Our Origin Story (Genesis 1:1–2:3)
Notes
Transcript
Our Origin Story
Our Origin Story
Slide: Main Promo
Hello everyone!
Welcome to Unichurch… and welcome to our brand-new series in Genesis!
I’ve got to say… I’m excited to dive into this book… because Genesis is… without a doubt… one of the greatest origin stories ever told.
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It’s gripping!
It hooks us from the first sentence!
It fires up our imagination!
And it leaves us eager to see what happens next.
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Because that’s the magic of a good origin story… isn’t it?
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Have you noticed how our world has become obsessed with origin stories these days?
They are everywhere!
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Just look at some of the recent blockbuster hits.
Take the Harry Potter prequels, for example.
Slide: Fantastic Beasts — Secrets of Dumbledore
Long before Harry held a wand… we get a glimpse into the life of young Albus Dumbledore, with all his mysterious past.
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Or take the Hunger Games prequels…
Slide: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
Before the Girl on Fire ignited a revolution… we uncover the chilling roots of the first Hunger Games.
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Or more recently…
Slide: Rings of Power
We’ve journeyed back to Middle Earth.
Before Frodo’s quest to destroy the One Ring… we discover the forging of the great rings… setting the stage for the epic trilogy we all know and love.
… though it’s sad we can’t say the same of this TV series…
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Our world loves origin stories because they have the power to shape our understanding of life.
They answer some of our biggest questions…
Slide: Three Questions
Where did I come from?
What’s my purpose?
Why am I here?
That’s the power of an origin story.
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And friends, if you’ve ever wanted to know the greatest origin story of all time, you’re in the right place.
Because Genesis One is humanity’s origin story.
It’s our story.
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It tells us who we are… and how we got here.
It shows us where to find our purpose and meaning.
It helps us figure out what’s truly worth living for.
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You see… Genesis holds the answers we’re all searching for.
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So, if we’re going to figure out what it’s all about…
Slide: Our World… Our God… Our Purpose…
First, we need to know where our story begins.
We need to go all the way back to see how it all started.
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Then, we need to learn about the one who was there from the very beginning—our God… our Creator.
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Finally… once we’ve learned about God and His purposes for this world… we can discover our purpose… and what life is all about.
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So that’s our journey tonight: Our World… Our God… Our Purpose.
Our World
Our World
Slide: Our World… Has a Beginning
But… as with any good origin story… we need to go back to the very beginning…
So… if you’ve got your Bibles… I’d love you to flip to the very first page: Genesis one verse one.
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Has a Beginning
Has a Beginning
Now, take a look at the first three words of the entire Bible.
Slide: Genesis Reference
Genesis 1:1 (NIV)
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
You see… our world… has a beginning.
It hasn’t always been here. Nope.
There was a moment when it all came into existence.
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That’s what the word “beginning” really means.
It’s about an “origin”… a “starting point.”
Our world has an origin.
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And knowing this from the changes everything.
It shapes how we see the world.
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Slide: Our World… Has a beginning
Because imagine if our world didn’t have a beginning… if it wasn’t created… if it was just this eternally spinning ball of dirt…
…there would be no meaning to it all.
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If our world wasn’t put here on purpose… then it wouldn’t have a purpose…
And if we weren’t put here on purpose… then we wouldn’t have a purpose either…
There’d be no reason to search for meaning…
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So… just do whatever feels right!
Live it up!
Because today we live… and tomorrow we die.
What’s the point!
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But… if our world has a beginning… because it was created… then it must have meaning… it’s here for a reason.
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And if our world was created…. then it must have a creator.
Slide: Our World… Has a Creator
Has a Creator
Has a Creator
And that’s the next big thing we need to know about our world:
Our world… has a creator.
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Look at verse 1 again…
Slide: Genesis Reference
Genesis 1:1 (NIV)
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
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Our world wasn’t some cosmic fluke…
No… God created it… God put it here.
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And He didn’t just create our world…
…He created the entire universe.
Because when the author talks about the ‘heavens and earth’ they’re saying ‘everything there is.’
Slide: Person looking to stars
In ancient times… ‘heavens and earth’ was shorthand for ‘the whole kit and caboodle.’
From what’s here on earth… to what’s up there… and everything in between…
God created every thing in our universe.
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Now… the million-dollar question…
If you’re wondering whether we’ll dive into how God created the universe—whether it was in six literal days or over millions of years—
Unfortunately… you’re a week early.
Greg will tackle that next week when we dig into Creation in Genesis.
And the same goes for many of the other big questions this passage raises.
Next week, we’ll unpack a bunch of questions around Genesis and Creation.
