In the Beginning

I often feel that those of us who have gone to church for most of our lives have an advantage when it comes to reading scripture. We bring to that reading hidden knowledge, a sense of what is to come, and many experiences. But what about people who are hearing the gospel for the first time? What about those people who were on the outside of the crowds that Jesus attracted? The stories Jesus told must have sounded odd at times. For Christians, Christ’s life, death, and resurrection are the enormous power that exerts our imagination and drives us each day of our lives. We don’t tire of hearing those stories again and again.

But to a young child or a nonbeliever, perhaps those stories sound like a “myth” or a “fairytale”. We might not be able to explain how those stories in scripture move us or nourish us, or how we share those experiences with each other in the life of the church. Harder still might be explaining how those scripture readings help us to cope with difficult situations that we all must face in our lives. We innately know that our birth, our need for love, our fear of death, and our assurance that Christ died and rose again have brought us to the heart of God.

We all want those we love to know the Bible—to love it and claim it as their own story of God calling His children to love and redemption through the death and resurrection of His son.

For most of us probably see Biblical reading as a journey where we eventually make strong connections between the stories in the Old Testament and New Testament, in the life of the church and our own lives, and our own inner life of order, delight, questioning, fear, hope, prayer and moral choices.

Perhaps it is in our scriptural readings where we come to see our greatest need is to find our way home where we will be richly welcomed, loved and fed; where we will inherit the kingdom. Where we know all tears will be dried and all that has been lost will be found.

As followers of Christ, we are unified in the love God has revealed to us and in the purpose of sharing that love with the world. We have the blessing of relationship and belonging. God’s promises made known to us in baptism are the foundation of the blessings we have already received: we belong to God. God will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). God is with us, also, in times when we cannot see how His promises can ever come to be. When the end result is not yet fully revealed, we know that we can trust God’s Spirit to lead, guide, and accompany us. Even as things are still unfolding in our lives, we can proclaim to one another that the God who has been faithful in the past will continue to be faithful in our lives.

As we move through our routines from day to night and back to day again, much of our movement is repetitive. Some of our routines are healthy; others might deplete our energy, our joy, or even our faith. Unexpected crises interrupt our plans, as can surprises of grace. As much as one day, one month, or one year feels sometimes much like the previous one, God is at work changing and moving in and among us.

In the beginning God created movement between day and night. People were added to creation, and we were called to move: to work, to eat, to be fruitful. Every movement was good. The whole is very good.

So each day, amid all this movement that is our lives: days that seem too full or days that seem not nearly full enough, pause and remember the goodness with which we were created. If only for a few moments, pause and breathe in all the love of our Creator God. Rest in that love as you go through your days.

Lately my list of people to pray for keeps getting longer and longer. I think many people are carrying burdens of health problems, family issues, waiting to hear a diagnosis, or that they can have an appointment with a doctor. This world has a lot to dish out and it is important that we lift each other in prayer. Talk to God about all that crosses your agenda each day.

God’s love and mercy are always amazing and never-ending. May you feel the peace that passes all understanding as you go through your day.