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1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. 6 And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 7 And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. 9 And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth." And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. 14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. 20 And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the firmament of the heavens." 21 So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. 24 And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the cattle according to their kinds, and everything that creeps upon the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." 29 And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all his work which he had done in creation. 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. (Genesis 1;1-2:4a RSV Bible)
Dad joke of the day: When is baseball mentioned in the Bible? Genesis 1, verse 1, where it says "In the Big Inning God created the heavens and the earth." Insert your groan here. Welcome to Wednesday, dear Friend! May the joy of the Lord be your strength today and all days. May God blessw those who are not feeling well, those who are facing medical exams or appointments, those who are hurting emotionally as well as physically. We pray for those who face tough decisions. We pray for those who recently lost a loved one and are mourniing. We pray for those about to wed. We pray for moms and dads who await the arrival of a baby. We pray for the world that she may be truly at peace. And we pray the peace of the Lord be in you.
Those in the know say that the story for today's lesson was first a long-shared oral story handed down from generation to generation, until someone wrote it down. Years of sharing around a campfire stories lilke these to answer long-asked questions about "Where did I come from? Who made all this?" And they became the foundation of what is now our Bible and the Bible of the Jews. I had a professor of Old Testament say that while knowing sources and other theories about the creation story, he said it is best to know the story. And I agree. This is the story: God made everything. God made us and even in His image. And as we read in verse 26, the plural reference God makes as He says, "Let us," shows that God in Three was there, present, active, and involved in the decision-making and the creation of all things, especially the making of humans.
We believe that God created all things just by the spoken word. Such is the power of God, to create all things even out of nothing, as "without form and void" affirms. The order of things were created by the wisdom and love of God. And a difference pointed out about creation, when God created all things, God said, "Let there be," and it was; but when God created us, God said, "Let us make humans (man)." The making of something is vastly difference between saying and doing. This is the expressed desire of God ro have a relationship with us. God's hand made you! Did you ever think about that? That God loves you so much His loving, gentle, touch was on you as you were made. You are unique, one of a kind, and the world needs you! Your gifts and graces were not shared with anyone else, and imagine the impact and difference you can make on God's world? Your smile, your touch, your laugh, your wisdom, your entire being can offer to someone who is need for just a part of that which you were made to offer. And along with all God created, you were seen by God as "Very good." Let us live in that way, blessing God and blessing God's creation. Start now!
PRAYER: Holy Father, in total reverence, we accept our creation as a marvel and miracle. We thank You for all You have made, all You have shared with us, and all that is yet to come. We love You, and praise You in Christ Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Be a blessing of creation to creation today!
Receive my blessings of love and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
Father's Day gift idea! https://amzn.to/43eDibK
