Wonderment of Creation

During the Bible Study at church on Sunday, my pastor asked us to contemplate one or two from a series of five exercises. I chose to contemplate the creation of the world, as described in Genesis, and Jesus. In addition to reading about the creation story in Genesis 1:1-2:4, the instructions said to read John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being”.

The directions after the readings said to imagine Jesus present at creation then imagine him growing up over 3,000 years later. What would have delighted him? What would have pained him? Finally, imagine Jesus walking in creation today. What parts of creation would he not recognize? What new things would he delight in?

I sat there and thought about this. I’m sure Jesus was present at the creation of the world. After all, Genesis 1:26 says “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness,…’”

Let us…our image…that means the Trinity. God, three in one. And one of the three is Jesus.

So what was Jesus’ reaction to creation? I think that he would have looked at the world with such joy and wonder. Everything fresh, clean and new. The air smelling like it does after a fresh spring rain, with the smell of new flowers and grass in the air mingled with the smell of fresh dirt, earthy and deep.

Then I thought about his reaction to the world after he had been born of Mary and was raised as her child. The world was now populated with loud, noisy obnoxious people and there were roads cut through the beautiful landscape and buildings rising up where there used to be fields of flowers. He must have been astounded by the damage humans had done to creation.

But he would have seen the wonder of creation in the eyes of children. Seen their joy when they run through a field or when they discover that birds fly for the first time or when they roll around in the dirt with a puppy. All that happiness and wonderment must have made Jesus think about the world when it was brand new and the happiness and wonderment he had felt.

Then I thought about Jesus’ reaction to the world if he was walking around today. Humans have done far more damage to the world since he lived here as one of us. Pollution chokes the air and waters, glass and steel buildings rise up in concrete jungles where there used to be forests and streams, and motor vehicles are racing around on ribbons of highways where once animals wandered around fields in search of food. His reaction would still be astonishment at the destruction we have brought on the world that was created.

But, again, he would see the wonderment of creation in children’s eyes. See their joy and happiness because everything for them is brand new. He would know that all is not lost because children can see the beauty in the ordinary things that adults seem to busy to notice.

Children weren’t around when the world was created. Children didn’t come along until after Adam and Eve fell from grace and were kicked out of Eden. But children weren’t necessary then since creation was all brand new and fresh. Children have been necessary ever since because they remind Jesus and us that the world is a place of wonder and joy. Fresh, clean, new and simple.

We may not be able to see this ourselves as we go about our lives. But if you are around a little child and see their reaction to a line of ants on the sidewalk or a bird soaring in the air or a cow grazing in the field, then you will see, in their eyes, the joy of creation. The same joy Jesus experienced when the world began.