9-23-2015

        Good Morning All!!

         Genesis 1:2; “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

     The earth was without form and void.  Have you ever thought what that means?  Most of the time a verse like this is viewed as “filler” to us.  It just connects “In the beginning” with “and God said” but it fills a very important message.  The earth was shapeless, without form, without order.  The earth was in total chaos.  There was only darkness; nothing worked, nothing functioned.  There were no days or weeks.  There were no mornings or beautiful sunsets.  There was nothing but an empty, vacant blob that was the earth.

     We read the Spirit of God hovering over the waters.  The Spirit of God was present and a change began to occur.  God speaks and things occur; things happen.  There is light, there is day and night.  Next we get dry land and the seas.  We have vegetation, fish, birds, animals, and finally people.  Each with its complement; organized, balance, functioning in a manner of perfection.  Nothing in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Harmony, perfect and complete harmony is all that exists.

    Then sin enters the world and chaos returns.  Random events begin to show up.  Events are no longer in balance.  Now two or three things that seem unrelated occur and the outcome is one that no one expected or could have anticipated.  Perfection ends and erosion, corrosion, destruction and death become the norm.  Humans go from walks with God in the cool of the morning to disease, death and a random element to the cruelty of events.  We go from a peaceful existence with God and all of creation to an existence of stress and tension.  Children die, people live with debilitating illnesses, old people suffer; randomness is cruel and all creation suffers.

    This is why God once more stepped in and brought about a return to order.  God sent his Son to heal the rift.  Jesus came to bring the kingdom of God, to bring about peace with God.  We can now know with total confidence that our loving God and Father cares for us, comforts us and brings us through all the chaos, the random pain, the cruelty of sin and the devil by his mercy.  We can have peace because we know that we have already overcome the chaos.  Our eternal destiny is provided for and nothing can take it away.  There are no unexpected twists or random horrors that can take us from God’s love.  We may still experience the random cruelty of sin but it does not defeat us.  We have Christ’s victory to bring us home.

Gracious Father, you bring us peace.  You settle the chaos that is around me and bring me your perfect peace.  Guide me by your Spirit that I may always live my life in the certainty of your grace.  Lead me to live in your loving arms.  I can sleep in your loving arms knowing that you are with me.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret