Genesis 1:1-5 br...
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Genesis 1:1-5
The first chapter of Genesis was probably edited into its final form during the Babylonian exile. Think of what those people were going through: They had been ripped out of their homes, their communities, in some cases even their families. All that they had once held as certainties had become troubling questions. Is there still a God? Is God good? Is Israel still God's chosen people? How do we maintain our identity as a people, in this foreign land?
All these troubling questions are answered in Genesis 1. Yes, of course there is a God; God created the universe. Is God good? Clearly. God holds back the waters of chaos. God gives us dry land on which to dwell. God places the human race in the world to exercise dominion over all plants and animals. Is Israel still the chosen people? Yes, because God also created the sabbath, by resting on the seventh day. The sabbath sets us apart from all those other captive peoples in Babylon.
Yes, there may be times when we feel like we're in a swirling flood, like the waters are closing over our heads, and we will soon be annihilated. But, wait! This tragedy of exile cannot last forever: for the God of the seventh day, the sabbath, the God of Israel is the one who created everything that is. One day, this mighty Lord will come to save us, to bring us home!
Genesis 1:1-5
In September 1915 a small steamboat carried a world-famous medical missionary slowly up Africa's Ogowe River. Ten years earlier this young medical missionary had captured the world's imagination. Albert Schweitzer was a brilliant scholar -- he had doctorates in philosophy and theology. He was a concert organist. In 1905 he claimed God had called him away from all that to do what was really important. He resigned his university posts, trained to be a medical doctor, and then went overseas to serve the people of French Equatorial Africa.
One evening in September 1915 we join Albert Schweitzer on board a small steamboat chugging up the Ogowe River around sunset. Albert is standing on deck contemplating an issue that has troubled him for years: What was the most valid basis for ethics? The boat passes through a herd of hippotamuses when suddenly a phrase flashes into his mind: "reverence for life." Every living being has a will to live and should be given the same reverence for life that we give to ourselves.
The foundation for a life rightly lived was to have a profound reverence for all life -- whether that life be human, plant, or animal. This reverence for life calls us to do as much good as we can to all creatures. So Schweitzer would place a worm washed onto the footpath back into the grass, would rescue an insect caught in a pool of water. Certainly killing plants and germs and animals was often necessary but should only take place when absolutely necessary and only with profound sense of compassionate responsibility. Humanity's powerful and privileged place in creation should not be seen as giving us the right to exploit the world, but a responsibility to protect it.
(found in R. Nash, The Rights of Nature [Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 1989])
Genesis 1:1-5
In the beginning it was nine o'clock, so God had to go to work. He filled out a requisition to separate light from darkness. He considered making stars to beautify the night and planets to fill the skies, but thought it sounded like too much work; and besides, God thought "That's not my job." So he decided to knock off early and call it a day. And he looked at what he'd done and he said, "It'll have to do."
On the second day God separated the waters from the dry land. And he made all the dry land flat, plain, and functional, so that -- behold -- the whole earth looked like Idaho. He thought about making mountains and valleys and glaciers and jungles and forests, but he decided it wouldn't be worth the effort. And God looked at what he had done that day and said, "It'll have to do."
And God made a pigeon to fly in the air and a carp to swim in the waters and a cat to creep upon dry ground. And God thought about making millions of other species of all sizes and shapes and colors, but he couldn't drum up any enthusiasm for any other animals. In fact, he wasn't too crazy about the cat. Besides it was almost time for The Late Show. So God looked at all he had done and God said, "It'll have to do."
And at the end of the week, God was seriously burned out. So he breathed a big sigh of relief and said, "Thank me, it's Friday."
Of course, Genesis doesn't describe creation this way. It describes God acting in supremely creative and joy-filled ways. Creation mirrored God's joy.
(from John Ortberg, The Life You've Always Wanted [Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2002])
Genesis 1:1-5
Sharon vividly recalls the time years ago when she was taking the youth fellowship to a retreat. On the way there was a violent storm. One of the girls asked, "Are we going to die?" Sharon tried her best to calm their fears, which were getting the better of them. Sharon was unsure what to do so she suggested that they sing.
With the storm all around them they begin singing, "I Have Decided To Follow Jesus" followed by "Jesus Loves Me." They sang for nearly a half hour before the storm subsided. A few minutes following the storm they witnessed a beautiful rainbow. Sharon remembers that day very well.
