A reflection on Genesis 1 I wrote for a reflective day I co-led. It can be read independently or alongside verses from Genesis 1:3-2:4 as indicated by the headings:
Written 25 September 2024
Day 1 (Genesis 1:3-5):
A sense of time with day or night.
A sense of rhythm.
Time and rhythm for all of our days
Times to be active and times to rest and be still.
Rhythms on which we depend.
God created for us time and rhythm that is good!
Day 2 (Genesis 1:6-8):
Between sky and water –
space.
Space to be.
Space to move.
Space for us, and for all of God’s creatures to live.
And air.
The air that sustains us in every breath.
The air that surrounds us in stillness.
The air that moves as we too move.
God created for us space and air that is good.
Day 3 (Genesis 1:9-13):
A stable base,
The rock on which we can stand strong.
And rich soil – to grow plants which feed us,
With food for our bodies
And beauty for our souls.
A great foundation for all that we need.
And living water of the ocean
(sea, river and loch too).
Lifegiving and refreshing in so many ways.
God created for us the stable base and living water that is good.
Day 4 (Genesis 1:14-19):
Light
Bright by day with the powerful sun.
An energising glow that warms our souls and bodies.
And a light offering us a clear sight of all that is around –
The changing views of each time and season.
It’s dimmer by night under moonlight –
Perfect for our nightly slumber.
But each tiny star offers just a little light,
Perfect for creatures for whom night is their daytime.
God created for us light for day and for night that is good.
Day 5 (Genesis 1:20-23):
Life – high in the sky, and in the depths of the oceans.
Birds and Fish each in their own space perfect for their need.
Life that was called to flourish
to prosper, to reproduce –
creating community for all, each with its own kind.
God created the life in sky and sea that is good.
Day 6, part 1 (Genesis 1:24-25):
Variety
Such wonderful variety of life on earth.
Each different creature with such different needs,
each with a different place within the eco-system,
yet in a world offering God’s loving care for all.
Each animal, each being,
each species and sub-species,
a valued part of the wonder of creation.
God created variety of life that is good.
Day 6, part 2 (Genesis 1:26-31):
Human kind –
God’s last creation –
reflecting God’s own precious image.
Made to be Stewards for all God has made
To be caring,
Loving,
Responsible.
To reflect God’s nature on earth
as God is in the heavens.
God created human kind that is so very good!
Day 7 (Genesis 2:103):
Peace.
Stillness.
Rest.
That beautiful seventh day to simply pause,
to celebrate all the work that has been done
and to enjoy the wonder of creation.
As God rest, so he created for us time to stop and to rest that is good.
Searching for Understanding 