Tuesday 11 February 2025

Today is Tuesday the 11th of February in the 5th week of Ordinary Time.

The Porter’s Gate with Molly Parden and Jonathan Ogden sing, ‘The Promise’; a song that speaks of creation coming to life through love. How does this song speak to you today?

This gift you gave from the beginning
Warm light, dry land, blue water brimming
And more, from the earth there came a growing
From seed to bloom, all the while you were sowing
It was love, love given in the water
And peace, God's peace written in the letters
Of the earth, God's earth, given with a promise
Can we keep it
Can we keep it
And stars in the night to gaze on them kindly
Great light, cool moon, all aligned in the sky, see
From water came life and so from the land
To feed, not to fight, to stand hand in hand
It was love, love given in the water
And peace, God's peace, given in the sunshine
And the earth, God's earth, given with a promise
Can we keep it
Out from the silence I hear a voice, I follow it onwards
You whisper to me, I am reminded of every gift you gave
So, spirit lead me unto the waters, unto the earth you made
Teach me the secret to ever care for, to look after it
It was love, love given in the water
And peace, God's peace written in the letters
Of the earth, God's earth, given with a promise
Can we keep it
Can we keep it



Today’s reading is from the Book of Genesis. Today, we will only hear the scripture read once…

Genesis 1:20-2:4

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.

The passage for today invites us to enter into imaginative prayer, using our senses to encounter our creative God, witnessing to all that is good.

"And God said, 'Let the waters swarm with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.' … And God saw that it was good."

Imagine the swirling waters, birds wheeling through the sky, the abundance of life moving across forests and plains.

Feel the warmth of the sun and the cool of the breeze on this new earth.

Hear the waves and the wind, the cries above and below: the voice of the Creator coaxing each new life into being. The joy in that voice…

“So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.”
Notice how God finds joy in all creation, but it is humankind that is made in God’s image. What does this mean to you? Do you recognise God’s joy in you as His creation?

“God blessed them, and God said to them…”
To be created in God’s image is to be entrusted with a great responsibility. How do you respond to this calling? Where do you see God’s goodness in the world today? How do you feel called to care for creation and reflect God’s image?

“God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.” Enter into the peace of this holy moment. Imagine the Creator satisfied and at ease.

Share a time of prayer with God, giving thanks for the beauty and goodness of creation and asking for whatever grace you may need today.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.