You will notice if you are familiar with yoga how many references to yoga asana (or poses) there are in this story. Cobra, many yoga poses are named for animals and plants such as lotus. Many poses could be said to be present within the Christian creation stories as plants and animals are mentioned here as well. Many creation stories overlap in content. Creation of space, sky, water, earth, and animals seem to dominate most.
I am further drawn to the Lotus that grew out of Lord Vishnu. Lotus flowers grow out of muddy waters into beautiful flowers. They are significant in many Asian cultures. They represent the attainment of enlightenment. We must pass through much muddy, dirty, rough stuff to finally comprehend that that is to be learned. We may find ourselves repeating these dirty times over and over until we finally understand and are enlightened. Each cycle hopefully brings us closer to this awareness.
It could be said that we are currently in another muddy cycle right now. On the date of this writing the death of George Floyd has sparked protests across the country and the world. We are in the mud much like we have been in the past with other civil rights events, other cycles. It is my hope that with each turn of the wheel, each season in the mud, we can learn and improve. We can get closer to enlightenment and peace.
Om mani padme hum - Hail, the jewel in the lotus
Namaste
The Lesson: Genesis 1:1-2:4a
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and
darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and
God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called
Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from
the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the
waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening
and there was morning, the second day.
And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry
land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered
together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth
vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed
in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and
trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was
evening and there was morning, the third day.
And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and
let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of
the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater
light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome
of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the
light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was
morning, the fourth day.
And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the
earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature
that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And
God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in
the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the
fifth day.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things
and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the
earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of
every kind. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them
have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over
all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply,
and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air
and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant
yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have
them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that
creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And
it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening
and there was morning, the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God
finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had
done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work
that he had done in creation.
These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
Psalm 8
O Lord our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!
Out of the mouths of infants and children *
your majesty is praised above the heavens.
You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, *
to quell the enemy and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *
the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
What is man that you should be mindful of him? *
the son of man that you should seek him out?
You have made him but little lower than the angels; *
you adorn him with glory and honor;
You give him mastery over the works of your hands; *
you put all things under his feet:
All sheep and oxen, *
even the wild beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *
and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.
O Lord our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!
The Epistle: II Corinthians 13:11-13
Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one
another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a
holy kiss. All the saints greet you.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with
all of you.
The Holy Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they
saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority
in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them
to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end
of the age.”
Lotus Flower photo credit to Jon Sullivan
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