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
Like all good stories, the Creation story has a protagonist (God) and an antagonist. Understanding Genesis chapter 1 begins with understanding the themes that run through the story. The way the story is structured, the word play in the story, and the symbolism all point to one prevailing theme, a great antagonist, and a teaching … Read more
God made the world perfect. So did death exist ‘in the beginning’? No, because a perfect reality, free from sin, free from death, was God’s intention. Humans screwed it up. Sound familiar? The old Sunday school argument If you have spent any time in a church, you have probably had something like this preached to … Read more
