Genesis 1:1-5a (NRSV)
Read Genesis 1:1-5a on biblegateway.com
Chapter 1In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, Verse 2the 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.
Verse 3Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. Verse 4And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. Verse 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
Devotion
Every religion that I'm aware of has a creation story. That story reflects a common human need— the need to know who I am, where I fit in the world and why. Genesis and the whole arc of scripture tells me that I am, because God created me. My purpose goes all the way back to the beginning when God declared that I am to be a steward, or trustee, of what God has made. I am an heir of the promise to Abraham. God has blessed me with God's loving presence and called me to be a blessing to others and to God's world.
God calls everything that God makes and does as "good." Because of Jesus' cross and resurrection, we trust that ultimately we'll see that too. My baptism is God's visible promise that God not only made me, but that God also lovingly claims me. Our son, Sean, once wrote a song whose title could be our mission statement: "You come from the music; let the music come from you."
Prayer
God, You never leave us, even in the midst of the chaos we create. You inspire us by the light of your measureless love to be loving. Help us to know and trust that life is good because You give it; the world is good because You made it; that we live and move and have our being surrounded by you every moment of our lives. Amen.