The Gulls of Galveston

 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2 ESV).

 

While reading the first chapter of Genesis I was taken back to my childhood when I often found myself roaming the beaches of Galveston. I must confess that these times were not sanctioned by my parents, but living a mere ten blocks from the beach was too much of a temptation not to hop on my bicycle and roam the sands. There were times when I actually had a plan, though most of the time I simply enjoyed watching the waves roll in and the ever-present gulls float through the air looking for something to eat. Sometimes I would sneak away with some bread or crackers to lure them in closer by tossing crumbs in the air just to watch them drop from the air to swoop in and capture the morsels before they hit the ground.  

 

Perhaps you have done something similar. They seem to just hang in the air over the waves, even with the wind blustering and the waters roaring.  They still soar calmly over the rough ocean. Perhaps it is a result of their constantly flying in that environment, or their strength and skill. Either way, it is amazing to see their control. They just hover in the air watching and waiting.

 

That image of hovering over turbulent waters is how the Bible first describes the Spirit of God. The word for “hovering” indicates a high degree of care, even concern, in its action, and it is unmistakably linked to the behavior of protective birds that brood over their nests, guarding and keeping their clutch warm and safe as it develops. The Holy Spirit, in his protective love, hovers over the surface of the unformed deep.

 

The story of creation in Genesis was given to God’s people at a time when other stories about the beginning of the world were filled with themes of violence and chaos. Into that unsettled situation, the Genesis story came as a gift that revealed God’s purposeful, loving intention to make all things good and beautiful. At the time, it would have sounded far different from the other creation stories. And because love and goodness are at the center of this story, it continues to invite people to know God as the loving, protective Creator that he is. As we’ll see in the next few days, many other passages in the Bible also teach us something about God through the imagery of birds. I hope you will be encouraged with this approach each day. He does indeed “hover” over us!

 

Spring Rains

 

Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain, from the LORD who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field. For the household gods gutter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd. “My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the LORD of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them like his majestic steed in battle. From him shall come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler—all of them together. They shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight because the LORD is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses. (Zechariah 10:1-5 ESV).

 

It has been quite a week of weather. We typically watch a news channel each day for the forecast and one of their catchphrases when extreme weather is a part of the forecast is “weather aware.” Mary and I are amused with one of the meteorologists who seems to get especially animated with each of these potential storms. Personally, I am never excited about thunderstorms, hail, or tornados. There are many references in the Scripture to the destructive power of storms and how sometimes God uses storms to bring judgment. But many other texts describe storms as bringing blessings, especially in the rains that water the land.

 

Just as today, regular rainfall was essential for ancient cultures with limited irrigation systems. When Jacob sent his sons from Canaan to buy food in Egypt (cf. Genesis 42), it was impossible to grow food where they were. They needed rain for their crops, but instead they had a massive famine. It is difficult to imagine that kind of need, however that was the norm of that time and place. Even today we see in some parts of the world where access to clean water is essential for survival.

 

Zechariah reminded God’s people that the Lord is the source of rain. Zechariah’s prophecies were pastoral, emphasizing that God is at work in nature and is the source of the people’s power. We all need to ask God for his blessing and to live lives that reflect the source of that blessing. At that time, the people were rebuilding the temple of God in Jerusalem, so Zechariah reminded them that God calls everyone to turn away from sin and to serve him in faith. The closing chapters of Zechariah begin pointing to the coming Messiah (Jesus Christ), the Savior. Not only does the Lord provide rain for everyone, but in the coming kingdom God will provide all that everyone will need. It is an encouraging reminder in our troubles today.

 

The Life Everlasting

 

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self his being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:13-18 ESV).

 

Maybe you have had some great times with family and friends, with delicious food to enjoy, and perhaps even a sunny, blue sky overhead, a soft breeze blowing, and the world radiating God’s glory in creation. Times like that can give us a peek at what we mean when we say, with the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in … the life everlasting.” Even so, our fleeting moments of joy in this life pale in comparison to the eternal joy we can look forward to in Christ.

 

Yet this we know with certainty: one day, we will stand before God’s throne with Jesus, surrounded by countless others in our community of faith from around the world, completely freed from all fears, and filled with perfect peace and joy (cf. Revelation 7). There we will be fully doing what we were created for: “to glorify God and enjoy him forever” (Westminster Catechism).

 

Until that time, we may have only fleeting glimpses of our ultimate destiny—and those moments may come during struggles, challenges, and sometimes even utter defeat. But we are encouraged not to despair during hard times but to wait with hope for the day when Jesus will be all and all, when his kingdom will come in power and glory. This is our declaration of faith!

