Our calendar, our entire perception of time, is based on this one cycle: Sunrise <-> Sunset. In Genesis chapter 1 verse 5, the passage of time itself finds its origin with God. Though each unique version of the calendar is a creation of human civilizations, the concept of the calendar is part of God’s design, … Read more
One may wonder, why light? Why is this the first thing that God creates, even before the objects that give light—the sun and moon and stars? What is the meaning of this division between light and darkness in Genesis 1:4. Layers One of the wonderful things about bible stories, is that each story has several … Read more
Instructions: The words and videos below are meant to be read and played in sequence, together forming one complete worship service. Begin by pressing play on the first video. God Bless! Last week, we celebrated the resurrection. We celebrate still. And we are tempted to leave it there, to pretend that the story … Read more
There is a meaning in Genesis 1:3 that our English cannot quite capture, because we English speakers have separated the concepts of spirit, breath, and life. Check out the trailer below! Back in verse 2, we were told that the “spirit of God was moving over the water.” The Hebrew word for “spirit” here is “ruach.” … Read more
The Deep To the ancient mind, this word conjured images of a bottomless ocean which continued down and down and down until its waters opened into the mouth of the Underworld. This was an eternal prison for the dead, and for the monsters that the gods had trapped there at the beginning of the world … Read more
Instructions: The words and videos below are meant to be read and played in sequence, together forming one complete worship service. Begin by pressing play on the first video. God Bless! Today we celebrate! Frightened as we may be in strange, and unprecedented days… Concerned as we may be for the health of friends… …of … Read more
The bible begins in the beginning— The absolute and total beginning— the time from which all time comes. Creation ex nihilo Long after Genesis was written, Roman Christians would start talking about something called creatio ex nihilo: creation out of nothing. While the writer of Genesis 1:1 falls short of stating that God created “out … Read more
Instructions: The words and videos below are meant to be read and played in sequence, together forming one complete worship service. Begin by pressing play on the first video. God Bless! Now let us join in worship of God by lifting up this song of praise… As we meditate on … Read more
The following statement has developed during my lifetime in the church, my exposure to several different Christian traditions, my undergraduate study of history, my four years spent presuing two Masters Degrees in the History of Theology and Christian Education, and many, many years of independent research. In other words, it did not come to me … Read more
“For signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years . . .” This is the purpose of the stars according to Genesis 1:14. Most of us have some exposure to astrology, the art of making predictions and gaining insight based on the patterns of the stars. For most of us, it’s barely more than a … Read more