Then the week after, we’ll dive into Genesis and Gender—what it means for men and women to be created equally in God’s image… but with different, complementary roles.
And in the following week… we’ll explore the idea of Genesis and Work… what our roles on earth are as God’s image-bearers.
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Slide: Our World… has a Creator
But before we dig into any of that… we need to lay a solid foundation.
And that’s what we’re doing today.
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And right from the start… we learn something huge.
God is the creator of absolutely everything.
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Which leads to the third thing we need to know about our world:
If our world has a beginning… because it was created…
Then our world must have a purpose.
Has a Purpose
Has a Purpose
Slide: Master Craftsman
Now… I want you to think of a master craftsman for a moment.
Let’s call him… Stu Harrison.
Forget ‘Eshay Stu’… or ‘Gru Stu’…
What about… ‘Sculptor Stu’.
Fitting, right?
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Now, imagine our master craftsman decides to create a new tool for his workshop.
First... he heads over to his pile of timber… carefully checking his options.
Then… he picks the perfect piece… just right for the job.
Next… he sculpts the handle to shape… not too long… not too short… just right…
Finally… he attaches the head… finishing the tool to perfection.
And at the end… he’s got a tool that’s fit for its purpose.
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His creation has meaning… because the craftsman made it for a reason.
And importantly… the creation’s meaning is set by the creator.
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You see… if our craftsman wanted to make something different, he would have… and the tool’s purpose would be different.
But… he didn’t want something else.
He wanted this.
And so… its meaning is defined by its creator.
Slide: Our World… Has a Purpose
And it’s the same for our world… and for us.
Our meaning and purpose aren’t up to us.
They’re defined by God… because He is our creator.
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Has that idea ever struck you before?
It’s a pretty big deal.
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We might try to define our own meaning and purpose…
We might search for it in all sorts of places…
But at the end of the day… only God can decide what life’s all about… because He’s the creator.
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And so… if we’re going to figure out what it’s all about…
We’re going to need to get to know our God… get to know what He’s like…
So let’s do that now.
Our God
Our God
Speaks
Speaks
Slide: Bible Reference
Come with me again to verse 3:
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
What’s the first thing that God does at the beginning of the world?
He speaks!
Slide: Our God… Speaks
Right from the start of the Bible, we learn something profound… Our God is a speaking God.
And we see this throughout the chapter, don’t we? It’s everywhere.
Slide: ‘And God said…’
So you have verse 3… ‘And God said…’
Then again in verse 6… ‘And God said…’
Verse 9… ‘And God said…’
This phrase is so important it’s repeated 10 times in the first chapter.
Even someone as thick as me can get it: Our God is a speaking God!
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But why does this matter?
Because it shows us just how powerful God is.
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Slide: Our God… Speaks
Notice that God didn’t need anything to create the universe.
Unlike Sculptor Stu… who needs a chisel and some timber to craft his creation, God creates from nothing.
He simply speaks… and things appear!
God says, “Let there be light,” and bam! There’s light!
That’s what powerful people do: they speak, and stuff happens.
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Now… I’ve been toying with this idea lately.
Many of you know I’m a bit of a nerd.
If you’ve ever been to our place for a Friday night movie, you know I love my smart lights!
They set the mood perfectly.
Slide: Red and Blue TV Smart Lights
Watching the latest Star Wars movie?
No problem!
Red light on one side, blue on the other.
And the best part? You can control them with your voice!
From the comfort of your couch, all you have to say is, “Siri, turn on the lights.”
And bam! There’s light!
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Well… that’s what would happen if Siri didn’t… you know… suck.
But it does.
So instead of turning on the lights, this happens…
Slide: Play ‘All of the Lights’ by Kanye West clip
No Siri… stop!
Slide: Main Promo
Classic Siri, right?
Sucking the joy out of everything…
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But that’s the whole point: we can’t even do something as simple as this…
But with God?
He speaks… and stuff happens.
No delays… no misunderstandings… just immediate action.
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Do you see how powerful God is?
He commands… and it happens.
He has authority… no one challenges him.
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So what does this mean for us?
It clarifies how we understand our purpose.
The key to understanding our purpose… is recognising that God determines it.
And to figure out what His purposes are… we have to listen to Him.
We have to pay attention!
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For me… this passage has challenged the way I approach reading my Bible.
Slide: Bible
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If you’re like me, it’s easy to treat the Bible like any other book.
In the busyness of life, I stop paying careful attention.
I stop listening closely.
I forget why it’s so important.
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But Genesis reminds us: we can’t do this!
Our God is the who speaks.
If we want to understand what life is all about… we have to listen to him!
That’s why Christians read their Bibles… because it’s where we get to know God.
