Genesis 7:17-24

Genesis 7:17-24
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 

  We all know of the forty days Noah was on the Ark when it was raining.  What's easy to forget is that it was another one hundred and fifty days before the water even started going down.  Noah wasn't on the Ark for just forty days -- it was months and months of hardship, surely accompanied by big questions.
  When people we know are going through a hard time, there is often a very acute portion of that.  If they have lost a loved one, the few days that surround that event will be immensely difficult.  After that, it's easy for the community to move on, while the individual is still stuck in a place of sorrow and grieving, only without the previous immense support of the community.  It can feel pretty lonely on those waves.
  So if you know someone who has endured a loss, whether it is a loved one or a job or something else, realize that the moment of crisis gives way to a slow challenge that they will endure every day.  Reach out to them with  your encouragement, even if it is months after the event, because they are likely still struggling to move forward, even though the rest of the community likely has progressed.

Genesis 7:8-16

Genesis 7:8-16
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Sometimes, God closes doors.
  When I commit to things, I often like to leave doors open, just in case whatever I have chosen doesn't work out.  I like the security of knowing that in case things fall apart, I can go back to the safety I once knew.  It's a security blanket.
  But often, God calls us forward, and God encourages us to depend on him, not to try and rely on ourselves.  When we step forward in faith, we can sometimes sense the sound of the door closing behind us, and our first instinct is usually fear, because we know that we're committed.  In that moment, it's vital to remember that God is with us, and he has promised to never forsake or abandon us.  God was with Noah on the ark, God was with Jeremiah in his desolation, God will be with you in whatever you are facing.  The door closing behind you is the sound of God reminding you to lean into him, to trust him with all of your future and stop trying to secure yourself.  God's strength is enough, so rather than looking back in fear, may we look forward in hope, trusting the Rock of Ages to be with us always.

Genesis 7:1-7

Genesis 7:1-7
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  The story of Noah makes me think about how dependent we are on God. We forget this today, having surrounded ourselves with the idea that we are independent, self-determining people, but then a health crisis or some other event intervenes and we are reminded how small we are, how little we control, how much we don't know.
  Think of Noah and his family, the only humans on earth, alive on an ark filled with animals of every shape and size.  They are in a self-built boat, crafted by a man who had never built a boat before, being tossed about the waves of a sea covering the entire world.  Think they felt small?  The only way they would survive was through God's gracious provision.
  In the same manner, the only way we survive is because God leads us through, day by day.  Today is a gift from God.  Our lives, our abilities, our relationships are all gifts from God, given freely, even though we have not earned them.  We depend completely on God whether or not we choose to acknowledge this.
  May we have the wisdom to whisper a word of thanks, and may we have the humility to recognize that the world does not depend on us, but rather we are part of it due to the graciousness of God.

Genesis 6:11-22

Genesis 6:11-22
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Every once in a while, a sports team I don't care for will lose a game in heartbreaking fashion, the kind of loss that sticks in your gut for a while.  Sometimes, I even manage to have some pity for the opposing fans, not because of the loss, but just because I know it has to be tough to stomach that kind of loss.
  In the same vein, I wonder how Noah reacted when he heard this news.  He must have been filled with gratitude that he and his family would be saved, but surely there was some sadness as he looked around at the world that was doomed, at the people who would be lost.  What about them?
  Noah did what he was told, obediently following God's Word, but there must have been some pain in knowing the fate of the rest of the world.
  How do we, as Christians, feel about the rest of the world?  Do we react with pain at the sorrow and brokenness of the world?  We're supposed to love what God loves, and we know that God loves everyone, everything.  When we see heartache and pain in the world, are we motivated to do something about it, or do we remain at a distance and watch, grateful that the tragedy didn't touch our lives?  We know how Jesus engaged in such instances, mixing his life with the messiness of others.  How do we react to the pain of the world?

