Embracing New Beginnings Amidst Chaos and Uncertainty

 

Summary

In today's reflection, we explore the profound concept of God as the creator of new beginnings. We are invited to let go of the past and embrace the present as a divine gift. This moment is an opportunity to find God in everything, even amidst chaos and uncertainty. As we delve into the Book of Genesis, we confront the misconception that it is an outdated text, irrelevant in the age of science. However, Genesis addresses questions that science cannot answer, such as the origin of existence itself. The narrative of creation ex-nihilo, or out of nothing, challenges us to consider the mystery of a divine power initiating the universe.

The sermon highlights the chaos that existed before creation, described in Genesis as "formless and empty" or "tohu wa bohu" in Hebrew. This chaos represents the disorder and fear that threaten life, both internally and externally. We often respond to chaos with anxious hovering, trying to control what is beyond our grasp. Yet, the Spirit of God hovers over the chaos, not with anxiety, but with creative and redemptive intent. This divine hovering is a reminder that God is present in our lives, even when we cannot see or understand His actions.

The invitation today is to identify the chaos in our lives and recognize that we are not alone. The Spirit of God is hovering, ready to bring order and new beginnings. We are encouraged to offer gentle, non-anxious prayers, trusting that God is at work in ways that can lead to deep relational moments and redemptive conversations. Whether the chaos is small or overwhelming, God is there, offering a new beginning.

Key Takeaways:

- Embrace the present as a divine gift, letting go of past worries and future anxieties. Recognize that God is a God of new beginnings, inviting us to find Him in every moment of our lives. [00:42]

- Genesis addresses profound questions that science cannot answer, such as the origin of existence. It challenges us to consider the mystery of a divine power initiating the universe, reminding us that some truths transcend scientific explanation. [02:17]

- Chaos, described as "tohu wa bohu," represents the disorder and fear that threaten life. We often respond with anxious hovering, trying to control the uncontrollable, but God invites us to trust in His presence and creative power. [04:17]

- The Spirit of God hovers over the chaos in our lives, not with anxiety, but with creative and redemptive intent. This divine hovering assures us that God is present, even when we cannot see or understand His actions. [07:22]

- Offer gentle, non-anxious prayers, trusting that God is at work in ways that can lead to deep relational moments and redemptive conversations. Whether the chaos is small or overwhelming, God is there, offering a new beginning. [10:12]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:42] - Embracing the Present
- [01:24] - Genesis and Science
- [02:17] - The Mystery of Existence
- [03:10] - Creation Ex-Nihilo
- [04:17] - Chaos and Order
- [05:04] - Internal and External Chaos
- [06:11] - Anxious Hovering
- [07:22] - The Spirit's Creative Hovering
- [08:30] - God's Presence in Chaos
- [09:21] - Identifying Personal Chaos
- [10:12] - Gentle, Non-Anxious Prayers
- [11:01] - Small and Big Chaos
- [11:16] - New Beginnings with God
- [11:36] - Conclusion and Invitation

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Genesis 1:1-2 - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."
2. Isaiah 43:18-19 - "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."

---

Observation Questions:

1. What does the phrase "formless and empty" or "tohu wa bohu" in Genesis 1:2 signify about the state of the world before creation? [04:17]

2. How does the sermon describe the way God responds to chaos compared to how humans typically respond? [05:58]

3. What is the significance of the Spirit of God "hovering" over the waters in Genesis 1:2, as discussed in the sermon? [07:22]

4. According to the sermon, what are some examples of internal and external chaos that people face today? [05:04]

---

Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the concept of God creating "ex-nihilo" challenge our understanding of the universe's origin, and why is this significant for believers? [03:38]

2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the Spirit of God is present in our lives during times of chaos, and how does this presence differ from human anxiety? [08:13]

3. How does the sermon interpret the role of prayer in dealing with chaos, and what is meant by "gentle, non-anxious prayers"? [10:12]

4. What does the sermon imply about the relationship between chaos and new beginnings, and how does this relate to the idea of God as a creator? [11:16]

---

Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a current situation in your life that feels chaotic. How can you invite the Spirit of God to "hover" over this chaos and bring about a new beginning? [09:21]

2. The sermon encourages letting go of past worries and future anxieties. What is one specific past worry or future anxiety you can release this week to embrace the present as a divine gift? [00:42]

3. Consider a time when you responded to chaos with anxious hovering. How might you approach a similar situation differently now, using the concept of "gentle, non-anxious prayers"? [10:12]

4. Identify an area of your life where you feel the need to control the uncontrollable. How can you practice trusting in God's presence and creative power instead? [05:58]

5. Think of a person in your life who is experiencing chaos. How can you support them in recognizing God's presence and offer them encouragement for a new beginning? [11:16]

6. How can you incorporate the practice of recognizing God's presence in everyday moments, even when life feels chaotic or uncertain? [08:43]

7. Reflect on the idea that some truths transcend scientific explanation. How does this perspective influence your understanding of faith and the mysteries of God? [02:17]

Devotional

Day 1: Embracing the Present as a Divine Gift
In the hustle and bustle of life, it's easy to get caught up in the regrets of the past or the anxieties of the future. However, the present moment is a sacred space where God invites us to encounter Him. By letting go of past worries and future anxieties, we open ourselves to the divine gift of the present. This moment is an opportunity to find God in everything, even amidst chaos and uncertainty. Embracing the present allows us to experience God's presence and His new beginnings in our lives. [00:42]

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted." (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: What is one thing from your past that you need to let go of today to fully embrace the present moment with God?