 

The Resurrection of the Body

 

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:51-56 ESV).

 

While we are alive, our spirits are united with our bodies. When we die, our spirits depart, and our lifeless bodies return to the earth. Is that the final destiny for our bodies? Some religions welcome death as a release from the “prison” of the body. But, according to the Bible, God made us to have both souls and bodies; moreover, he made our bodies good (cf. Psalm 139:14). So, when the two are separated by death, we cease to be as God made us. For that reason, we say, with the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in the resurrection of the body.”

 

With the accumulation of years we all come to intimately understand that our bodies are vulnerable and frail. They break down and eventually just give out. Yet our bodies remain integral to who we are as God has made us. Without our bodies, we are no longer fully ourselves.

 

For all of us who believe in Christ, we can take great comfort that when we die, our souls will immediately be with Jesus. And when Jesus returns, our bodies and souls will be reunited. Then we will again be fully ourselves.

 

On that day, though, our bodies will no longer be frail and mortal. Death will be conquered, and we will have “…glorified” bodies, just like Jesus’ body at his resurrection. What a day that will be!

 

The Communion of Saints

 

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, pin proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:3-8 ESV).

 

When we say, with the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in … the communion of saints,” we are saying that through Jesus’ blood we not only belong to him but also to each other. Our blood relationship in Jesus transcends even the real blood we share with our own family members. This connection goes beyond cooperation. It is an unbreakable, shared bond through the new birth we have be given in God’s grace and love.

 

And our communion with each other is more than just a statement of fact. Paul goes on to explain that belonging to one another has a crucial function. Each of us has been given gifts by the Holy Spirit. Though our gifts vary, the purpose for them is the same: to build one another up in service to the Lord and for the benefit of all. Using our gifts leads to all kinds of ways in which we can show God’s love to one another and to all the people around us.

 

The gifts we have may include preaching (prophesying—bringing God’s Word to people), teaching, leading, serving, giving, or any number of other abilities. Jesus wants us to use these gifts with thanksgiving and love to strengthen his body so that all can join in the communion of saints.

 

The Holy Catholic Church

 

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 7:9-12 ESV).

 

As we near the end of our study of the Apostles’ Creed we come to a statement that has been misunderstood and maligned through the modern era. However, we must remember that the Christian faith is deeply personal, and, at the same time, it is also deeply communal. When we say, with the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in … the holy catholic church,” we are declaring that the church, the body of Christ, includes all who belong to the people of God throughout history. It is not merely a reference to the Roman Catholic Church.

 

This statement does not single out or promote a particular church within the body of all who believe in Christ. The word “catholic” here means “universal,” indicating that the church of Christ includes all of God’s people from all times in history. The breathtaking vision in our reading today captures the scope of Christ’s church gathered “from every nation, tribe, people and language.” Can you imagine a more awe-inspiring sight?

 

And what unites this astonishing multitude of people from every time and place? Since the early centuries of the church, the teaching of statements like the Apostles’ Creed has played a central role in uniting Christians around the true faith anchored in Scripture and inspired by the triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

 

This truth and witness of the universal church is meant to comfort, encourage, and challenge us to love and serve the God whom countless believers have served through the ages. It is a call to a wide community of believers.

 

The Author of Scripture

 

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV).

 

Paul’s words to Timothy in our reading today offer practical advice for godly living. From an early age, Timothy had learned the truth found in the Scriptures. And here Paul encourages him to continue to read, learn from, and trust in God’s Word, which helps every believer focus on living God’s way for full, meaningful life. God’s Word can be trusted because it is not the mere words of imperfect human beings; it is the truth of the eternal God himself.

 

When we confess, with the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in the Holy Spirit,” we also affirm that the Holy Spirit worked in and through the people who wrote down the words of Scripture to reveal God’s design and purpose for us. Paul describes the Spirit’s work as “God-breathed.” Just as the Holy Spirit breathed life into the first human being (cf. Genesis 2:7), so the Holy Spirit breathed into the work of the Bible’s human authors, making the Scriptures full of life and giving all that we need for faithful living.

 

While there has been much discussion and debate through the centuries since the Scripture was written, we can be sure that it was not just a work of man. God had a direct and irrefutable hand in the writing.  That makes it a book of truth giving us the blueprint of how to understand and live for God today.

 

When you have questions about life, look first to the wisdom and truth of Scripture. There you will find all you need for every circumstance and question in life. The Holy Spirit has guaranteed this as well as our eternal life.