Chaos

How many books have you read — how many sermons have you heard — how much controversy have you experienced surrounding the story of Creation?  Theories range from “God said it, I believe it, that settles it, seven literal days” to  a combination of evolution and creation and neither side seems to be able to meet in the middle.

Let’s look at the story a bit differently and ask if there is something in the story besides the “whens” and the “hows” that perplex us and grab a truth there that can change our perspective on almost everything.

Genesis 1 tells us that “The earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”   In other words, there was nothing but chaos.  Formless empty, dark.   God enters the picture and after He becomes involved in that dark, formless, empty chaos it is transformed.  There is light.  There is life.  There is beauty.  There is order.  And out of that chaos came a world so beautiful and a human body so complex that we still haven’t learned even half of what there is to learn about nature or how the human body works.

Maybe that is the central message of Creation.  Before God — chaos, formless, empty, dark.

After God — beauty, order, life, light.

Are you in the middle of a period of your life where things seem dark?  Formless — like you can’t wrap your head around what is going on.  Empty?  Is meaning gone?  

Invite God to enter the scene.   Trust Him and let Him do HIs work.   The light, order, life and beauty you find will astound you.

(Note:  The thoughts I got for this were in Bart’s sermon on Sunday.   I thought it was pretty awesome.   If you’d like to check it out you can find it on the Boonsboro United Methodist Church Facebook page.  The sermon starts around minute 25.)