Genesis 6:1-10

Genesis 6:1-10
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  I can't fully explain the first few verses of this chapter.  My study Bible indicates that it is a continuation of the fall -- something good in God's creation sees something alluring and then wrongfully takes it, continuing the trend of pursuing the selfish desires over what is right.
  People on earth are fully living this trend.  Evil had taken such a hold of people's hearts that God was sorry he had created humans.  No one was striving to serve God.  No one was pursuing a loving relationship with God.  People sought what they wanted, ignoring the reality of God and his great love for us.
  Noah, however, pleased God.  Noah lived a life of faithfulness and integrity in the midst of chaos and disorder.  Noah didn't do what was popular; Noah did what was right.  Noah was obedient, even though the spirit of the time was to be selfish.
  Noah sets an example.  It couldn't have been easy to live with integrity at such a time.  Surely there was pressure to go with the crowd.  In such times, it's hard to pay attention to one's own desires and impulses and rein them in, pursuing a faithful life.
  But Noah sought what was good, what was right, and this brought praise and honor to God.  May we have the courage to do the same.

Genesis 4:9-16

Genesis 4:9-16
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  The answer to Cain's question in verse 9?  It's yes.  He's supposed to look after his brother.
  Today's world is a complex place, with every issue being so nuanced that blanket positions are rarely possible.  I'm not going to stand up and tell everyone exactly what position to take on immigration and poverty and inequality and debt and a thousand other issues.  I have my opinions, but I also recognize how challenging some of these questions are, and almost any potential solution has a myriad of weaknesses.
  But we're supposed to care.  We are supposed to look after one another.  Whatever we believe is the right path forward when faced with the hardship of a fellow human being, we are supposed to move forward by creating a solution that honors one another.  We're supposed to love one another, and our politics should reflect that.  Our choices should reflect that.  Our work and our home and our budget should reflect that we are trying to live out Christ's command to love one another.
  It's not easy.  Often, I get it wrong and settle for the solution that is easiest and/or brings me the most comfort.  Occasionally, I wonder how I would answer the question if God asked me where my brothers and sisters in Christ are.  Could I say that I made an effort to love selflessly?

Genesis 4:1-8

Genesis 4:1-8
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  So for the sake of statistics:  At this point, there have been four people on earth.  One of them has been brutally killed by his brother.  That's a 25% homicide rate.  Not the best start for humanity.  Can you picture God shaking his head, wondering what he has let loose upon the earth?
  I've always wondered why Cain's offering does not please the Lord, and one way to look at it is that Cain brings his offering with an ungrateful attitude.  Cain makes his offering begrudgingly, thinking that God will be satisfied with his actions and the condition of his heart doesn't matter.  Cain gives, but resents having to do so.
  I've done this before -- I've showed up at church frustrated, wishing I was off doing something else, but still with the mindset that God should bless me because I'm there.  I'm following the letter of the law, but not the spirit of it.
  God wants to capture our hearts and imaginations.  God desires a loving relationship, founded on us being intrigued by God and pursuing him with love.  Our offerings should flow forth from gratitude, and our songs should rise from love.  Going through the motions doesn't bring praise to God -- God doesn't need our offerings.  Our hearts and lives, offered freely to God, are what bring glory to God.

Genesis 3:20-24

Genesis 3:20-24
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  So God creates people to live in a loving relationship with him, and they disobey him.  What does God then do?
  God provides for the people in their disobedience.  Despite the people choosing not to obey him, God still provides animal skins for their welfare.  Everything has changed, and yet God's steady grace continues.
  So even in our sin, when we intentionally turn from God, God is still there, still loving and providing for us, encouraging us to turn back to him.
  We can't go back into Eden, to put all the sin back in the box and pretend it never happened, but we can go forward, into the future God has in store for us, awaiting what new things God might do today, trusting in his provision and love to always be there for us.

Genesis 3:14-19

Genesis 3:14-19 
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

   Consequences aren't any fun.
  We all know when we've done something wrong -- there is usually a strong sense of shame associated with it.  What many of us hope for is that no one will notice our wrongdoing and we can let it slide into history unnoticed.
  Here, God spells out the consequences for humanity after the Fall.  Food will not come easily.  We will have to work hard.  Death is now introduced.
  Things will no longer be the way they were designed to be.  Brokenness has a fingerhold in this world, and it will slowly exploit our weaknesses, our desires, our appetites, until we no longer trust one another, no longer love one another, but care only for ourselves.  Our communities will be fractured.  We will not put God first.
  Sin runs from Adam and Eve to us.  We all have it within us, and it was Solzhenitsyn who said that the line between good and evil runs right down the middle of every human heart.  We are broken and carry sin within us, but thanks be to God that there is a way forward from here, that forgiveness is possible, that grace is poured out upon us.  This is not where the story ends -- for God is still at work.

Genesis 3:9-13

Genesis 3:9-13
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  It wasn't me!
  It's never our fault, right?  There is always another cause, some other force that drives us to act.  The man points to the woman, blaming God for bringing her along and tempting her.  The woman blames the snake.  Who knows who the snake would have blamed.
  We sin.  We sin and fall short, and so often we live in denial, as though it's not that bad, as though we are simply pawns in some bigger game.  We do this because we are afraid of what might happen if we simply admit our faults and appear before God as we are, sinful and human and broken.
  What God promises is that our sin shall not be our end.  God knows we are guilty, and passing along the blame only hurts us, because it delays the inevitable, which is the owning of our guilt and allowing Christ to heal it, to cover the scar with his blood and allow us to come before God covered in his grace, no longer defined by our sin but rather by his love and glory.
  I have sinned and fallen short, but by the grace of God I am set free from the fate that was rightfully mine and given a new name, a new heart, a new life in Christ.

Genesis 3:6-8

Genesis 3:6-8
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Isn't it fascinating the transition that happens here -- Adam & Eve see something alluring, something they believe will add to their lives, so they reach out and take it... and as soon as they do, what's the first thing they notice?  They notice their lack.  They are acutely aware not of what they have gained, but what they do not have.  Never before had they noticed this, but as soon as they reached for more than what they had, they began to realize what they had been missing all along, even though it had never been a problem before.
  Satan weaves such complicated lies, but one of the deepest ones teaches us to never be satisfied.  We reach for more, and in the process what we actually grasp is our awareness that we don't have everything.  We go and buy more, and somehow the only feeling we retain is what we do not have, rather than an overwhelming sense of gratitude at what we do have.
  God promises to satisfy our desires, to fill our needs.  God doesn't promise us that we will have everything we could possibly want, but that we will be fully satisfied in him, and we will find peace from the relentless striving to keep up with the material world.  Our very souls will be satisfied.
  So may we practice gratitude, and when we feel that arm reaching out for more, may we recognize that getting more stuff may not lead us down the path we expect.

Genesis 3:1-5

Genesis 3:1-5
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 This is just what the devil does -- he tries to get us to doubt the goodness of God.
  God has promised us so much, and God has never failed to live up to his promises, but the devil sneaks along and plants these questions, these doubts, about whether or not God really wants the best for us.  Any time there is a hint of limitation or adversity, the devil sneaks in and points at that, focusing our vision on a perceived slight to the point that we omit all information to the contrary.  I can almost imagine God in the background, jumping up and down and waving our arms, trying to remind us of all the good gifts we have and the grace that has been poured out upon us, but we narrow our field of vision and limit our hearing to only what the devil has to say, unaware that we are blocking out evidence to the contrary.  In that moment, focused on momentary wrongs, it is easy to give in to temptation, because we can idealize the choice we're making, believing that it will fix our wrongs, that it will restore justice.
  So when we are presented with temptation, the answer is to remember all that God has done, all that we have to be grateful for.  God has not abandoned us, and God wants the best for us, even if 'the best' is something we can't fully understand in the here and now.  God loves you, and always will.