The rainbow as well as this experience reminded them that God was the God of the wind and the rain and if they placed their trust in God -- God would see them through.
Years later, anytime Sharon runs into one of the girls they always recall this experience. Some even attribute this experience to their coming to faith in Jesus.
Genesis teaches us that "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."
Genesis 1:1-5
When God spoke, chaos immediately came to order. How can this be? Consider this: The teacher leaves the room for a moment. An orderly class can very quickly turn into disorder. Talking erupts, paper planes take off, students spring from desks as if to a starter's pistol. Then the teacher returns, silently, unannounced. "Class," she shouts. And chaos immediately subsides; order is restored.
On a much greater scale, God said, "Let there be." And there was.
Acts 19:1-7
Our surest Christian tenet of faith is that God has more for us. In ancient Palestine God had more for people who heard John the Baptist. In ancient Corinth God had more for those who had only received John's baptism.
Christians have disagreed over (and argued about) the meaning of baptism and the experience of the Holy Spirit's gifts; however, the most helpful way to conceive of both baptism and God's spiritual gifts is that God has more for us for service. Baptism initiates us into God's family but also begins our living for God. The Holy Spirit's gifts aren't granted to thrill us or to impress others but to equip us in living for (serving) God. Finally, when we've become thoroughly used to serving God on earth, we'll someday experience that God has even more for us in heaven.
Acts 19:1-7
The Harry Potter books are among the world's most popular children's literature. The story revolves around Harry Potter, a boy sent off to Hogwarts, a boarding school for young wizards. When each new student arrives at Hogwarts they try on a magic hat to determine which house they will join: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw. Slytherin is associated with warped wizards. When Harry puts on the Slytherin hat he hears its voice telling him that if he goes into Slytherin he will become a powerful wizard. He is disturbed by the quest for raw power and chooses not to join that house. In contrast, another boy, Tom Riddle, is seduced by the promise of power and becomes Harry's archenemy throughout the books.
JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter stories says that this episode expresses an important fact: It is our choices rather than our abilities that show us what we truly are.
(from an interview with JK Rowling published on Sydney Morning Herald website, October 26, 2001)
Acts 19:1-7
A man was walking along the river when he spotted another man struggling against the current. The traveler stopped to watch the swimmer fight the muddy water until he emerged, panting, on the traveler's shore. "Are you all right?" the traveler asked. "Why were you in the river? Did you fall in?"
The swimmer shook his head. "No, no," he gasped. "I'm fine. This is how I always cross the river. My neighbor says this is the easiest place to cross."
"That's all very well," said the traveler, "but does your neighbor know there's a bridge just a half mile that way?"
The disciples Paul encounters don't realize that they've been missing out on the Holy Spirit -- they don't even know it exists! They don't have anything to bridge the gap between themselves and the Father; instead, they've been needlessly fighting a mighty, muddy current to get there.
Acts 19:1-7
Have you ever been to church and wondered where the power is? When Bill was a boy, it seemed as if all the adults did was to meet at church, take attendance, and decide how to get the absentees there the next week. They never did anything except worry about those who were not there.
In Teaching a Rock to Talk, Annie Dillard writes, "As Christians, we play on the floor like children with chemistry sets, not knowing the power we hold in our hands. If the power should ever come together, we wouldn't want to be wearing straw or velvet hats. We ought to wear crash helmets or construction hard hats, because the power of God is so strong that we would need something to protect ourselves."
When Paul arrives in Ephesus, he observes the church there spinning its wheels, so to speak. He sees their need for the Holy Spirit. We receive the power of the Spirit in our baptism. The Holy Spirit is God, is of God, and does the work of God. The Spirit brings comfort and gives us guidance. You can have more power in your life than you ever imagined, and God makes it available for you now.
Mark 1:4-11
Stephen Vincent Benet wrote a Christmas play in which the wife of the innkeeper -- truly a bit part, if ever there was one -- has a memorable line. Looking on in wonder at the strange events of that holy night, the innkeeper's wife realizes something of tremendous import has happened, there in her husband's barn. And so she declares, "Something has been loosed to change the world, and with it we must change."
That's the message of John the Baptist: Something's happened, and we must change. The old ways -- the selfish striving, the seeking after pleasure, the worship of glittering idols -- are all dying. If we cling to those old ways, we will die with them. The one who was born at Bethlehem promises us a new way, a holier way.
