"In the Beginning God"

Genesis 1:1

          Sometimes people miss the forest for the trees in the story of Genesis.  Biology class conflicts with Sunday school teachers, leaving some confused and even a little bit angry.  Questions of how the universe was created and how life came to be are important, but this is not the question this story tries to answer.

          The question is not so much how as why.  Out of the void and darkness God created order and light. From the barren landscape God brought life in plant and animal.  The dust of the earth provided the building blocks for humanity.  Following each stage of creation, God reviewed and evaluated and then declared it good.

          In other words, it was God who created meaning and the notion that some things are good and others not.  Life is not an accident, but has a purpose.  Fulfillment is found then in find and following that reason for being.

          The forest toward which this story points are found in the first four words, “In the beginning God.”  This is the first premise, the first foundation upon which faith is built. Skip this idea and all that remains is chaos, where life is seen as being completely accidental, and so no eternal meaning can be attached.  Some things are seen as being good only because it seems that way to any individual, and so can change by mood or whim.  But, if God comes first, then following God’s Will leads to fulfillment and God’s Word becomes our guide.