In the Beginning: Called to Speak Order into Chaos

But hear this well. This is not just a call to let go and let god. This is not a call to that at all. I find the theology of let go and let god sometimes to be a little bit dangerous to me because it absolves responsibility from us. Rather, this is a call to do what God did in Genesis. There were resources all around for God to use. God said, let there be light. And then a few days later, there was the sun and the moon. So where did that light come from first? There were resources for God to use, and that's how God spoke order into chaos. [00:47:10] (58 seconds)  #CoCreateNotSurrender

Genesis tells us to allow God to speak into our formless voids, both at a corporate level, but also at an individual level. If your life feels like a formless void, and who can blame you? These are tough times. If your life feels like a formless void due to any of the multiple things that are happening right now, know this, God speaks into chaos. And when God speaks into chaos, there is order and there is hope. When God speaks into a formless void, there is life, and it can be described as good and ultimately good. [00:46:22] (50 seconds)  #GodSpeaksIntoVoid

Many people believe the world is in chaos right now. There is war and hyper partisanship, and gas is $5 a gallon, and there's completely out of control gun violence and racism in all kinds of ways that people are showing that they fear what is different. There is chaos in the world right now. Genesis tells us that God speaks into our chaos. [00:45:53] (29 seconds)  #GenesisSpeaksIntoChaos

In Exodus, the plagues of Egypt are roughly in reverse order of the creation of the world. God says, let there be light. And in Egypt, towards the end, there is complete darkness. God creates the waters of the sea, and in Egypt, the waters turn to blood. The last thing God did in creation was create life, and the last thing that happened in Egypt was death, the death of the firstborn. [00:42:01] (38 seconds)  #PlaguesReverseCreation

Genesis gives us the foundation of who we are as human beings. It opens up the possibility and even the expectation that we are cocreators and co laborers in God's good world. Genesis speaks to us right from the very beginning. Because what was it? In the beginning, the earth was a formless void, and darkness covered the face of the deep while the spirit of God swept over the face of the waters. A formless void. [00:44:22] (36 seconds)  #WeAreCoCreators

So may you embrace this good news. May you embrace the identity that God has for you. May you speak order into chaos, and may you believe that you are good, very good, and precious in God's sight. May you go. Because we have to start somewhere, and it might as well be here. Amen. [00:52:42] (27 seconds)  #EmbraceYourWorth

That's how the earth is described at the start of Genesis. It was chaos. then god spoke and there became order to the chaos. Genesis speaks to us still today in that very when god speaks, there is order to the chaos. I've heard a lot of people say a lot of things about the state of the world, and I think that one overwhelming commonality is that many of us believe that the world is in chaos. And just like then, when god speaks into chaos, there is order. [00:44:57] (55 seconds)  #GenesisOrderFromChaos

We've got to start somewhere on our journey of faith, and the writers of the book of Genesis were right in thinking that this is a great place to start. There are so many callbacks to Genesis throughout the rest of scripture. A few of them are pretty obvious. The gospel writer John begins his gospel with the exact words, in the beginning. It's an obvious callback, and the callback wanted to communicate more than the words that were on the page. The callback wanted to communicate that this also was a new creation. [00:38:23] (41 seconds)  #StartWithGenesis

Super practical example. If you're suffering with mental health, don't just hope that God will speak into your life and bring order to the chaos. Don't let go and let God. Rather, allow God to speak order into chaos through a good counselor or a good friend or any of the many pharmaceuticals that are available to you, because that's putting order into chaos as well. [00:48:21] (32 seconds)

Why would the writers of Exodus tell the story of Egypt in the way that they told it? Because if Genesis is a story about a creating god, then the Egyptians are anti god. The Egyptians are the reverse of a loving and creating god. [00:43:12] (22 seconds)

So may you embrace this good news. May you embrace the identity that God has for you. May you speak order into chaos, and may you believe that you are good, very good, and precious in God's sight. May you go. Because we have to start somewhere, and it might as well be here. [00:52:41] (27 seconds)

There are so many callbacks to Genesis throughout the rest of scripture. A few of them are pretty obvious. The gospel writer John begins his gospel with the exact words, in the beginning. It's an obvious callback, and the callback wanted to communicate more than the words that were on the page. The callback wanted to communicate that this also was a new creation. [00:38:32] (32 seconds)