tSoGS - Genesis 17:1-14 Reflection

Genesis 17:1-14

This passage is loaded.

God reveals more about himself. He is to be recognized as El Shaddai - God Almighty. Supreme God. God All-sufficient. Think about the paradigm shift for a second in a world of gods manipulated by magic, God says to Abram, "I am Self-complete, Self-contained, Self-powerful . . . I am not choosing you because I need you but because you need me. Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life."

God is God and we are not.

Now the almighty self-sufficient God desires to enter into covenant relation with Abram and all he can do is eat dirt (fall on his face). At age 99 - the promise of many nations, thirteen years after Abraham took things into his own hands by having a child with Sarai's handmaid, Hagar (mistake Judaism is still hurting over).

A name change from Abram to Abraham (father of multitudes) who at this point has one "illegitimate" son - not by law but by God's plan. That's faith isn't it? 99 years old and practically childless now called father of multitudes.

An everlasting covenant - "I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you."

Then the cause of so much grief - even today. "I am giving you this land . . . It will be your descendants possession forever." When other peoples and nations do not recognize the authority of El Shaddai, then by what authority does this land belong to Israel?

And finally - the seal of the covenant is circumcision. A people set-apart by God, morally and physically. Any male not circumcised is cut off from the community. (So this whole San Francisco vote on making circumcision illegal is HUGE.)

This then is one more thread in the story of God's story. Creation. Sin. Flood. and now Abraham and a covenant people - set apart for God's plan to redeem humanity. El Shaddai will save the world by choosing one, insignificant family to become a nation. what does this say about God?

tSoGS - Genesis 12:1-9 Reflection

Genesis 12:1-9

After all the mess coming out of the Fall - murder, sexual debauchery, a flood, envy, idolatry, a tower of babel, drunkenness, etc. . . the story shifts to one man - Abram and his wife Sarai. (It actually begins with Terah, his father, who started the migration from Ur to Canaan but never got there.)

Abram was 75 (never too old) when God called - "Leave everybody behind and head where I tell you." And then the line - the promise that sets everything in motion - "All families on earth will be blessed through you." Another thread pointing to Jesus.

Abram heads toward Canaan and God says "this is the spot." And what Abram does should not be overlooked. He doesn't build a house. He doesn't try to obtain the land. He builds an altar. Why an altar? What are altars used for? The spot became a sacred spot - a set-apart spot - dedicated to God.

What areas of your life still need an altar? God wants to bless you, but He can't bless what is not offered to him. Start building some altars - today.

Wonder why God chose Abram? Could it be because he recognized that it all belongs to God?

tSoGS - Romans 5:12-19 Reflection

O Lord may my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun.

Romans 5:12-19

I've introduced New Testament writings into our Old Testament story so you can see how Jesus Christ's story is the central piece to all the story streams we have discussed.

The understanding of Jesus as "second Adam" should not be taken lightly.

The weakness of the first Adam to resist temptation is overcome with the power of the second Adam.

The sin of the first Adam is erased by the grace of the second Adam.

The death curse of the first Adam is overwritten by the resurrection of the second Adam.

And WE HAVE INHERITED that POWER, GRACE, and RESURRECTION.

We are part of a new humanity.

So maybe we should live like it?

⁸ Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. ¹⁹ Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

tSoGS - Genesis 6:5-22 Reflection

Genesis 6:5-22

The story of Noah is NOT a cute little children's story. It's a wonder that we teach it in Sunday School. In some ways it is kind of amazing that we decorate baby's rooms with images from the most cataclysmic event in the story of humanity. This is tsunami and earthquake and hurricane all rolled into one.

We just read and witnessed a brother's inhumanity to brother. Now extend it a few generations and degeneration multiplies exponentially - to the point where God grieves that he had ever created these humans in his image - humans with the knowledge of good and evil. He contemplated washing the planet clean and starting over. From "very good" to "very bad."

Before 9-11, there was a sense in our world that humanity was getting better - that our worst days were behind us. Communism was receding, the economy was humming, tech and medical advances brought optimism. After 9-11, the question of evil came back into our vocabulary. How could a human being do this?

Something not very popular in our culture (and even in the church?) is the concept of total depravity - that without the grace of God in our lives, we cannot resist evil, we choose to do the wrong. It seems harsh. We want to think, we're "decent people." But what if we're not?

The image of God has been marred and none of us are clicking on all cylinders. All sin and fall short of the glory of God. (That's Paul's line, not mine.)