Mark 1:4-11
In the movie, Godfather III, mafia chief Michael Corleone meets with Cardinal Lamberto, reporting to the Cardinal that executives from the Vatican bank and even an Archbishop, have been involved in a massive case of fraud. After hearing this news Cardinal Lamberto moves to a water fountain, withdraws a stone and says: "Look at this stone. It has been lying in the water for a very long time, but the water has not penetrated it." He breaks the stone in two, shows the inside to Don Michael and continues, "Look. Perfectly dry. The same thing has happened to men in Europe. For centuries they have been surrounded by Christianity, but Christ has not penetrated. Christ doesn't breathe within them."
Mark 1:4-11
Bruce remembers watching a group of people gather at the river every spring for baptism. Everyone dressed in white, members of the church as well as those to be baptized. The pastor would baptize believers in waist-deep water. The service itself would last several hours. Bruce would often wonder how and why people would stand in the dirty river for so long. It was simply absurd and would bring a chuckle every year as he drove by and saw the people in the river. However, he never heard anyone from the church complain. Quite the opposite, he would overhear people throughout the community saying how much they were looking forward to that special Sunday.
When Bruce was at a turning point in his life he remembered the believers gathering in the river. He could not get that image out of his mind. He began to think that there must be something to being a Christian if people were willing to stand in the river. He began paying attention to see how these believers conducted themselves in public. He soon discovered that their faith was real and genuine. More than that he wanted what they had.
Bruce began attending church, something he had not done since he was in high school. Last spring Bruce waded into the river with the rest of the church and was baptized.
When our Lord Jesus was baptized he identified with each one of us. Jesus stood in the dirty water to be like us. God recognized and celebrated the moment, "You are my Son, the beloved; with you I am well pleased."
Mark 1:4-11
Cindy was the team's utility player. Whenever someone was hurt or couldn't make a game, Cindy started. When the starting shortstop, Anisha, sprained her ankle, Cindy was ready. In fact, she played great. Over a two-week period that included several key tournaments, Cindy led the team in hitting, drove in key runs, and never committed one error in the field. When an out-of-state coach commended her for her play, Cindy quipped, "If you think that was something, wait until to see our first-string shortstop."
John caused a stir with his preaching and baptizing. When people commended him on his work, like Cindy he said, "If you think this is something, wait until you see the one coming after me!"
The first chapter of Genesis was probably edited into its final form during the Babylonian exile. Think of what those people were going through: They had been ripped out of their homes, their communities, in some cases even their families. All that they had once held as certainties had become troubling questions. Is there still a God? Is God good? Is Israel still God's chosen people? How do we maintain our identity as a people, in this foreign land?
All these troubling questions are answered in Genesis 1. Yes, of course there is a God; God created the universe. Is God good? Clearly. God holds back the waters of chaos. God gives us dry land on which to dwell. God places the human race in the world to exercise dominion over all plants and animals. Is Israel still the chosen people? Yes, because God also created the sabbath, by resting on the seventh day. The sabbath sets us apart from all those other captive peoples in Babylon.
Yes, there may be times when we feel like we're in a swirling flood, like the waters are closing over our heads, and we will soon be annihilated. But, wait! This tragedy of exile cannot last forever: for the God of the seventh day, the sabbath, the God of Israel is the one who created everything that is. One day, this mighty Lord will come to save us, to bring us home!
Genesis 1:1-5
In September 1915 a small steamboat carried a world-famous medical missionary slowly up Africa's Ogowe River. Ten years earlier this young medical missionary had captured the world's imagination. Albert Schweitzer was a brilliant scholar -- he had doctorates in philosophy and theology. He was a concert organist. In 1905 he claimed God had called him away from all that to do what was really important. He resigned his university posts, trained to be a medical doctor, and then went overseas to serve the people of French Equatorial Africa.
One evening in September 1915 we join Albert Schweitzer on board a small steamboat chugging up the Ogowe River around sunset. Albert is standing on deck contemplating an issue that has troubled him for years: What was the most valid basis for ethics? The boat passes through a herd of hippotamuses when suddenly a phrase flashes into his mind: "reverence for life." Every living being has a will to live and should be given the same reverence for life that we give to ourselves.
The foundation for a life rightly lived was to have a profound reverence for all life -- whether that life be human, plant, or animal. This reverence for life calls us to do as much good as we can to all creatures. So Schweitzer would place a worm washed onto the footpath back into the grass, would rescue an insect caught in a pool of water. Certainly killing plants and germs and animals was often necessary but should only take place when absolutely necessary and only with profound sense of compassionate responsibility. Humanity's powerful and privileged place in creation should not be seen as giving us the right to exploit the world, but a responsibility to protect it.
