In the Beginning: Called to Speak Order into Chaos

Jun 01, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: In the Beginning: Iconic Openings as Whole Stories

The opening words of Genesis, "In the beginning," are more than a poetic introduction. They anchor a cosmic story of creation, chaos, and divine order. Like "I have a dream" or "We the people," these words evoke a deeper narrative—God speaking light into darkness, life into void. This opening echoes through Scripture, from John’s Gospel to Revelation, framing God’s work as an ongoing act of renewal. When Jesus quotes Psalm 22 on the cross, he invokes its full story of despair turning to hope. Iconic openings are not just words; they are invitations to step into a larger story. [38:35]

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. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Genesis 1:1–3, NIV)

Reflection: What “iconic opening” in your life—a phrase, memory, or Scripture—has shaped your understanding of God’s story? How might revisiting it bring new meaning to your current chaos?

Day 2: Plagues as Anti-Creation: Reversing Genesis’ Order

The Exodus plagues dismantle Egypt’s oppressive power by undoing creation itself. Darkness swallows light, waters turn to blood, and death replaces life. This reversal mirrors Genesis but inverts its purpose: Pharaoh’s kingdom thrives on de-creation, not God’s life-giving order. Just as Genesis declares “good,” Exodus exposes what is anti-good. The plagues reveal a God who confronts systems of death, dismantling chaos to liberate His people. [42:01]

The Lord said, “Take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.” Moses did this, and the water in the river turned to blood. The fish died, and the river smelled so bad the Egyptians could not drink its water. (Exodus 7:19–20, NIV)

Reflection: Where do you see “anti-creation” at work in the world—systems that spread chaos instead of life? How might God call you to confront them?

Day 3: Formless Void: God’s Voice in Our Chaos

Genesis begins with a formless void, a swirling chaos where darkness and deep waters collide. Yet God does not abandon the mess; His Spirit hovers, ready to speak. This image mirrors our world—war, division, grief—and our personal struggles. But the same God who called light from darkness still speaks order into chaos. Our task is not to escape the void but to listen for His voice within it. [45:07]

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. (Genesis 1:1–2, NIV)

Reflection: What “formless void” feels overwhelming in your life or community? How might God’s Spirit be hovering there, preparing to speak order?

Day 4: Resources in Chaos: Co-Laboring with God

God’s creation of light before the sun and moon reveals a truth: He uses available resources to bring order. We are not called to passive resignation but to active partnership. Counseling, medicine, advocacy—these are tools God uses to heal and restore. Just as Jesus commissioned disciples to “be fruitful,” we are invited to leverage what’s in our hands to combat chaos. [48:18]

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:3–4, NIV)

Reflection: What practical resource—relationships, skills, opportunities—has God placed near you to bring order to chaos? How will you use it this week?

Day 5: Be Fruitful Again: Commissioned for New Creation

Genesis’ command to “be fruitful” echoes in Jesus’ Great Commission, linking creation’s dawn to redemption’s work. We are not merely recipients of grace but agents of it—called to multiply goodness, justice, and love. Just as Eden’s garden birthed life, our lives are meant to cultivate new creation wherever we go. [51:23]

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19, NIV)

Reflection: How can you “be fruitful” in a way that mirrors God’s original design—creating spaces of life, not just managing chaos? What step will you take today?

Sermon Summary

Iconic openings carry whole stories, not just words. “We the people” and “I have a dream” name more than sentences; they summon shared memory, moral freight, and a horizon of hope. Jesus’ cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me,” works the same way as an iconic opening. Psalm 22 sits behind it, beginning in anguish and ending in trust, so the line on the cross signals the arc from forsakenness to God’s faithful rescue.

Genesis opens with the most iconic line of all, “In the beginning.” The text names a formless void and deep waters, then shows God speaking order into chaos. John’s Gospel uses the same opening to say new creation has begun in Jesus. The garden of Eden frames the first creation, the garden at the tomb frames the resurrection where Mary mistakes Jesus for the gardener, and Revelation’s river and trees show it all ends in a garden. The through-line is clear: creation, new creation, and final renewal all grow where God plants order, life, and fruitfulness.

Exodus then reads as a sober callback in reverse. If Genesis moves from nothing to light to life, the plagues move from water to blood, from beast to blight, from light to darkness, and finally to death. The pattern brands Egypt as anti-creation and anti-God. Creation builds; oppression unravels.

Genesis keeps speaking now. God’s speech still shapes chaos into goodness, both in a splintered world and in a soul that feels like a formless void. But this is not an invitation to drift into “let go and let God.” The creation story shows God drawing on what is at hand, summoning light before sun and moon, calling forth land, sky, seed, and season. The call to co-creation names human beings as image-bearers, cocreators and colaborers who carry God’s presence into broken places. Practical obedience looks like using the real resources around a person to bring order to the tangle: counselors and medicine for mental health, friendship for isolation, advocacy and protest for injustice, tangible mercy for the poor and excluded.

Genesis also announces God’s verdict over humanity. Everything is good, and humanity is “very good.” That dignity grounds mission. The Great Commission echoes Genesis’ “be fruitful and multiply,” now as disciple-making that multiplies wholeness, peace, joy, and love. The church’s message says God called creation good at the start and will call it good at the end, so the people who carry God’s breath are sent to invest in the new creation, speak order into chaos, and live as those named precious in God’s sight.

