Week One: Creation

Today, we launch out on a 52 week journey as a church family through our study of Core 52 by Mark Moore. Core 52 examines the top 52 passages in the Bible that clarify the message of Scripture.

So, to gain the most out of this experience, I want to encourage you in three ways: 1—Get the Core 52 book and read it. 2—Worship with us as we unpack the theme for that week. 3—Discuss the material with a group of people. We have Core 52 groups that will launch this week. We have both in person and virtual options. I encourage you to sign up for a group to help you stay on track and grow this year. You can sign up for a group through our website: berlinchristianchurch.org.

Today, we begin week one in our books and we will look at the opening verse of the Bible, Genesis 1.1, which happens to be the memory verse for this week’s lesson.

Genesis 1:1 NIV

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

In our time today, I want to unpack this verse. To help us commit this verse to memory, I want to teach it to you in American Sign Language with the help of my friend Philip. [The signs we will learn are: Beginning (move both hands, palms facing each other in a circle away from your body in a forward motion). God (right hand with fingers extended and pointed up, palm facing right, bring hand in front of your face down toward your chest). Created (make the letter “C” with both hands, one on top of the other and turn them like your wringing out a towel). Heavens (take both hands and use a stair step motion in front of you to above your head, then move hands apart to make a horizontal line above your head. Earth (put thumb and middle finger of your right hand to your left wrist, then rotate right hand to show earth rotating).

So, let’s look at Genesis 1.1 phrase by phrase.

In the beginning. If you are going to start somewhere, then the beginning is the place to start. Chances are many of you have used google maps or some type of GPS to help you find your way to somewhere. You punch in the destination and then hit, “directions.” Your phone may say, “use current location” or “choose your starting point.” Before you go somewhere, you must decide where to start. Here, in the opening words of Holy Scripture, we get a picture of our starting point.

I feel that one way to summarize the theme of Genesis 1.1 could go like, this: Your understanding of the beginning directs your ending. In Genesis 1, we get a beautiful picture of the creation of the world. There is so much debate on how things began. There are many different theories for the origin of the universe. No matter where you find yourself on the spectrum, all of us will have to take a step of faith because we simply cannot recreate the origin of the universe. It is an unrepeatable event. One of my friends who is a scientist said, “I fear we get so caught up in the ‘how’ of creation that we forget about the ‘who’."

In Genesis 1, we find out who is in the beginning. Our next phrase is, “God created.” “In the beginning God...” What do we mean when we say, “God”? Many people have different understandings of who God is. Many people define God in their own image or understanding. I am talking about God described in the Holy Bible who is three in one: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

In the opening chapter of Core 52, Mark Moore gives three metaphors for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in their roles for creation (pages 5-7). God the Father is the architect. The word for create here in verse one is always used of God. There are other words for create and make that are used for humans, but this specific word is for God alone. God is the only one who is eternal. In the beginning, God.

There are other religions that would give God credit for creating the universe, but Genesis 1 gives us a picture of God the Spirit working in creation, as well.

Genesis 1:2 NIV

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.

Mark Moore describes the Holy Spirit as the engineer. The Spirit brought order out of chaos. The word for Spirit is the same word for wind or breath. It will be used later when God breathes life into Adam in Genesis 2.7. The Father creates, the Spirit creates. The Son, also creates.

Mark Moore describes Jesus, the Son, as the builder. Moore says about Jesus, “He did the heavy lifting during creation.” Jesus did not just show up in Bethlehem that first Christmas. He was present in the beginning with the Father and Spirit. There are several passages in the New Testament that highlight the work of Jesus in creation. I’ll highlight two for our time.

John 1:1–3 NIV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

I love how John starts his gospel with the words, “In the beginning.” He is connecting the life of Jesus to the beginning and highlights Jesus’ role in creation. John says, “Through him [Jesus] all things were made.”

The Apostle Paul picks up on this theme as well in Colossians 1.15-17.

Colossians 1:15–17 NIV

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 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. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Years ago, Louie Giglio was preaching and after service a molecular biologist introduced him to the protein Laminin. Say it with me...laminin. Lam – in – in. It is the cell adhesion molecule. It holds our cells together. In a very real sense it holds our body together. Isn't that cool? All the different cells in our bodies and all the DNA code and all the different things need something to hold it together, and it is Laminin. It is the rebar of the body. The cool thing about the structure of this molecule is that it is shaped like a cross. In a way, the fingerprints or the nail-prints of Jesus hold us together.

So, the Father, Spirit, and Son, or the architect, the engineer and the builder created. What did they create?

Our next phrase in Genesis 1.1 tells us they created the heavens and the earth. This is a way of saying everything. Jesus said, “heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not” (Matthew 24.35). It means that God created everything.

We talked a couple of weeks ago about how big our universe is. Did you get a chance to see Jupiter and Saturn and Mars in the night sky? Remember that is just one small portion of our galaxy that may be light minutes or hours away from the sun. We have a great big universe that God spoke into existence.

Water is a great example of God’s creative care. In November, one of the speakers named Xandra Carroll at the Student International Conference on Missions shared that earth is in the habitable zone of the galaxy. Water is liquid on the earth. Venus is too close to the sun and the water turns to vapor. Mars is too far away from the zone and is ice. But, here on earth, we are in the sweet spot of the galaxy and God has given us water to help sustain life.

God created the heavens and the earth. We have some beautiful places here on earth that God has given to us. Isn’t it cool that God gave us trees that stay green all year long and trees that can flower and change color? Isn’t it amazing that God gave us mountains to hike, lakes to paddle and creeks to float?

In my one year Bible reading plan, I was nearing the end of the Old Testament in Zechariah. I underlined and reflected on Zechariah 12.1.

Zechariah 12:1 ESV

The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him:

I love the images the prophet uses to describes God’s creative activity. He stretched out the heavens, He founded the earth, and formed the spirit of man. We’ll spend more time on mankind next week. Those verbs captured my attention: stretched, founded, and formed. God is a God who is strong.

What’s beautiful about the Bible is the Bible begins and ends with creation and new creation.

Revelation 21:1 NIV

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

Revelation gives us a picture of creation restored. Let’s face it, this world is a mess. We’ll look more at the effects of sin in a couple of weeks from Genesis 3. We find ourselves living between the first creation and awaiting the new creation. Remember, your understanding of the beginning directs your ending. Your view of a loving creator, will help you care better for this world, bring peace to your family, friends, and neighbors. Your understanding of a loving creator affects your daily life here and now. God’s love and grace overflowed to create this world. It is who He is and what He wants for us.

2 Timothy 1:9 NIV

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

Before the beginning of time, God had you on His mind. Our Core 52 challenge for this week is: Identify one small thing you could do today to help restore Eden where you live. What would it look like if you chose to honor your Creator going outside to spend time with Him and thank Him for the beauty of this world. God brought order out of chaos. What would it look like if you could lead your family in peaceful way or reconcile with someone you haven’t spoken with in months or years?

Let’s be honest, life in the fractured world is hard. But I find deep comfort and confidence knowing that I serve a God who created the world and one day will make all things new. Until then, Christ has work for us to do.

Week One in Core 52 by Mark Moore

(These daily guides accompany the book, Core 52 by Mark Moore.)

Day 1: Read the essay.

Day 2: Memorize Genesis 1.1

Day 3: Read Genesis 1-2

Day 4: Meditate on John 1.1; Ephesians 2.10; Colossians 1.15-16

Day 5: Identify one small thing you could do today to help restore Eden where you live.

Overachiever Challenge: Memorize John 1.1

Bonus Read: Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay W. Richards, The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos Is Designed for Discovery.

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