Noah too was living in this muck, but he found favor with God. Why? He walked in "close fellowship with God." He stayed connected to God - his source of goodness was God. God's grace infuses those who turn to Him. The Psalmist wrote, "the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom." To disconnect from God makes us sub-human.

Jesus said, "Remain in me and you will bear much fruit."

Noah or glug, glug, glug? Haven't seen too many nursery wall clings of people drowning . . .

tSoGS - Genesis 4:1-16 Reflection

Sorry - this is late - a full day of travel and getting settled in to Annual Conference.

Genesis 4:1-16

I won't make this long. I just want you to reflect on a couple of things.

This is life after the Garden, life after the Fall.

And the first post-Fall story is tragic. Murder, but not of a stranger, or and enemy but a brother.

It shows the depravity. Remember the image of God - God created us with a moral stamp? In the Fall, the stamp is almost completely obliterated. A conscious that shows no remorse. A simple emotion of jealousy leads to murder, and where does the emotion come from? the act of worship. Sick.

And to show how the Fall has corrupted intimacy, corrupted relationship, Cain utters this famous line _ "Am I my brother's keeper?" In this sense a literal brother is rejected. And now generation after generation we continue to drift further and further apart from one another. Race divides, religion divides, socio-economics divide, politics divide, geography divides, even worship divides. And most of humanity still blows off God - "Am I my brother's keeper?"

How God must grieve. May we proclaim as Christ followers - "Yes, I am my brother's keeper."

Reverse the Curse. Reclaim the Garden. Usher in the Kingdom.

tSoGS - Luke 4:1-13 Reflection

O Lord, may my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to met the sun.

Luke 4:1-13

Flipping ahead to the NT to compare and contrast the temptation of Adam and Eve with the temptation of Christ (the second Adam).

Note the context - Jesus had just been baptized - the mark of the Holy Spirit (a dove) had rested on him and Luke wants to make sure we understand that Jesus is guided by the Spirit (full of the Spirit) into the wilderness and that the Spirit would empower him.

40 days without food. I did not think this was humanly possible, that it was simply Jesus' divine side kicking in, but I know two guys who did it just a few years ago. They traveled across the country while fasting to speak to "starving Jesus" (google it)

The connection of the snake in Genesis to the devil here is clear.

Three temptations.

The first seems harmless - "Hungry? These stone kind-a look like bread. Make it so." The temptation of immediacy - the quick fix. Jesus had been called to fast so to eat would have been disobedience. Often we will be tempted to take the short cut, the easy way, when actually, the pain and hardship is part of the formation that God wants for us. We live in a quick fix, comfortable route world - there will be peer pressure to compromise on issues, on behaviors, on lifestyle . . .

Jesus said that life is more than bread and a full belly.

Eve thought - this fruit looks good to eat.

The second temptation - "Worship me and the world is yours (it's mine to give)." Remember we've been talking about idolatry - any sphere not given to God is idolatry. The temptation is to believe that my house, my job, my family, my success is, well, mine. The words to Toby Mac's song ring in my ears - "I don't want to gain the whole world and lose my soul." The temptation to chase after fame and fortune are huge in our culture - so strong. Every message is about having the right car, the right yard, the right home, the right deck and grill and . . . and . . . and . . .and . . . Satan promises to give it all to you but these worries of the world will choke you off spiritually.

Jesus said that all the spheres of life belong to God.

The snake said "You can be like God" and Eve believed.

The third temptation - "Manufacture a spectacle and you'll be famous." The devil even used Scripture to justify the act. Another shortcut to have the world worship Jesus. That is the end goal isn't it? - to have the world recognize God in their midst. But not the plan - not the way - not how God works. How may entertainers have made a spectacle of themselves to gain fame - which is fleeting? Why do we "idolize" these people?

Jesus said that God can't be tested.

The snake said, "Test God - you won't die." And Eve believed the snake rather than God. She failed the test. Then Adam failed the test. And even when God would have given a retest, the passed the blame.

There is no doubt that Luke and the early Christ followers saw the connection between Adam and Eve's temptation and Jesus'. Where Adam and Eve failed, Jesus was victorious. And we who are part of Christ's body can also be victorious. We have the same Holy Spirit empowering us!

tSoGS - Genesis 3:1-24 Reflection

Here's the link to this week's worship guide and reading schedule.

O Lord, may my soul rise up to meet you like the day rises to meet the sun.

Genesis 3:1-24 (read this!)

If all we had were the first three chapters of Genesis what would we know about God and ourselves and our world?

A serpent shows up - with legs - no idea of where it came from. We've connected the snake with the devil and it's hard not to knowing what we know, but if all we knew was Genesis 1-3, well, the tempter would be mysterious - a talking snake with legs that remains an enemy of humans - striking at our heels. Just something to reflect on. How often do we read our culture, our experiences, our already conceived theology into the Bible?

The good news in this is that we don't have to read this Book in a vacuum. We have other scripture to inform and bring clarity, We have tradition (ancient commentaries and rabbis who weighed in on this). We have reason to help us wrestle with the possibilities of this new deceptive character. And we have experiences of our own temptations.

That last sentence, lets me know this story is more than fairy tale. I experience temptation the same way as Eve and Adam . . . a subtle little voice that questions truth and authority (Did God really say. . . ?) . . . a whisper that promises that I can be like God . . . a nudge that recognizes that while God has given me so many good things that one thing I'm not supposed to claim is "better" (good and pleasing to the eye) . . . a nonchalant stroll that inches ever closer to the precipice of temptation rather than keep my distance . . . an invitation to disobedience by someone (not my wife!) I trust or want to impress or can't say no to (she also gave some to her husband).

And the results of that disobedience are evident.

Adam and Eve recognize their differences - their innocence and intimacy vanish as the juice trickles down their chins. As much as I want to be one with my wife, sin still robs me of intimacy. And if so with my wife, so much more with everyone else I know. I wear the fig leaves. You wear the fig leaves, the masks.

Adam and Eve hide from God - and so do I. Sin alienates me from God. I want to run from God his love and his holiness when I disobey Him - even when He calls out to me and wants to restore me. And in order to restore me life must be sacrificed - for Adam and Eve animals were killed so that they could wear leather rather than fig leaves. Something had to die for Adam and Eve's disobedience. Someone had to die for me.

Adam and Eve made excuses, played the blame game. So do I. I think - if everybody else would get their act together, life would be so much better. I'm looking at the splinter in my neighbor's eye while ignoring the log in mine. How about you?

The snake was right. I've become like God playing judge with my limited knowledge of good and evil, declaring some sins worse than others, and patting my own back for being more righteous (using the parameters I pick) than those around me.

And I see the affects of the curse - affects that extend to all of creation (cursed is the ground . . .). So I have a sense of how something "good" and "very good" ended up with cancer and earthquakes and war and famine and . . .

God gave humans a choice - obedience (EVERYTHING except one thing) or disobedience (fruit from ONE tree). Why? Why the one opportunity for sin to enter the world? Without the choice - to love freely to obey freely (you do know love and obedience are connected?), we are less than human. Without the choice - free will - we'd be mere automatons - like all the other animals running on instincts rather than reason.

It was sad day, a day when the symphony of heaven turned into a train wreck - not just humanity but ALL of creation. And if all we had were Genesis 1-3, we'd understand how we can still have a good and loving God while living in a world filled with pain and suffering. We could reconcile the good of God with the evil of our world, but one thing we would not have is hope.

Kicked out of the garden so they (the first couple) couldn't keep munching on the fruit of the tree of life and thus live forever in their sin, death is now a reality. Here's the definition of health - the slowest rate of dying. So our best hope is to die slowly?

But we do know how the story, God's story ends (want to skip to the end and read Revelation 21-22?). From the moment Adam and Eve marched out of the garden, God set in motion a plan - the plan - THE STORY - the ONE message of this book we are studying. Everything points to Jesus.

tSoGS - Colossians 1:15-20 Reflection

O Lord, May my soul rise up to meet you as the say rises to met the sun.

Colossians 1:15-20

This text speaks of the divine nature of Christ and his role in creation just like the Gospel of John.

This is phenomenal if the date for Paul penning the letter around 60 AD. The divine nature of Christ was not an evolving concept. The early Christians including Paul recognized who Jesus was.

This text also summarizes everything I've written about created stuff (everything made both visible and invisible) and "divine stuff" and Jesus being the intersection of the two.

"For God in all his fullness was pleased to dwell in Christ."

I can't do these words justice. I fear in these few commentaries this week that I've sucked the poetry out of them. So go back and just read. Slowly. Ask God to open your eyes and mind to His reality as you read. Worship. God's story is fantastic and amazing and requires an open mind and a trust in God's work.

I'd be glad to hear what God is teaching you. Share and encourage one another.

tSoGS - Genesis 2:4-25

TSoGS? The Story of God's Story - a fifteen week whirlwind tour of the Bible. If you missed Sunday, here's a link to week one's guide which has a five day reading plan. Why five days? If you are faithful, you can use the weekend to explore other readings or if you slip behind, you can use the weekend to catch up. Our readings are truly just skimming the surface of God's Story.

O Lord, may my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun.

Genesis 2:4-25

Another creation story - from a different height and perspective. Caution: we run into problems when we try to merge these two creation stories into one. If they are one story, then why did the author not do a better job of reconciling them? No, this story wants to teach us something new. It is engaging us in new narrative - life before sin entered the world and life after. It's telling us something new about the connection of God's story and our story.

So does all this seem like a fairy tale to you? Should we take this (and the rest of the story) literally or figuratively? Is it metaphor? Again, we can argue either way. (I wasn't around back then!) But I can see a world that shows the results of disobedience (in light of next week's focus on the Fall.) Well I'm getting ahead of myself - it's hard not to, because this text is really setting the stage for paradise lost.

So time to get myopic - what does this text tell us? (Lots but we'll stick to the highlights)

1. A man (Adam - the Hebrew word for man) is formed out of the dust of the earth and God's breath brings him to life - divine CPR. See how different this is from story one?

2. God plants a paradise garden with everything the man needs for sustenance.

3. But God also introduces two other trees that offer more than physical food - the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. One offers eternal life. Why introduce the other to paradise? Without this tree there is no choice between obedience and disobedience.

4. Adam is placed in the garden to tend it. Don't miss this. Labor/work is part of the original equation. There is dignity in work.

5. Adam can have everything in the garden except the fruit from the tree of good and evil. God promises the death penalty for disobedience (Cue the scary theme music here.). And note - Eve's (there is no Eve yet) not around to hear this warning so guess who's responsible for telling her?

6. No animals yet? (see this is not a detailed version of the first creation story) God creates animals because it's not good for Adam to be alone. Not good. Humans are wired for relationship. Animals are paraded before Adam and he names them all but none is a suitable helper. Adam is still lonely.

7. So God does surgery. The KJV says God took a rib to graft Eve. The Hebrew word could also mean "part of the man's side." The Hebrew rabbinical commentators say the choice was strategic. Take from Adam's foot and woman would be beneath him. Take from his head and the woman would be above him. Take from his side and the woman comes along side him.

8. But what about that word "helper?" Doesn't that suggest an "assistant?" No - the Hebrew word is also actually used to describe God in other texts. Salute all you feminists! God intended equality. Why didn't we get it? The Fall is coming - it messed up everything!

9. God presents the woman to the man much like a father presents his daughter - the bride. And Adam gets more excited than ever. "At last!" Picture the joy. I can picture God smiling at Adam's delight. These few verses set the stage for the meaning and purpose of marriage. And a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife. And this is important - the TWO BECOME ONE (I could take days to unpack this). God's perfect plan. And for those who wrestle with the Trinity - if you are married, you can begin to understand how you, as a unique person, can enter into "oneness" with your partner.

10. These two are naked and unashamed. Like the first creation story, God creates a world which is good - a paradise garden. But this "unashamed" means more - these two are so intimate that they have no need to hide anything from the other. Think about that kind of marriage.

We really have lost paradise - lost so much more than a garden with good fruit. I want you to hold onto this picture because as we look back, we can also look forward to what God wants to restore. What you see here is what the Kingdom of God is supposed to look like - what creation will return to some day (our Revelation story). There is intimacy with God and with one another. Someday - no more pain, tears, suffering . . . When you read the end of Revelation, the Garden is now in the midst of a vast city (Central Park?) The tree of life provides life and healing. Jesus said, I am the Vine, you are the branches.

Don't you long for the Kingdom? long for God? long for paradise?

And reflect on this the first two chapters of the Bible and the last two, written by different authors in different cultures, thousands of years apart, both highlight the tree of life. How's that for cohesiveness?

(I'm still waiting for your questions - if you have any. Some I will try to address on Sunday if they fit in the flow. I have one great question on the Canon - why the books we have and no more?

tSoGS - Genesis 1:26- 31 Reflection

TSoGS? The Story of God's Story - a fifteen week whirlwind tour of the Bible. If you missed Sunday, here's a link to week one's guide which has a five day reading plan. Why five days? If you are faithful, you can use the weekend to explore other readings or if you slip behind, you can use the weekend to catch up. Our readings are truly just skimming the surface of God's Story.

O Lord, may my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun.

Genesis 1:26-31

We've really been focusing on world-view here - not science or history. Genesis 1 sets the tone for how we should view the world and this text on what to make of humans. I hope you understand how critical this is.

If you have a evolutionary understanding of the universe, you will see humans as just a higher reasoning animal on a planet of animals that arrived here quite by chance. This impacts everything including your ethics on how to treat others and the role of sexuality (hey - we're just animals).

If you have a pagan understanding of the world - that divine is behind and in everything, your ethic is about appeasing the gods and dividing your world into spheres for each god. This requires you to walk gently, especially in areas where two god-spheres overlap. It means you have to choose allegiance and in doing so, you will probably offend the god you didn't vote for. It means, since divine is in everything, you can carve a piece of wood into an image of anything and worship it, because you brought the divine essence to the surface. It will also include magic - if you do just the right thing, you can manipulate or make the god do what you want. Later on you'll see this play out in the biblical text. This was the prevailing world view that the Hebrew people were up against and what makes monotheism so unique. Hope all this makes sense.

Can you imagine how hard it is to shift your world view? It would rock your world - everything changes - you see the world differently. Everything you held dear is now a lie. To get to this, requires a paradigm shift of epic proportions. If you do believe in God, think how your world would shift if you didn't. Just as a new way of looking at God (angry to loving to holy and loving God) will shift your relationship with Him.

Okay deep breath. can we look at the text? What does this small set of verses teach us about God and ourselves? (This is the first God-story intersecting with our story.)

1. "Let US make humans in OUR image . . ." Oh my. I thought there was only one God? Well if this was the only text I had, I could conclude that there are multiple gods like the Greek/Roman pantheon of gods. But I will cheat (a little) - when we look at the whole canon, we can see this as an introduction to mind-blowing understanding of the Trinity - God in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Okay that's a big rabbit trail . . .

2. Human beings have authority - free reign/dominion over the earth/created animals. We are stewards of creation. Sadly we've abused this power and/or used this verse to justify the manipulation of our world for our own benefit and the detriment of other species. (Realize, we are still vegetarians (vegans actually) at this point.) And compare this with the pagan notion that we are not the king of the hill on this planet.

3. Humans are created in the image of God (imago Dei). Okay, how to unpack this in three sentences or less? Let's just start with an understanding that we have a spiritual nature - a soul - unique from every other creature. And there's that word - "understanding." We have reasoning abilities that mirror God's though on a finite level. And we have the moral image of God stamped on us. We were created good. Body type? Doubtful that the image of God meant looking physically like God (though we do anthropomorphize God and God doesn't seem to mind (unless we carve images). I'm editorializing a lot here - the text simply says "the image of God" - "beTzellum Elohim." But the Judeo-Christian understanding of humanity is informed by more than this text.

4. God is not sexist - both male and female are created in the image of God. This is very important as we learn how God intended for men and women to relate to one another. Is hierarchical marriage biblical? Not in God's pre-Fall world. Okay getting ahead of myself - we haven't gotten to "The Fall" yet.

5. There's a blessing and this blessing is connected to multiplication. And that's a big subject. So sex is a gift from God? Later . . .

6. Remember the vegetarian part? It's here. Would God want us to go back to this to honor the world he made? It's also very clear in light of this that "govern" does not mean "hunt to extinction." (and I like to hunt.)

7. And now drum roll please . . . with the addition of humans to the creation scene, the world goes from being good to VERY GOOD (my emphasis). Think about that. God is pleased with humans and delighted in this world He has made.

So is your world view changing? This passage is so rich and speaks to the unique and special place we humans have on this planet and with God. we are not random accidents of evolution. We are stamped with the image of God - like an artist who signs his painting or a potter who initials her jar - God enjoys and holds special what He has made. The psalmist - "I will praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made!" I will live as a being that honors God - a spiritual, moral and rational being that is also (and more than) hormones and digestive systems . . . My life is more than sexual and hunger urges though God created me with both. And these things - under the domain of God - are good because God created everything good.

Can I stop now?

tSoGS - John 1:1-15 Reflection

TSoGS? The Story of God's Story - a fifteen week whirlwind tour of the Bible. If you missed Sunday, here's a link to week one's guide which has a five day reading plan. Why five days? If you are faithful, you can use the weekend to explore other readings or if you slip behind, you can use the weekend to catch up. Our readings are truly just skimming the surface of God's Story.

O Lord, may my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun.

