Day 2 – The Creation

Don’t forget to pray and read the passages before starting on my notes!

• The wonderful story of Creation dominates our reading today. They’ll be familiar words, I’m sure! Don’t skim them though. What new things about God’s work in Genesis 1 can we discover today?
• What does God create in the first three days? Does it feel ordered, and planned, in the way that the Scriptures tell us the story? Does anything happen outside of God’s purpose and control?
• Verses 16 and 17 almost casually mention the glory of the universe that God created. Have you seen the video “Indescribable”, by Louie Giglio? You can watch it below. Enjoy letting the majesty of God’s creation astound you again!
• Once God has created a world with night and day, water and vegetation, it’s ready for life. God takes great delight in making all the different animals, doesn’t He? What types of animals are mentioned?
• In verse 26, we read about the pinnacle of God’s creation – mankind. In who’s image does God make men and women? What do you think that means? How are we like God (and, just as importantly, how are we not like God)? These verses are fundamental to a wonderful truth – that we were not accidents of time and chance. We were created with a meaning and a purpose and a unique dignity. Put your pen down for a moment and let just how awesome that is wash over you.
• Verse 26 also, intriguingly, introduces the word “us”. Who is “us”? Think back to yesterday’s readings and notes. Don’t skip over this question. It’s vital to understand that the Trinity is at work here.
• As God worked, what did He say about each of the things He created? What did he say about mankind after making them?
• What roles were men and women given on the earth? Did they have jobs to do?
• The Creation story doesn’t tell us everything about how God made the world, or when. It tells us what we need to know though. How does Hebrews 11:1-3 pick up this thought?
• What does the author of the letter to the Hebrews (we don’t exactly know who he/she is) say about the difference between the Creator (God) and the creation He’s just made in today’s third reading?
• Finish your time today by imaging what this new creation was like. This is life before the fall – before sin casts its ugly shadow bringing death and destruction. Do you look forward to the day when the earth is renewed like this?

Creation is a hot topic, isn’t it? It’s certainly not taught in schools – and evolution is pretty much taught as fact, rather than as theory.

What do you think? Does the story of creation by God answer questions for you that science doesn’t? Or have we hit – on day two of our reading plan no less – one of the biggest stumbling blocks for you as a Christian to grapple with?

Do you think that the biblical narrative and the “big bang” narrative can work together? If so, what do you make of the idea that we are created in the image of God, rather than by chance or over billions of years?

As Christians, we believe in a God who creates and sustains. This means that there are some things we won’t be able to understand. The bible’s explanation of creation is brief and puts the focus on God. It talks about why God created, not how. Be encouraged by the teaching of the bible that will never be answered elsewhere.

Spend some time discussing your concerns – if you have any – with me (or whomever you meet with) or your parents. You may find the video below to be a great encouragement about how science and the bible can sit in harmony.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQTy2dIsgcM