some of the wine
and became drunk, and he lay uncovered in his
tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the
nakedness of his father, and told his two
brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a
garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and
walked backward and covered the nakedness of
their father their faces were turned away, and
they did not see their fathers nakedness. When
Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his
youngest son had done to him, he said, Cursed be
Canaan lowest of slaves shall he be to his
brothers.
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Humanity not yet done with our efforts to undo
the curse
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Genesis 111-5 (NRSV)Now the whole earth had one
language and the same words. And as they migrated
from the east, they came upon a plain in the land
of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one
another, Come, let us make bricks, and burn them
thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and
bitumen for mortar. Then they said, Come, let us
build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top
in the heavens, and let us make a name for
ourselves otherwise we shall be scattered abroad
upon the face of the whole earth. The Lord came
down to see the city and the tower, which mortals
had built.
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Genesis 1110-26 (NRSV)These are the descendants
of Shem. When Shem was one hundred years old, he
became the father of Arpachshad two years after
the flood and Shem lived after the birth of
Arpachshad five hundred years, and had other sons
and daughters. When Arpachshad had lived
thirty-five years, he became the father of
Shelah When Serug had lived thirty years, he
became the father of Nahor and Serug lived after
the birth of Nahor two hundred years, and had
other sons and daughters. When Nahor had lived
twenty-nine years, he became the father of Terah
and Nahor lived after the birth of Terah one
hundred nineteen years, and had other sons and
daughters. When Terah had lived seventy years, he
became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
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Genesis 1126-30 (NRSV)When Terah had lived
seventy years, he became the father of Abram,
Nahor, and Haran. Now these are the descendants
of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor,
and Haran and Haran was the father of Lot. Haran
died before his father Terah in the land of his
birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. Abram and Nahor
took wives the name of Abrams wife was Sarai,
and the name of Nahors wife was Milcah. She was
the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and
Iscah. Now Sarai was barren she had no child.
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Genesis 1126-30 (NRSV)When Terah had lived
seventy years, he became the father of Abram,
Nahor, and Haran. Now these are the descendants
of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor,
and Haran and Haran was the father of Lot. Haran
died before his father Terah in the land of his
birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. Abram and Nahor
took wives the name of Abrams wife was Sarai,
and the name of Nahors wife was Milcah. She was
the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and
Iscah. Now Sarai was barren she had no child.
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What is to come of this species?
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Humanity is once again painted into a corner
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Terah will try yet another thing
Genesis 1131-32 (NRSV)Terah took his son Abram
and his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his
daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abrams wife, and
they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans
to go into the land of Canaan but when they came
to Haran, they settled there. The days of Terah
were two hundred five years and Terah died in
Haran.
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Here we stand before the most inredible
announcement in the tradition of Israel. The
family of Abraham has derived naturally from
historic antecedents, as indicated in the
genealogies of Gen. 10-11. But that natural
derivation now results in nothing. It ends in
barrenness (1130) There is no suggestion of
punishment or curse. It is simply reported that
this family (and with it the whole family of Gen.
1-11) has played out its future and has nowhere
else to go. Barrenness is the way of human
history. It is an effective metaphor for
hopelessness. There is no foreseeable future.
There is no human power to invent a
future. Walter Brueggemann Genesis
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But barrenness is not only the condition of
hopeless humanity. The marvel of biblical faith
is that barrenness is the arena of Gods
life-giving action. Walter Brueggemann Genesis
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Genesis 121-3 (NRSV)Now the Lord said to Abram,
Go from your country and your kindred and your
fathers house to the land that I will show you.
I will make of you a great nation, and I will
bless you, and make your name great, so that you
will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless
you, and the one who curses you I will curse and
in you all the families of the earth shall be
blessed.
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Genesis 121-3 (NRSV)Now the Lord said to Abram,
Go from your country and your kindred and your
fathers house to the land that I will show you.
I will make of you a great nation, and I will
bless you, and make your name great, so that you
will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless
you, and the one who curses you I will curse and
in you all the families of the earth shall be
blessed.
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Genesis 121-3 (NRSV)Now the Lord said to Abram,
Go from your country and your kindred and your
fathers house to the land that I will show you.
I will make of you a great nation, and I will
bless you, and make your name great, so that you
will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless
you, and the one who curses you I will curse and
in you all the families of the earth shall be
blessed.
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Abram seems eager to get underway for his blessing
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Genesis 124-9 (NRSV)So Abram went, as the Lord
had told him and Lot went with him. Abram was
seventy-five years old when he departed from
Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai and his
brothers son Lot, and all the possessions that
they had gathered, and the persons whom they had
acquired in Haran and they set forth to go to
the land of Canaan. When they had come to the
land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to
the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At
that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then
the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, To your
offspring I will give this land. So he built
there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to
him. From there he moved on to the hill country
on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with
Bethel on the west and Ai on the east and there
he built an altar to the Lord and invoked the
name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on by
stages toward the Negeb.
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But the rest of his life will be all about
learning how to wait and trust

• The same old lessons of the garden that Adam and
  Eve failed at
• Learning to trust that
• God will bless
• God will fulfill his promise
• God will undo the curse upon fallen humanity

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In fact he never really got to see the promise
fulfilled
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Hebrews 118-12 (NRSV)By faith Abraham obeyed
when he was called to set out for a place that he
was to receive as an inheritance and he set out,
not knowing where he was going. By faith he
stayed for a time in the land he had been
promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents,
as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him
of the same promise. For he looked forward to the
city that has foundations, whose architect and
builder is God. By faith he received power of
procreation, even though he was too oldand Sarah
herself was barrenbecause he considered him
faithful who had promised. Therefore from one
person, and this one as good as dead, descendants
were born, as many as the stars of heaven and as
the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
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This is Advent, we wait we hope
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What is to come of this species?
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Each of us sits with all the same questions that
Abram had
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We have no human power to invent a future
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Our attempts at saving ourselves just lead to
more of the same
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The place that God takes us too sometimes looks
like exile (forced out of our home) or sometimes
looks like teasing (we see something that looks
good, but we cant get there)
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We are left to wait and to hope

• Will God save his people?
• Will he, can he undo the debacle of the garden?
• What will become of us? Our children?
• What must I do, or must I simply wait?
• Is God true to his word?

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John 114 (NRSV)And the Word became flesh and
lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the
glory as of a fathers only son, full of grace
and truth.
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What did Abram see?
Hebrews 118-12 (NRSV)By faith Abraham obeyed
when he was called to set out for a place that he
was to receive as an inheritance and he set out,
not knowing where he was going. By faith he
stayed for a time in the land he had been
promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents,
as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him
of the same promise. For he looked forward to the
city that has foundations, whose architect and
builder is God. By faith he received power of
procreation, even though he was too oldand Sarah
herself was barrenbecause he considered him
faithful who had promised. Therefore from one
person, and this one as good as dead, descendants
were born, as many as the stars of heaven and as
the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
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We get to see more
John 114 (NRSV)And the Word became flesh and
lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the
glory as of a fathers only son, full of grace
and truth.