Genesis 2:18-25

Genesis 2:18-25
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 All of this in search of community.  It's not good for us to be alone -- we're called to live together, to come together to encourage and challenge and support and love one another.  From the very beginning, God recognized that it's not good for us to be alone, and so we have been challenged to make it work in relationships.
  Now, relationships are tough.  We see this not long after, when Adam blames Eve for eating the apple.  Relationships mean we have to deal with someone else's problems.  We have to tolerate them and love them, even when they aren't being very lovable.
  But that also means they do the same for us, and in an ideal community, we learn about God's love through the love of those around us.  They love us when we aren't being very lovable, and in their love they are challenging us to be kinder, to be more gracious, to give of ourselves more.  In their love, they reveal pieces of God's love, and as we love selflessly, we do the same.
  And in the beginning, Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed.  They had no reason to be ashamed -- they were loved unconditionally.  May we seek to love one another in the same manner, that we don't drive others to hide parts of their lives out of fear they will be rejected, but we love with such courage that we can be vulnerable and reveal our weaknesses, that the selfless love of God, revealed in the love of the community, may heal each of us.

Genesis 2:10-17

Genesis 2:10-17
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  We were charged to care for the earth, and there was a restriction put upon us.  One simple restriction, but otherwise there was nothing but freedom.
  This was not enough, though.  It never is -- we grow so accustomed to our freedoms that we take them for granted, wanting more.  We grow angry at those who seek to limit us, rather than recognizing that some limits are there for our own good, to protect us.  Rather than seeing the speed limit as something to protect us, we chafe against it, believing it is some abstract limitation that slows us down.  Surely, only other people really need that.
  For Adam, he wanted to be like God.  It wasn't enough to play his role as well as he could.  He wanted more, and he wouldn't be satisfied until he could have it all, even if it wasn't all his to take.  The rules limited him, and he wouldn't have that.
  For us, I think we struggle against the limitations of our role.  Being human means we don't know everything -- there are things that we cannot grasp, because we are limited by time and space.  We don't have the answers to life's biggest questions, and rather than trust God and come to peace with our role, in our place, we grow angry at God for not giving us a complete understanding.  We resist God because he asks us to trust.
  It's not easy to trust, but God promises that we will one day understand.  Some day, we will have those answers, but until then, we are called to trust God and to trust his love, for we are human and he is God, and it is best that way.

Genesis 2:4b-9

Genesis 2:4-9
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 Did you know there were two creation stories?  We often skip over the one in Genesis 2 -- it's hard to come to terms with the fact that there are two accounts of God creating the earth, and they differ.  What to make of that?
  I interpret it as meaning that the creation stories in Genesis aren't intended to be precise, scientific documents that explain every facet of how life came to be.  They are intended to set out the fact that there is a cause for creation, and it is rooted in a God who loves us and has power over creation.  It's not intended to spur debate between Christians, but rather to inspire awe at a God who can speak the world into being.  It's intended to call us to gratitude, that we might give thanks for being created, and to remind us that we are created in the image of God -- sin is a stain on what has been made good, and we depend on God to redeem and restore us.
  God creates, freely and lovingly, and God loves his creation so deeply that he is willing to sacrifice his own Son to bring his creation back into his loving arms.

Genesis 2:1-4a

Genesis 2:1-4a
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  God rested.
  Maybe we should follow his example?
  God rested for a day after creating the universe and everything in it.
  While we're not doing work on quite that same scale, rest is important.  When God rests, it is an acknowledgement that creation is good, that it is finished, that nothing more need be done.
  When we rest, when we sit back and stop our ceaseless working, we are trusting that the universe will keep going without our labors, that we are safe in God's hands, that we, too, have been made in the image of God and saved by the blood of the Lamb.  What God has done is enough -- it is finished.  We can join with God in what he is still doing here on earth, but our lives ultimately depend on God, not upon us.

Genesis 1:24-31

Genesis 1:24-31
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

 On the 6th day life, in all its abundance, is made.
  Here, we see the God of life pouring out creativity -- the warthog and the toad, the elephant and the ant.  We see the earth filled with all kinds of wondrous life, and then humans are made.
  But humans are not just another animal -- we are made in the image of God, and we are given dominion over the earth, to rule with responsibility for creation.  We are given charge over the earth, and we are supplied with plenty to eat.
  Made in the image of God -- this is not something to be taken lightly.  We often forget this, and when we opt for sinful choices, it is like putting a coat of paint over this image, covering it with something else.  When we do this enough, we so obscure the image of God that it's hard for others to see how we are made.
  But it is still there, and God's love and grace for us never changes.  This is the power of love, of grace, of forgiveness -- even when we choose sin, God is ready for us to repent, to make us new, to cleanse us of all unrighteousness and offer us a new heart, free from sin and the death to which sin leads.
  Thanks be to God for grace, for the new life available in Christ.