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The Bible is God’s word for us.
Every single page is there because God wanted it there.
Have you ever thought about that?
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Every page has a purpose.
He gave it to us to know Him… to understand what He wants for our lives… to figure out life’s great purpose.
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This changes how we approach our Bibles.
We have to prioritise it.
We have to engage with it.
We have to put in the hard yards.
We have to listen carefully… because we’re hearing the words of a God who spoke creation into existence.
His words matter.
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But that’s not all we learn about God in this passage.
If we want to understand His purposes for us… we also need to look at how He creates.
That’s the next big thing we learn about God in this passage.
Slide: Our God… Creates
Our God… Creates
Our God… Creates
When we look at how God creates the universe… we see that His creation isn’t random or chaotic… it’s purposeful, intentional… and it’s good.
We can trust His purposes.
And this is clear in the pattern that each day of creation follows… a pattern that shows God’s intentionality over and over again.
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Let’s take the first day as an example… starting at verse 3:
Slide: Announcement
The pattern begins with an announcement: “And God said” — reminding us that God is a speaking, relational God.
Slide: Command
Next, we have a command: “Let there be light” — highlighting His power and authority as the Creator.
Slide: Fulfilment
Then, the command is fulfilled: “and there was light” — showing the effectiveness of God’s word.
Slide: Approval
After that, there’s an approval: “God saw that the light was good” — affirming the goodness of creation… and that it’s God who defines what is good. Something is good when it fits God’s design.
Slide: Execution
Then, there’s further execution: “and He separated the light from the darkness” — demonstrating God’s intentionality and purpose in creation.
Slide: Naming
God then names His creation: “God called the light ‘day,’ and the darkness He called ‘night’” — a sign of His ownership and authority over what He’s made.
Slide: Numbering
Finally, He numbers the day of creation: “And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day” — another reminder of God’s desire for order and purpose.
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This pattern doesn’t just apply to the first day… it’s followed throughout all six days of creation.
Slide: Our God… Creates
All the repetition… the patterns… the poetry… they tell us that God is intentional… thoughtful… creating with meaning and purpose.
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So… what does this mean for us?
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It means we can trust God’s plan… trust that it’s good… trust that whatever purpose He has for us, we know it’s for our good.
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And so… at the end of the day… what is that purpose? What has God made us for?
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To answer that… we need to look at one more thing we learn about God in this passage… something that unlocks everything we’ve talked about so far.
Slide: Our God… Relates
Our God… Relates
Our God… Relates
As we’ve read through Genesis… did you notice that it feels like there’s more than one person involved in this story?
Throughout the passage… we see that God is a speaking, relational God.
But… is He just talking to Himself here?
I mean… is that normal for adults to do?
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Now… it may not be normal for adults… but I’ve learned that it’s very normal for infants!
Slide: Photo of Gabe
Many of you know my little boy Gabe. He’s pretty cute… takes after his mum.
Now… Gabe talks to himself all the time!
He wanders around the house muttering, “Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad…”
He’s not calling out to me… it’s just the only word he knows right now.
I reckon he just likes the sound of his own voice… probably takes after his dad there.
But… it’s normal for infants to talk to themselves…
Slide: Our God… Relates
For adults… not so much.
Adults don’t just talk to themselves… unless, of course, they’re engineering students… then it’s pretty standard behavior.
But for the rest of us… and certainly for a supremely powerful God… it’s unusual!
So… who is God talking to?
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The answer lies in a crucial aspect of God’s nature: God is never alone… because He is three persons in one… He is a Triune God.
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Now… Genesis One doesn’t explain everything there is to know about God’s triune nature… but it gives us a glimpse that God is not alone in this work of creation.
Back in verse 2… we saw a hint of this:
Slide: Genesis Reference
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Right from the start… we learn that God’s Spirit is present in creation.
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But there’s still a hint of someone else…
If you’ve got your Bibles, jump down to verse 26…
Slide: Genesis reference
Genesis 1:26 (NIV)
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…”
Who is He referring to here? Who is the “us” and the “our”?
Well… Genesis doesn’t make it explicit… so to find out, we need to jump to a part of the Bible that picks up on this idea…
We need to hear to John’s Gospel.
Take a look on the screen…
Slide: John Reference
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
And there it is… there was someone else with God in creation… the mysterious “Word.”
So… when God says in Genesis, “Let us make man in our image”… He’s talking to the Word! The Word was there in creation…
But it’s even more than that… because in verse 3, we see that all things were made through Him.
But… who is this mystery person? Who is the Word?
Well… just a few verses down… we get the answer.