Day 2: The Mystery of Divine Creation
The Book of Genesis, often seen as outdated in the age of science, addresses profound questions that science cannot answer, such as the origin of existence itself. It challenges us to consider the mystery of a divine power initiating the universe. This narrative of creation ex-nihilo, or out of nothing, invites us to marvel at the mystery of God's creative power. It reminds us that some truths transcend scientific explanation and calls us to trust in the divine mystery that underlies all of creation. [02:17]

"By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible." (Hebrews 11:3, ESV)

Reflection: How does acknowledging the mystery of God's creation influence your understanding of the world and your place in it today?


Day 3: Trusting God Amidst Chaos
Chaos, described in Genesis as "tohu wa bohu," represents the disorder and fear that threaten life. We often respond to chaos with anxious hovering, trying to control what is beyond our grasp. Yet, God invites us to trust in His presence and creative power. The Spirit of God hovers over the chaos, not with anxiety, but with creative and redemptive intent. This divine hovering assures us that God is present, even when we cannot see or understand His actions. [04:17]

"The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." (Genesis 1:2, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a chaotic situation in your life. How can you invite God to hover over this chaos with His creative and redemptive power today?


Day 4: The Spirit's Creative Hovering
The Spirit of God hovers over the chaos in our lives, not with anxiety, but with creative and redemptive intent. This divine hovering is a reminder that God is present in our lives, even when we cannot see or understand His actions. We are encouraged to offer gentle, non-anxious prayers, trusting that God is at work in ways that can lead to deep relational moments and redemptive conversations. Whether the chaos is small or overwhelming, God is there, offering a new beginning. [07:22]

"And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord." (Isaiah 11:2, ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to trust in the Spirit's creative hovering today? How can you offer a gentle, non-anxious prayer in this situation?


Day 5: New Beginnings with God
God is a God of new beginnings, inviting us to find Him in every moment of our lives. By offering gentle, non-anxious prayers, we trust that God is at work in ways that can lead to deep relational moments and redemptive conversations. Whether the chaos is small or overwhelming, God is there, offering a new beginning. This assurance allows us to step into each day with hope and confidence, knowing that God is continually creating and recreating in our lives. [10:12]

"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:18-19, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need a new beginning? How can you invite God to create something new in this area today?

Quotes

"Embrace this day it is his gift lift up your hearts and let's learn together how to find God the sacred in everything. I want to invite you today to do some creative Redemptive non-anxious hovering so take a moment and think about a problem that you have an unanswered question something that you're worried about." [00:39:36]

"Genesis is discussing questions that science does not have answers to. Scientists got all puffed up one time and they came to God we understand all about physics and chemistry and biology we now know how to make life so we want to have a man-making contest against you and God says that fine that's fine you go first." [01:37:32]

"Nobody can imagine how nothing can turn into something, nobody can get an inch nearer to it by explaining how something can turn into something else. It is really far more logical to start by saying in the beginning God created heaven and earth, even if you only mean in the beginning some Unthinkable power began some Unthinkable process." [02:49:26]

"Part of what the Bible teaches us is that God created ex-nihilo out of nothing that there is something that exists and there is a reason for that and that it began with the person that it's much more logical to believe that a person came first and thought and then came particles than to believe that somehow a bunch of particles ultimately formed a person." [03:13:15]

"Now the Earth was formless and empty, Darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters, and in Hebrew that phrase formless and empty or void is quite a famous One tohu wa bohu, and it's kind of the antonym of the heavens and the Earth remember the heavens and the Earth God made that's the ordered existence of all things." [04:08:58]

"Chaos is where life is not working the way that it's supposed to work and we experience that in our internal chaos, anxiety, depression, external chaos, conflict between people, aging today is the first day in several days that I have not had a little piece of tissue paper on my ear because I cut myself and everybody kept asking me did you cut yourself bleeding." [04:59:41]

"Chaos always threatens life, chaos is anti-shalom how do we respond to it well we tend to respond to it by obsessive worried hovering, we try to control what we cannot control because we're The Fellowship of the withered hand I can't, hovering parents, about 1969 is the first time that the phrase helicopter parents got used and parents who were worried over their kids would try to take control." [05:41:46]

"God is Not troubled At All by any of the challenges that you are facing, not because he does not care but because he's always there, here's how creation happens it is such a fabulous picture, the Earth is formless and void unformed and unfilled and then the spirit of God sometimes it's translated the wind of God in Hebrew Rock wind and breath and spirit can all be used to translate this same word." [07:08:16]

"God is Not inactive God is there God is doing creative hovering Redemptive hovering I love this picture it is as though the spirit of God is over all of this chaos and thinking what might be what might I do what great creation what great project could I embark in and then of course you and I are ultimately going to get to be a part of this." [08:09:39]

"God is hovering in your life right now and there may be chaos but you are not alone the spirit is hovering there so the invitation for you and me today identify where's the Chaos in my life where am I afraid where is that dog that's going to come running around the corner when I do not have a bone, where's the money going to come from." [08:47:40]

"I would offer gentle non-anxious prayers to God on behalf of the one that you love because frantic, anxiety-filled prayers that kind of obsessive hovering will not do any good to them or to you or to God I would offer gentle non-anxious prayer so the invitation to you today God is the god of new beginnings where's their chaos in your life take a breath realize the spirit is hovering over the chaos." [09:55:62]

"I have found in the chaos of my own life that I cannot control God to be at work in ways that have formed some of the deepest relational moments some of the most Redemptive conversations and by the way the chance that I get to do this together with you that came out of the spirit of God hovering over the chaos in my life." [10:36:12]

Chatbot

  • I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from May 16, 2023. Do you have any questions about it?

Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?