creation and the community of God

Scripture begins with the song of creation. 

But it is not easy to simply listen to the song of creation, because the song of creation has been hi-jacked. In the last several hundred years, the first chapter of Genesis has been used to argue about evolution, big bangs, earth's age, earth's shape, heliocentric cosmology, homosexuality, dinosaurs, and the length of literal days. Some (not all!) of these conversations are worthwhile, but they all (not some!) commonly fail to let the creation song speak for itself. Instead of listening to the song on its own terms, more often we have tended to manipulate scripture to affirm what we were already thinking so that we could use it in our next attack against our critics.

For just a moment listen to the song that tells the story of the beginning of everything we know: 

Bereishit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve'et ha'aretz.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

These seven words in Hebrew begin the story of Yahweh--the God who creates, loves, and saves the world. These seven words in Hebrew form the lens through which all of Genesis (all of Scripture?) is to be understood.
 
The word, “bara,” translated as “created” is a powerful word that implies the creation of life. Every time it is used in scripture, God’s name is attached. Only God can “bara”—only God can create life. In the first song, fourteen times God speaks, and each time creation happens and life springs forth. It is almost as if it cannot help but happen--wherever God is, life happens. 

The Bible sings a song that wherever you find chaos, emptiness, darkness, and mystery, God creates order, fullness, light and life. God chose against chaos, against nothingness... God chose life. 


God still chooses life. God is still at it too--making life where there is only death and chaos. Our God is the God of life, and we should be his people in all we do.