New Alphabet

Gen 2:4-9

Rev 21:1-6

 

There are 66 books of our Bible and they make for our one Bible. If you read it from beginning to end that would be wonderful, yet it is not obvious that there is one theme or plot for each book may have its own theme or plot, or it may be a collection of poems, or it may be pithy proverbs, and even in the New Testament the gospels are tell the story of Jesus in similar yet different ways, and then there are these letters to specific churches. It is a book of many books. I asked in the baptism class, "what is the Bible about?" the first answer I got was that it is about Jesus. I then reminded them that only the New Testament is directly about Jesus. While the Hebrew Scriptures are read by us Christians to prepare the way for Christ, I encouraged a more general theme. We thus came up with the Bible is a love story between God and humanity. This is the theme that is dealt with in every book in the Bible, that is the relationship of people and the Divine.

To understand the Revelation scripture we need to start with this Genesis Scripture. In this account of creation there is no plant nor rain, just uncontrolled water from the ground. This is the water of chaos that is also mentioned in the earlier creation account in Genesis 1. While the seven day account had the plants created before the humans, the garden account in Genesis 2 needs humans to till the ground and set the humans in the garden. The garden is a theological place of harmony and order, where God lived with humanity. There is just something missing, humans' free-will. That brings us to the serpent. In the ancient world the serpent or snake represented wisdom, as it was seen as living so long, shedding skin and thus not dying. And as we know the serpent told the two that they would not die if they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And the serpent was correct that they did not die (except being removed from the garden can be seen as a death as well). This fall however was needed.

God created humans to be a partner in the garden. It reads in this Creation account that God needed to someone to till the ground. God knowing the tree of knowledge and life, realized that humanity also needed a partner to me confirms His original goal was for humanity to be in relationship with God. However, to be in relationship, true relationship, you do need to know good from evil, or it is simply a partnership of survival. In a garden that completely provides for the physical needs it is even less needed. Thus the fall is what makes the alphabet necessary. All animals communicate, and many are so complex we still study their communications, however it is all for survival. Humanity communicates to collectively and individually determine good and evil. Our language is for us to be able to discuss and consider this fall, this knowledge of good and evil, and then be able to choose the good, the Divine.

However, language is used for so many other things as well and very little of our alphabet seems to be used to communicate our goal of returning to the garden, the place with God. Mostly it is used to sell things or entertain us, or so it seems. The Revelation scripture shows us that we are not to go back to the garden, yet we are to be apart of something new. Not just a new earth, but also a new heaven. Thus I would add a new alphabet. One in which we all choose good and thus the Divine is with us all in our newness, and our alphabet is an alphabet of Love.