(found in R. Nash, The Rights of Nature [Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 1989])
Genesis 1:1-5
In the beginning it was nine o'clock, so God had to go to work. He filled out a requisition to separate light from darkness. He considered making stars to beautify the night and planets to fill the skies, but thought it sounded like too much work; and besides, God thought "That's not my job." So he decided to knock off early and call it a day. And he looked at what he'd done and he said, "It'll have to do."
On the second day God separated the waters from the dry land. And he made all the dry land flat, plain, and functional, so that -- behold -- the whole earth looked like Idaho. He thought about making mountains and valleys and glaciers and jungles and forests, but he decided it wouldn't be worth the effort. And God looked at what he had done that day and said, "It'll have to do."
And God made a pigeon to fly in the air and a carp to swim in the waters and a cat to creep upon dry ground. And God thought about making millions of other species of all sizes and shapes and colors, but he couldn't drum up any enthusiasm for any other animals. In fact, he wasn't too crazy about the cat. Besides it was almost time for The Late Show. So God looked at all he had done and God said, "It'll have to do."
And at the end of the week, God was seriously burned out. So he breathed a big sigh of relief and said, "Thank me, it's Friday."
Of course, Genesis doesn't describe creation this way. It describes God acting in supremely creative and joy-filled ways. Creation mirrored God's joy.
(from John Ortberg, The Life You've Always Wanted [Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2002])
Genesis 1:1-5
Sharon vividly recalls the time years ago when she was taking the youth fellowship to a retreat. On the way there was a violent storm. One of the girls asked, "Are we going to die?" Sharon tried her best to calm their fears, which were getting the better of them. Sharon was unsure what to do so she suggested that they sing.
With the storm all around them they begin singing, "I Have Decided To Follow Jesus" followed by "Jesus Loves Me." They sang for nearly a half hour before the storm subsided. A few minutes following the storm they witnessed a beautiful rainbow. Sharon remembers that day very well.
The rainbow as well as this experience reminded them that God was the God of the wind and the rain and if they placed their trust in God -- God would see them through.
Years later, anytime Sharon runs into one of the girls they always recall this experience. Some even attribute this experience to their coming to faith in Jesus.
Genesis teaches us that "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."
Genesis 1:1-5
When God spoke, chaos immediately came to order. How can this be? Consider this: The teacher leaves the room for a moment. An orderly class can very quickly turn into disorder. Talking erupts, paper planes take off, students spring from desks as if to a starter's pistol. Then the teacher returns, silently, unannounced. "Class," she shouts. And chaos immediately subsides; order is restored.
On a much greater scale, God said, "Let there be." And there was.
Acts 19:1-7
Our surest Christian tenet of faith is that God has more for us. In ancient Palestine God had more for people who heard John the Baptist. In ancient Corinth God had more for those who had only received John's baptism.
Christians have disagreed over (and argued about) the meaning of baptism and the experience of the Holy Spirit's gifts; however, the most helpful way to conceive of both baptism and God's spiritual gifts is that God has more for us for service. Baptism initiates us into God's family but also begins our living for God. The Holy Spirit's gifts aren't granted to thrill us or to impress others but to equip us in living for (serving) God. Finally, when we've become thoroughly used to serving God on earth, we'll someday experience that God has even more for us in heaven.
Acts 19:1-7
The Harry Potter books are among the world's most popular children's literature. The story revolves around Harry Potter, a boy sent off to Hogwarts, a boarding school for young wizards. When each new student arrives at Hogwarts they try on a magic hat to determine which house they will join: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw. Slytherin is associated with warped wizards. When Harry puts on the Slytherin hat he hears its voice telling him that if he goes into Slytherin he will become a powerful wizard. He is disturbed by the quest for raw power and chooses not to join that house. In contrast, another boy, Tom Riddle, is seduced by the promise of power and becomes Harry's archenemy throughout the books.
JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter stories says that this episode expresses an important fact: It is our choices rather than our abilities that show us what we truly are.
(from an interview with JK Rowling published on Sydney Morning Herald website, October 26, 2001)
Acts 19:1-7
A man was walking along the river when he spotted another man struggling against the current. The traveler stopped to watch the swimmer fight the muddy water until he emerged, panting, on the traveler's shore. "Are you all right?" the traveler asked. "Why were you in the river? Did you fall in?"