Have a look on the screen…
Slide: John Reference
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
If you’re familiar with John’s Gospel… you’ll know that the Word is none other than Jesus himself.
Jesus was there at creation… He’s the one the Father is speaking to… He’s the one who made the universe with the Father.
This is crucial for us to understand.
At the heart of our entire universe… at the heart of God’s plan… is Jesus.
Colossians 1 makes this crystal clear:
Slide: Colossians Reference
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Do you see it?
Do you see the point of the universe?
Jesus is the point.
He made it all… He owns it all… He rules it all… He sustains it all…
You want to know the purpose and meaning of the entire universe?
It’s Jesus. He’s the point.
Our Purpose
Our Purpose
Slide: Our Purpose
Now… to wrap things up… doesn’t this give us an amazing sense of clarity about our purpose and meaning?
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You see, the reason God placed us on this earth is simple: it’s all about Jesus.
To know Him… to love Him… to live for Him…
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Think of it this way: the most meaningful, fulfilling thing you can ever do with your life is to know Jesus.
That’s why we were made.
That’s the big idea Genesis is laying down for us. It’s all for Jesus.
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So, if you’re here for the first time and you don’t yet know Jesus personally…
Can I say…
You are in the right place…
Keep coming back!
Keep investigating!
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I hope tonight you’ve seen that Jesus is worth it.
He’s worth every bit of your time and curiosity.
He’s worth discovering.
Knowing Jesus is the most important thing you can do with your life.
So why not commit to figuring Him out?
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But if you already call yourself a Christian…
Tonight we’ve learned that our Origin Story in Genesis isn’t about us setting our own purposes.
No… our purpose is defined by God… and His grand plan for us is all about Jesus.
Our purpose is wrapped up in Him… and it’s where we find our greatest fulfilment.
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To close, I want to put forward a challenge for us at Unichurch… an idea that has defined Unichurchers for years.
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It is to make the most of your time here at University.
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In these next few years, you have a golden opportunity to dive deeper into your relationship with Jesus…
Before the 9-to-5 grind kicks in… before you’re juggling marriage and kids… before you’re looking after aging parents… and wrestling with all sorts of responsibilities…
You’ve got these precious few years to push harder… and go deeper in your relationship with Jesus than you ever will in the future…
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So what might this look like in practice?
Well, you’ve probably heard that the university recommends you spend at least 10 hours a week on each subject you study — including class time.
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I know what you’re thinking… “10 hours? For each subject? What the heck?”
It’s not enough just to watch the recorded lecture at two-times speed…
The good news is… your not alone in thinking that!
And if I’m honest… I don’t know a single person who actually puts in that might time.
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But here’s my point…
If that’s what they say you should invest in a subject that might not even matter in the grand scheme of things…
…how much more should you invest in the relationship that your entire life revolves around?
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In these next few years… why not spend more time deepening your relationship with Jesus… than you do studying for your hardest subject each week.
After all… knowing and loving Jesus is the reason you exist!
By the end of your degree… imagine having a deeper relationship with Jesus than you do with your degree itself.
That… my friends… would be time well spent.
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So to close… let’s pray that we would make the most of these precious few years ahead of us.
Let’s pray.
Prayer
Slide: Main Promo
Heavenly Father,
We thank you for the book of Genesis.
We thank you that it’s your word to us.
We thank you that you haven’t left us in the dark…
Trying to figure out our own meaning and place in this world.
No… we praise you that you are a God who speaks… a relational God… who wants us to know you!
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And Father… as we’ve come face to face with you tonight…
We stand in awe of your power and majesty!
You are so powerful… your very words commanded this universe into existence.
God, there is no one like you… not one.
You alone deserve all glory and honour… for you alone are the one great ruler and creator of our world.
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And Father… we love that Genesis shows us that your plans can be trusted.
You are the God who designs with purpose… intentionality… care and creativity.
Help us to trust your plans for this world… trust your plans for us.
We pray that you will help us to trust you even when we don’t have the full picture… even when it feels hard.
In those moments… help us to remember Genesis… to be reminded of your goodness…
And know for certain that we can trust what you say.
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But most of all… Father… help us remember why we are here… to know and love your son.
Father, forgive us for when we seek our own purpose… our own meaning…
Help us to remember that you are the creator, not us.
Help us to remember that at the end of it all… Jesus is the one great purpose for our entire universe.
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And Father, please help us to make the most of these precious few years ahead of us here at Unichurch.
Help us to push deeper into our relationship with him.
Help us to be captivated by that great picture that life is all about him… and that in him… we find our ultimate fulfilment.
We praise you for these truths, Father.
And we pray all of this in the name of our King Jesus.
Amen.
