The Start: God’s Creation All around Us

Seeing God in the First Creation Story

THE CREATION

GENESIS chapter 1

GENESIS 2:4

CREATION AND EVOLUTION:

The Bible reveals a much deeper truth about our origin than what is taught in science. Its message is primarily about God’s work in the world.

Genesis presents the truth of the ultimate origin of the world and the human race. Science does not explain the world’s absolute origin- how something came from nothing. It does not explain why anything exists at all.

EVOLUTIONARY THEORY necessarily lead to atheism and is perfectly compatible with religious belief as it is more concerned with the “HOW” than the “WHY”

questionsUsing Science, God reveals this to us (creation and evolution) now because it is only now that

we can grasp it. We can choose to see evolution as a threat to

our belief or to accept science as a process through which God reveals his magnificence

and wonder in details

FROM CHAOS TO ORDER:

The holy writer of the creation wished to tell his readers in the simplest way possible how God made everything in an orderly manner (Genesis 1:2)

He chose the framework of a seven-day week with six days of work and one day of rest because this was the way Israelites led their lives.

They could best understand the work of Creation in this form. The seven-day framework emphasizes the importance of giving one day a week to the creator.

Message of Creation Account

Creation is God’s gift to us as a sign of His love for us. Creation is part of God’s plan of salvation for us. The care we give to the creation will lead us to salvation

The Start: God’s Creation All around UsValues and Messages of the First

Creation NarrativeAll of God’s Creation is Good and Has a

Purpose:At end of each creative day, God would

pause and view His creation; it reflects God’s goodness and beauty in almost all ways.

The purpose of this is to show that God created the world where all things are interconnected

God Creates Out of Love and Is Creating Right Now

God created and still continues to create.

God created us through our parents and sustains us in existence.

God sustain us through His creation and through our experience of His guidance.

God Creates Us in His Image and Likeness

Because we are created in God’s image and likeness, we are endowed with inalienable dignity. This is the ultimate basis of every human being’s self worth.

God Makes Us Stewards of His Creation

We are empowered to take possession of the earth and its wealth. But with great power comes great responsibility. We are called to use our talents and God-given gifts responsibly for the common good.

God Created “Rest”

The Lord’s Day is meant to give us time and space to reorder and recreate our relationships with one another especially with our family, nature and God whom we direct this day as a day of worship and adoration as well.

The Start:

God’s Creation All around Us

Second Creation Narrative

FOCUS OF THE SECOND ACCOUNT

The second creation narrative focuses on the creation of man, the world, and then finally a woman.

God’s attention was clearly directed to the man and woman in this narrative.

MESSAGES OF THE SECOND ACCOUNT OF CREATION

God Is a Personal and Intimate God

He is with us overseeing our world and sustaining our lives.

He is a God who loves His creation unselfishly

God creates Us to Relate with One Another

God allows us to experience the inter connectedness of His creation and how do we need to respond in this interconnectedness as part of God’s steward and guardian of His creation.

God Creates Us as Community Members

The 2nd creation narrative emphasizes the dignity of women and the equality of men and women.

Women was taken from the man’s side to walk beside him, from under his arm to be protected by him and from near his heart to be loved by him

INTEGRATION:

Doctrine: Everything that God created is good. From these truths come the ultimate meaning, purpose and destiny of all people and of the rest of physical creation.

INTEGRATION:

Morals: As stewards of God’s creation we all have the social responsibilities to fulfill for our environment and for the world as a whole.

INTEGRATION:

Worship: God as Creator is central to our liturgy in worship, we profess the truth that we are God’s creatures who owe our creator adoration and worship.

GENESIS IN REVERSE

In the beginning, was the EarthIt was beautiful

And humans lived upon the Earth and humans said:

“Let us build skyscrapers and expressways.”

And humans covered the Earth with steel and concrete

And humans said, “it is good!”

On the second day, humans looked upon

The clear blue waters of the Earth.

And humans said: “Let us dump sewage and wastes into the waters.”

And humans did.

The waters became dark and murky.

And humans said: “It is good.”

On the 3rd day, humans gazed

at the forests of the Earth

They were tall and green. And humans said:

“Let us cut the trees

and build things for ourselves.”

And humans did

And the forest grew thin. And humans said:

“it is good.”

On the 4th day, humans saw

the animals leaping in the fields

and playing in the sun.

And humans said: “Let us trap the animals

For money and shoot them for sport”

And humans did

And the animals became scarce

And humans said: “it is good”

On the 5th day, humans felt the cool breeze in their nostrils,

And humans said: “Let us burn our refuse and let the wind blow away the smoke and debris.”

And humans did.

And the air became dense with smoke and carbon. And humans said:

“it is good.”

On the 6th day, humans saw many kinds of people on the Earth,

different in race, color and creedAnd humans feared and said: “Let us make bombs

and missiles in case misunderstanding arise.”And humans did.

Missile sites and bomb dumps checkered the landscape

And humans said: “it is good.”

On the 7th day, humans rested.

And the Earth was quiet and deathly still.

For humans was no more.

And it was good