The swimmer shook his head. "No, no," he gasped. "I'm fine. This is how I always cross the river. My neighbor says this is the easiest place to cross."
"That's all very well," said the traveler, "but does your neighbor know there's a bridge just a half mile that way?"
The disciples Paul encounters don't realize that they've been missing out on the Holy Spirit -- they don't even know it exists! They don't have anything to bridge the gap between themselves and the Father; instead, they've been needlessly fighting a mighty, muddy current to get there.
Acts 19:1-7
Have you ever been to church and wondered where the power is? When Bill was a boy, it seemed as if all the adults did was to meet at church, take attendance, and decide how to get the absentees there the next week. They never did anything except worry about those who were not there.
In Teaching a Rock to Talk, Annie Dillard writes, "As Christians, we play on the floor like children with chemistry sets, not knowing the power we hold in our hands. If the power should ever come together, we wouldn't want to be wearing straw or velvet hats. We ought to wear crash helmets or construction hard hats, because the power of God is so strong that we would need something to protect ourselves."
When Paul arrives in Ephesus, he observes the church there spinning its wheels, so to speak. He sees their need for the Holy Spirit. We receive the power of the Spirit in our baptism. The Holy Spirit is God, is of God, and does the work of God. The Spirit brings comfort and gives us guidance. You can have more power in your life than you ever imagined, and God makes it available for you now.
Mark 1:4-11
Stephen Vincent Benet wrote a Christmas play in which the wife of the innkeeper -- truly a bit part, if ever there was one -- has a memorable line. Looking on in wonder at the strange events of that holy night, the innkeeper's wife realizes something of tremendous import has happened, there in her husband's barn. And so she declares, "Something has been loosed to change the world, and with it we must change."
That's the message of John the Baptist: Something's happened, and we must change. The old ways -- the selfish striving, the seeking after pleasure, the worship of glittering idols -- are all dying. If we cling to those old ways, we will die with them. The one who was born at Bethlehem promises us a new way, a holier way.
Mark 1:4-11
In the movie, Godfather III, mafia chief Michael Corleone meets with Cardinal Lamberto, reporting to the Cardinal that executives from the Vatican bank and even an Archbishop, have been involved in a massive case of fraud. After hearing this news Cardinal Lamberto moves to a water fountain, withdraws a stone and says: "Look at this stone. It has been lying in the water for a very long time, but the water has not penetrated it." He breaks the stone in two, shows the inside to Don Michael and continues, "Look. Perfectly dry. The same thing has happened to men in Europe. For centuries they have been surrounded by Christianity, but Christ has not penetrated. Christ doesn't breathe within them."
Mark 1:4-11
Bruce remembers watching a group of people gather at the river every spring for baptism. Everyone dressed in white, members of the church as well as those to be baptized. The pastor would baptize believers in waist-deep water. The service itself would last several hours. Bruce would often wonder how and why people would stand in the dirty river for so long. It was simply absurd and would bring a chuckle every year as he drove by and saw the people in the river. However, he never heard anyone from the church complain. Quite the opposite, he would overhear people throughout the community saying how much they were looking forward to that special Sunday.
When Bruce was at a turning point in his life he remembered the believers gathering in the river. He could not get that image out of his mind. He began to think that there must be something to being a Christian if people were willing to stand in the river. He began paying attention to see how these believers conducted themselves in public. He soon discovered that their faith was real and genuine. More than that he wanted what they had.
Bruce began attending church, something he had not done since he was in high school. Last spring Bruce waded into the river with the rest of the church and was baptized.
When our Lord Jesus was baptized he identified with each one of us. Jesus stood in the dirty water to be like us. God recognized and celebrated the moment, "You are my Son, the beloved; with you I am well pleased."
Mark 1:4-11
Cindy was the team's utility player. Whenever someone was hurt or couldn't make a game, Cindy started. When the starting shortstop, Anisha, sprained her ankle, Cindy was ready. In fact, she played great. Over a two-week period that included several key tournaments, Cindy led the team in hitting, drove in key runs, and never committed one error in the field. When an out-of-state coach commended her for her play, Cindy quipped, "If you think that was something, wait until to see our first-string shortstop."
John caused a stir with his preaching and baptizing. When people commended him on his work, like Cindy he said, "If you think this is something, wait until you see the one coming after me!"
