In The Beginning

In the beginning, God...

For me, these are four of the most important words in all of Scripture -- indeed, in all of language. Some of the great philosophical questions of man are answered in this single phrase.

In this one phrase, we learn God is eternal. At the beginning of time -- at least by our reckoning -- God already was. We learn where we came from. If God was, in the beginning, we know that everything that came after must have been made by Him. And indeed, the rest of Genesis 1 and 2 bear that out. We get the sense of our place. We are not the center of the Universe; He is.

He is the Will that set the Universe in motion; the Force that keeps it together. He is the Hand that guides it, the Eye that watches over it, the Lungs that give it life.

He exists outside the universe, and outside Time, voiced in Jesus words: Before Abraham was, I Am! (John 8:58)

In the beginning, God created...

There was no beginning before God acted to make it so. When God created, there was the beginning. Not before.

God is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and End.  He is before Time and after. Before the Universe and After. Greater than the plans and wars of nations; greater than the motions of planets and suns. He is the Creator... but He is so much more.

So when you hear the words, "God loves you, and has a wonderful plan for your life," I want you to understand exactly what that means.

Earth Day!

Have you ever thought about the care with which God created our home? Consider: Earth is the only known planet to have lakes and oceans of liquid water. The only planet known with the ability to support life. We have plants which aid the oxygen supply and keep us breathing -- and we in turn exhale carbon dioxide, which those plants use for growth. Our water is cycled through evaporation and precipitation, keeping a balance of water and enabling plant growth without saturating the ground and drowning the life below. The planet spins on an axis, working its elliptical path around the sun, giving us daylight to work and make our living, night to cut distractions and allow our bodies and minds to rest; seasons to allow the earth to rest, reset and regenerate. We are close enough to the sun for warmth and light; far enough to avoid overheating and fiery destruction. The spin of the planet, too, and its proximity to the sun and moon, give us gravity -- a force that keeps us grounded (literally!), and holds back the oceans, giving us a separation between the water that makes up the majority of the planet, and the small amount of dry land on which we live.

It was only after God did all this -- and saw that it was good -- that He began populating it with creatures. And finally, the geological, meteorological, and biological parameters set, He created Man and gave him dominion over it.

And so, as the rest of the world celebrates Earth Day -- worshiping the planet as fountain and source of all life -- we can look in awe and renewed wonder at the beauty of the Creation, and worship the Creator who set it all in motion.

Christians often don't like to celebrate Earth Day. The decidedly pagan -- or at least humanist -- overtones of the day make us uncomfortable. I would like to suggest, though, that Earth Day is a wonderful reminder of a careful and loving God -- a God who first created a perfect home, and then gave it to us, a people created in His own image. And, too, it can be a reminder that God put us in charge. This is a perfect home, built by a perfect creator. We would do well to cherish it.

A Greeting Card From God

Have you ever had one of those days where all you want to do is stand outside and feel the sun? You allow the cool breeze to cross your face, and listen to the sounds of nature around you. You open your eyes and stare at the breathtaking beauty around you: trees and grass, birds and squirrels. You hear the laughter of children playing. Feel the arms of your husband or wife around you. Focus outward, to your friends and neighbors, going about their lives.

There is so much beauty, just standing on your porch, when you allow what has become commonplace to be seen instead as the gift of a benevolent Creator. We can look at the world around us as being more or less the same day after day. A living drudgery of the same scenery over and over. Or, we can view God's work with a Genesis 1 vision: an understanding of the care with which God crafted everything we see.

We can search in the tiniest of details -- the cracks in the bark of trees, the variations in every flower and blade of grass, the instinctual magnificence of the creatures, from insects to birds to household pets, which surround us -- and find in them the glory of God.

I want to encourage you to meditate today on God's creation. Read through Genesis 1, and look around you as you read it, taking in every piece of what He built as you read about its formation.

Start today at the beginning, and see the sky, not as something that may or may not drop more snow or rain -- not with a view of what it will mean for your day -- but as the first part of a wondrous work of living art: a love note from God to you. Start by looking up and remember: In the beginning, God created the Heavens...