The Journey to Christmas: In the Beginning... (Pt. 2)
One of my favorite new TV shows is Chuck on NBC. It’s about this brilliant guy who gets framed for cheating in college, is kicked out, and finds himself working at a “Buy More” (really a Best Buy). Little does he know that his college roommate who framed him is actually a rogue CIA agent. After five years, he sends Chuck an email containing every secret the government has ever collected and each piece gets downloaded into his brain. If someone suspicious passes by, Chuck’s brain flashes and he instantly knows all their information. A quite attractive CIA agent is assigned to protect Chuck along with a scary NSA assassin. He and the CIA agent carry on a fake relationship as a cover and the NSA agent works with him in his under-realized life as a retail employee. The story unfolds as Chuck learns the finer points of living a double life while hoping that he can someday become a normal person again. With each episode, he gets closer to living in freedom but with each attempt it is snatched away.
As a fan, I watch Chuck with the hopes that this good, ordinary man will be able to recover from the mess that has been created for him. But in truth, if Chuck actually did manage to live a normal life again, could the series even continue? Not many shows about average people doing average things tend to make it very long. (Other than Seinfeld or Friends…) Every plot is driven by a problem. If there isn’t a problem, the story can’t even begin. If the problem is solved, the story is over. However, this never actually keeps us from rooting for the good guy. Why? Because in the beginning we have seen what life could be like for the character. We want him to attain it, even if it means our entertainment comes to a close.
Our Bible works the same way. We are immediately given a picture of the ideal and we are trying to get back to it. It’s pretty simple, really. “In the beginning, God…” Just four words in and our main character has emerged. The story is about him. He is both the author and the hero. In an impressive display of his glory, God simply speaks the universe into existence. Where he got the idea of a universe is beyond me. It isn’t as if he could pick up a how-to kit in a craft store. God just told it to exist and it did. Take that Chuck Norris.
But why create a universe? Why even bother with it? Look at it from an artist’s perspective. A painter paints in order to express an idea or emotion. Composers write music to share what words can’t. Sculptors create objects to take otherwise abstract concepts and make them tangible. God’s first introduction of himself is as an artist. He is creating to express who he is. Everything from the stars and moon to the leaves that dot the forests, it is all created to display his glory. And as God continues to create, he seals each phase of his divine construction with a declaration, “it is good”.
It’s good, but for what? It’s good for displaying his glory but it is also good for man, the crown of his creation. It is good for the one he will place his image within. The key principle our author wants us to recognize is that God is working towards the good of mankind. Other origin texts written at the time show mankind as slaves to the gods who must now be managed and controlled. To our Father in Heaven, mankind is a display of his glory which means we are treasured.
After all of his creative work, God rests and places Adam in the middle of it all. Then he creates Eve from his rib. Adam and Eve exist in perfect harmony and without shame. There is no conflict, no shame, no jealousy, and best of all, no clothes! It’s just unhindered intimacy between two people.
These two not only experience this intimacy with each other but with God. They walk with him, talk with him, and enjoy his presence. With God in their midst there is no death, no pain, no insecurities, no fear, and no evil. It is a relationship between God and man, no less real than what you and I experience every day but far more perfect.
However, we all know this doesn’t last for long. With one simple step of disobedience, the harmony and intimacy carved out by our gracious Creator is destroyed. A problem will arise and with it, the story will begin. It is a story of restoration, a story of a God who will step out of Heaven to liberate his most prized creation from the grip of sin and death. It’s the story of Christmas and it begins with just four powerful words.
“In the beginning, God…”
Read Genesis 1-2 and respond to one or more of the following questions. Also, feel free to add your own insights into the text. The more interaction, the better!
Genesis 1:27-28 gives us two reasons to view humans as particularly important to God. What are they? (Hint: We have been given something and charged with something)
In Genesis 2:1-3, the Creator of the universe takes a break from things. What should this tell us about God’s view of rest?
What makes this passage significant in our study of Christmas?
www.gravityministries.org
As a fan, I watch Chuck with the hopes that this good, ordinary man will be able to recover from the mess that has been created for him. But in truth, if Chuck actually did manage to live a normal life again, could the series even continue? Not many shows about average people doing average things tend to make it very long. (Other than Seinfeld or Friends…) Every plot is driven by a problem. If there isn’t a problem, the story can’t even begin. If the problem is solved, the story is over. However, this never actually keeps us from rooting for the good guy. Why? Because in the beginning we have seen what life could be like for the character. We want him to attain it, even if it means our entertainment comes to a close.
Our Bible works the same way. We are immediately given a picture of the ideal and we are trying to get back to it. It’s pretty simple, really. “In the beginning, God…” Just four words in and our main character has emerged. The story is about him. He is both the author and the hero. In an impressive display of his glory, God simply speaks the universe into existence. Where he got the idea of a universe is beyond me. It isn’t as if he could pick up a how-to kit in a craft store. God just told it to exist and it did. Take that Chuck Norris.
But why create a universe? Why even bother with it? Look at it from an artist’s perspective. A painter paints in order to express an idea or emotion. Composers write music to share what words can’t. Sculptors create objects to take otherwise abstract concepts and make them tangible. God’s first introduction of himself is as an artist. He is creating to express who he is. Everything from the stars and moon to the leaves that dot the forests, it is all created to display his glory. And as God continues to create, he seals each phase of his divine construction with a declaration, “it is good”.
It’s good, but for what? It’s good for displaying his glory but it is also good for man, the crown of his creation. It is good for the one he will place his image within. The key principle our author wants us to recognize is that God is working towards the good of mankind. Other origin texts written at the time show mankind as slaves to the gods who must now be managed and controlled. To our Father in Heaven, mankind is a display of his glory which means we are treasured.
After all of his creative work, God rests and places Adam in the middle of it all. Then he creates Eve from his rib. Adam and Eve exist in perfect harmony and without shame. There is no conflict, no shame, no jealousy, and best of all, no clothes! It’s just unhindered intimacy between two people.
These two not only experience this intimacy with each other but with God. They walk with him, talk with him, and enjoy his presence. With God in their midst there is no death, no pain, no insecurities, no fear, and no evil. It is a relationship between God and man, no less real than what you and I experience every day but far more perfect.
However, we all know this doesn’t last for long. With one simple step of disobedience, the harmony and intimacy carved out by our gracious Creator is destroyed. A problem will arise and with it, the story will begin. It is a story of restoration, a story of a God who will step out of Heaven to liberate his most prized creation from the grip of sin and death. It’s the story of Christmas and it begins with just four powerful words.
“In the beginning, God…”
Read Genesis 1-2 and respond to one or more of the following questions. Also, feel free to add your own insights into the text. The more interaction, the better!
Genesis 1:27-28 gives us two reasons to view humans as particularly important to God. What are they? (Hint: We have been given something and charged with something)
In Genesis 2:1-3, the Creator of the universe takes a break from things. What should this tell us about God’s view of rest?
What makes this passage significant in our study of Christmas?
www.gravityministries.org
posted by Matt Morrison | 2:10 PM
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