Key Takeaways

1. Iconic openings carry entire narratives [37:48] These first lines pull in whole stories, not just sentences. Jesus’ cry from the cross signals Psalm 22’s journey from absence to trust, not a naked moment of despair. The same dynamic lets “We the people” and “I have a dream” do moral work far beyond their syllables. Scripture leans into that memory so hearers catch the larger frame. [37:48]
2. Genesis names God ordering chaos [45:24] The text starts with a formless void and shows God speaking a world into shape. That pattern still reads the present, inviting chaos to hear a creative word that makes room for life. Human worth is secured inside that ordering voice, where humanity is called very good and fitted for fruitful work. [45:24]
3. Resist passivity; practice co-creation [47:18] “Let go and let God” can excuse abdication when the story actually calls image-bearers into labor. Creation shows God working with what is there, summoning potential into form. Co-creation honors God by acting, not drifting, trusting that obedience becomes part of the order God is speaking. [47:18]
4. Use nearby resources to heal [48:18] Light appears before sun and moon, so provision often precedes clarity. Counselors, medicine, and faithful friends can be the tools God uses to bring structure to a mind or life on the brink. Grace often arrives as means, and humility receives those means as gifts rather than shortcuts. [48:18]
5. Carry God’s presence into justice [49:33] Image-bearers step into public chaos with the presence they carry, not just private piety. Protest, advocacy, and inclusion become ways the Creator’s voice is heard in the streets. Justice work refuses anti-creation, insisting that mercy and truth are the shape of God’s order. [49:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[33:05] - Why iconic openings matter
[35:22] - “I have a dream” and protest
[36:14] - Jesus and Psalm 22’s first line
[38:07] - “In the beginning” as signal
[38:35] - John announces new creation
[39:58] - Gardens from Eden to Easter
[41:23] - Exodus plagues in reverse
[42:45] - Egypt named anti-creation
[45:24] - God brings order from chaos
[47:18] - Not “let go and let God”
[48:18] - Using resources to heal
[49:33] - Carrying God’s presence into action
[50:49] - Humanity called very good
[52:45] - Sent to speak order and hope

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Genesis 1:1-2 (NIV): “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.”
- John 1:1 (NIV): “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
- Psalm 22:1 (NIV): “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?”
- Revelation 22:1-2 (NIV): “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”

Observation questions

In Genesis 1:1-2, how does the text describe the state of the world before God begins creating? What specific actions does God take to bring order?
John 1:1 mirrors the opening of Genesis. What does this parallel suggest about Jesus’ role in creation?
Psalm 22 begins with a cry of abandonment but ends with trust in God’s deliverance. How might Jesus’ use of this psalm on the cross (Matthew 27:46) point to a larger story?
Revelation 22:1-2 describes a garden-like paradise. How does this connect to the gardens in Genesis (Eden) and John’s Gospel (the resurrection scene)?

Interpretation questions

Why might God choose to start creation with chaos (a “formless void”) instead of perfection? What does this reveal about His character and methods?
The sermon emphasizes that humans are called to “co-create” with God rather than passively wait for Him to act. How does Genesis 1:26-28 support this idea?
How does the reversal of creation in Exodus’ plagues (e.g., darkness, water turning to blood) highlight Egypt’s role as “anti-creation”? What does this teach about systems that oppose God’s order?
Gardens appear in Genesis, John, and Revelation. What symbolic significance might gardens hold in Scripture’s story of creation, redemption, and restoration?

Application questions

The creation story shows God bringing order to chaos using available resources (e.g., light before the sun). What “formless voids” exist in your life or community, and what practical tools (counselors, friendships, advocacy) could God use to bring order? [48:18]
How can you actively participate as a “co-creator” with God this week in areas like justice, mercy, or creativity, instead of waiting for someone else to act? [49:33]
The sermon warns against “let go and let God” passivity. Where have you been tempted to disengage spiritually or practically? What small step could you take to partner with God’s work instead? [47:18]
Genesis declares humanity “very good.” How might embracing this truth change the way you view yourself or others in moments of self-doubt or conflict?
Justice work is described as “speaking order into chaos.” What specific injustice or brokenness stirs your heart, and how could you advocate for God’s order in that area? [49:33]
The resurrection garden (John 20) and Revelation’s final garden both symbolize hope. Where do you need to trust that God is bringing life out of what feels like a spiritual or emotional “wasteland”?

Sermon Clips

58s

#CoCreateNotSurrender

“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.”

50s

#GodSpeaksIntoVoid

“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.”

29s

#GenesisSpeaksIntoChaos

“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.”

38s

#PlaguesReverseCreation

“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.”

36s

#WeAreCoCreators

“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.”

27s

#EmbraceYourWorth

“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.”

55s

#GenesisOrderFromChaos

“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.”

41s

#StartWithGenesis

“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.”

32s

“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.”

22s

“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.”

27s

32s

“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.”

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In the Beginning: Called to Speak Order into Chaos

Devotional

Day 1: In the Beginning: Iconic Openings as Whole Stories

Day 2: Plagues as Anti-Creation: Reversing Genesis’ Order

Day 3: Formless Void: God’s Voice in Our Chaos

Day 4: Resources in Chaos: Co-Laboring with God

Day 5: Be Fruitful Again: Commissioned for New Creation

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

In the Beginning: Called to Speak Order into Chaos

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