Order from Chaos

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This is what I shared with St. Timothy Lutheran Church in our weekly eministry. It is my thoughts about the upcoming scriptures for this Sunday, the Baptism of Our Lord.
Genesis 1:1-5
1In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 3Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

REFLECTION

I’m sure most of us, at one time or another, have watched Sesame Street—either as children, or with our own children or grandchildren. One of my favorite things on the program is when they show a number of images and ask, “Which one of these is not like the other ones?” Well, I must say that those words occurred to me as I looked over the lessons for this coming Sunday.

I understand how the gospel story of Jesus’ baptism and the story from Acts regarding baptism fit together, but Genesis????? That seemed to be the thing that was not like the other things. Then I thought about it and read about it and a light went on.

There are commonalities in all three readings: the Holy Spirit, water and God’s work. It’s a bit harder to see in Genesis, but these factors are there. First, a wind of God “swept over the face of the waters” (v. 2). The word in Hebrew for wind is the same as spirit. A wind from God, may be understood as the Holy Spirit. We have the water. And then the really marvelous work God does is God brings order out of chaos, light from darkness.  God spoke the order into being: “Let there be light” (v. 3).

God brings order out of chaos. God brings light out of darkness. God the creator did all of that in Genesis and God is still creating and recreating in our lives today. If we are struggling in the dark, allow God to bring light and order to our lives, so that God may see, that it is good. 

Dear Lord, allow your Spirit to move over the chaos and troubled waters of our life. Bring order out of confusion and light out of darkness.
Amen.

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