Genesis 1:20-23

Genesis 1:20-23
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Here, God chooses to fill the earth with life.  It always amazes me how thorough God is here.  Even around the deep-ocean vents, God creates animals that can be sustained there.  God fills ever corner of the earth with life, from the largest elephant to the smallest bacteria.  He creates the whales to play in the sea and the cheetah to run in the wild, and some of these animals are so beautiful.
  There is so much abundance and beauty in nature.  Humans have spent much of the past killing and destroying, often for no good reason, and we lose the ability to marvel as the clouds of passenger pigeons or the bison clogging the way through.  We see them as creatures in the way, but really they are examples of God's abundance and the freedom God gives us, the same abundance and freedom out of which God's love pours down to us.
  So when we marvel at creation, may we recall the gift of the Creator.

Genesis 1:14-19

Genesis 1:14-19
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  When I was a kid, I thought good and evil worked like black and white, with clear barriers separating the two.  I imagined that temptation to do evil would always be clear, that you would see the demarcation well before crossed over, and that giving in would be a conscious choice.
  Instead, I now know that there is a twilight, a horizon where good and evil are not so clear, where day blends into night and a haze appears, obscuring the way forward.
  This is why it's good to pay attention in the middle of the day, to tune ourselves to the light, so that when we find ourselves in those gray areas, where wrong and right are not so clear, we recognize the path carved by the light and move towards that.  When we spend our time training ourselves to follow the light, our instincts will remind us when our sight fails us.

Genesis 1:9-13

Genesis 1:9-13
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  At a certain point in creation, had you appeared on the scene at that stage, you might have wondered what God was doing.  You would have looked down and seen water and dry ground separated, but nothing else.  It might have been neat, but you would have been curious about what might occur, about its purpose and the reason for God creating it.  A barren planet doesn't help much.
  But God wasn't finished yet.  God was going to fill the earth with plants.  The dry ground would become a verdant ecology capable of hosting all types of life.  But at one point is was just dry ground, waiting to receive what God had in store for it.
  So it is with us -- we're not finished yet.  If we're looking around wondering what God is doing, we need to remember that God is still at work in you, and while you may not fully understand everything just yet, there is still growth left for you.  We need to be still and continue to receive from God, so that the things God has done will begin to make sense as we move into the future.
  This is why we create space in our room for God to speak to us -- because the ongoing work God is doing is revealed day by day, but we often miss it because we're not listening, because we're not ever still or silent enough for God to call us into the future.  So be still, and trust God.

Genesis 1:6-8

Genesis 1:6-8
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 

  When we try to imagine something new, we often end up with something resembling the old, because our minds work that way -- we're rooted in the past, and it's hard to break free from the ruts we are in.  It reminds me of the sign in Alaska that warns the traveler on a rarely-traveled road, Choose your rut carefully, because you'll be in it for the next 50 miles.
  So often, when we try and break free from our sinful ways on our own, we return to the well-traveled road of our previous sin despite our best intentions.  It's what we know, and when we get scared or uncertain, we return to what is comfortable, no matter how much it may threaten our well-being.  Addiction (to anything) relies on us returning to previous patterns.
  When God creates, it is truly from scratch -- there was no template that reminded God to put the sky somewhere and the water somewhere else.  God's creativity was not limited by what had come before.
  In the same manner, when God re-creates, doing a work within us to redeem us from sin, God is not limited by the sin that was there -- it is gone, vanished, cast into the depths of the sea.  We are truly free, and the grace of God imagines a future that is untainted by our previous sin, freeing us to enjoy fully the goodness and love and mercy of God.  When we wonder if God can truly forgive, we are using our human minds to limit what God can do.
  In our baptism, we are washed clean, restored, redeemed, forgiven.  May the past be gone.  May God's mercies, anew today, lead you forward into a new future, unbound by what has come before us.