John 1:1-15

John does a remarkable thing. Right at the beginning of his book, with no explanation or apology, he connects Jesus to the creation of the universe. Jesus was with God and was God at the beginning. Wrap your brain around that.

Just a couple of thoughts.

First for you apologists. Skeptics would say the belief that Jesus was divine is a later, more refined concept that early believers did not hold. But a small fragment of papyrus (P52 Ryland papyrus) with a portion of John's Gospel was discovered in Egypt. Most scholars suggest the date of the fragment as early in the second century (125 AD). Marry this fragment with how far it traveled and you end up with a quite early date for John's Gospel to have been written. You can read about it here. Even the most conservative (later) datings are impressive and the portion of Scripture it contains shows Jesus intentionally heading to the cross.

Second, in light of yesterdays conversation on the transcendent (wholly other) and immanent (very present) nature of God, Jesus is the intersection of Creator and created. The material and the divine are found only in/on/through him. I'm guarding my words here because I'm not sure what mere words could convey Jesus as very God and very man. Paul wrote, ". . . have the same attitude as Christ Jesus, who being IN VERY NATURE GOD . . ." Time for three and a half pounds of gray matter to explode.

And yet this Jesus spent thirty years in the neighborhood with no one noticing. (Thanks Alan Hirsch) What does that tell us about the nature of God? When we desire a Big God with Big Stick and a Loud Voice, God shows up on the planet He created in a whisper (so as not to frighten us out of our begeebees?), to make sure we would bend our knee out of love and not out of fear.

Fall on your knees. I've got to stop and worship now.

tSoGS - Genesis 1:1-25 Reflection

Today is the first of our reflections on our new series, The Story of God's Story - a fifteen week whirlwind tour of the Bible. If you missed Sunday, here's a link to week one's guide which has a five day reading plan. Why five days? If you are faithful, you can use the weekend to explore other readings or if you slip behind, you can use the weekend to catch up. Our readings are truly just skimming the surface of God's Story.

O Lord, may my soul rise up to meet you as the day rises to meet the sun.

Genesis 1:1-25

I could spend days unpacking this one little patch of Scripture. It is the cause of great debate in our country - evolution v intelligent design v creation science. I DO NOT want to unpack that debate here and get bogged down in trying to reconcile or defend any position.

If we hold close to the Confession of Faith (in the guide), there are more important issues to address than whether God created in six literal days (by definition God is big enough to do this) or took a slow approach as endorsed by the science record. So please, no debates here. It's not why I write and beyond the scope of this blog. The Bible is the story of God's story and our connection to God's story and thus the story of connection and reconciliation.

What Genesis 1 -3 does establish is a world view that when introduced (revealed) was radically different than any surrounding culture and even today shared only by Muslims, Jews, and Christians (and a few other sects).

Let me highlight a few.

1. God is personal. God speaks. God is not just a force.

2. Creation was intentional and not random. Christians believe God created the universe with a plan which ultimately gives human beings meaning and purpose.

3. Creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing). When God said, "Let there be" and there was, we acknowledge that everything material was created by God from nothing. The implications of this are profound. First it makes a clear distinction between God and everything He created. The stuff around us is NOT DIVINE. Many creation epics have the universe created out of a god's blood or given birth to - which makes the universe part of the divine (which is why folk could carve up idols and worship the material - because "divine stuff" was in the metal or wood). Okay deep breath - long sentence. In essence, Christians believe God is not in trees, rocks, mountains, rivers, the sun, the moon or the stars . . . (or even in people in the sense that we are divine). [side note - could we have much of modern science if humans continued to believe the divine was in all this stuff? - this is worth reflecting on]. A world view of creatio ex nihilo is critical to our understanding of our world and the story of God's story. Go impress your friends with your Latin.

4. The subtle little phrase "And God saw that it was good." also speaks to the nature of the universe. In the midst of tsunamis, earthquakes and other natural disasters (that people want to attribute to God), the biblical text makes clear that, originally, creation was not filled with this pain and suffering. Creation was good and not evil. Which begs the question, "what happened?" which is a later reflection.

So is your head swimming? The verses you read are a beautiful poetic text and I have mixed emotions about turning this into a theological exercise. So to ease my conscience, why don't you go back and read and reflect and marvel at what God can do simply by speaking. And here's a video if you are a visual type like me. (and I have NO IDEA why the video maker added a satyr to the images! - (one of these things is not like the others . . .) and barbed wire, couldn't find a bird perched on a branch? . . .)