Devotional for Sunday, July 1, 2012

Twilight: The Creator

by the Rev. Andrew Kuyvenhoven

Monthly Theme:

By God’s Word and Spirit the world was made, and he uses the same tools to rebuild the creaking cosmos. God does not save some souls from the wreckage of the planet; instead, the whole groaning creation must be delivered from bondage by the love and power of God.

Bible Reading:

Genesis 1:1–10

Bible Text:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1).

Devotional:

God is the creator of the universe. Everything has a beginning, but God brought about the beginning of everything.

The Bible does not give a scientific account of the origin of the universe. Instead it gives the religious story. Genesis I is therefore not written for a few interested specialists; it is the authoritative account for everyone. Genesis 1 will never be outdated like a science textbook because it is the revelation about God and the world for all ages and all peoples.

Some people (“a-theists”) say there is no God. All things grew by chance from a prehistoric soup, they say. Christians find that an impossible and terrible thing to believe. If we come from nothing, we go to nothing, and nothing tells us how to live. If we come from God, we go to God, and God rules our lives.

Genesis 1 does not argue with atheists. It assumes the etemal existence of God. This chapter does, however, argue with the millions who believe in many gods (“polytheists”). All their gods - fertility, moon, sun, stars - are not really gods but part of the creation of the true God.

Nor is nature divine, as many think today. God is above nature. God is near his creatures but never a part of creation. In Christ, the sovereign God is our Father: "I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth."