Photo by Holly Mandarich on Unsplash
Beginning
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1 ESV) What have I started and how have I felt about it?
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1 ESV) Why does John start with the Word, the identity of Jesus, and does our purpose fit into it?
Light
“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3 ESV) What do I observe about light and this text?
“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” (John 1:9 ESV) Where do we experience this?
Water
“The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2 ESV) What do I observe or imagine from this primordial image?
“But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14 ESV) What promise and prerequisite do I see here?
Land
“And God said, ‘Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so.” (Genesis 1:9 ESV) What was the purpose of this move?
“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’” (John 6:35 ESV) How do we experience this provision?
Time
“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years.’” (Genesis 1:14 ESV) What do we think is going on here and why?
“Jesus said to them, ‘My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.’” (John 7:6 ESV) How would you discribe your time?
Life
“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” (Genesis 2:7 ESV) Why is this a significant detail of human creation?
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10 ESV) How is this another critical detail to keep in mind?
Work
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15 ESV) What does this original assignment tell us about the nature and dignity of work?
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 ESV) Where in your work do you feel the difference between striving on your own and bearing fruit through connection?
Rest
“And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” (Genesis 2:2-3 ESV) What do you notice about why God rested, and what does it mean that he blessed and made that day holy?
“When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:30 ESV) How does Jesus’ “It is finished” reframe what it means for us to rest?
Rebirth
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15 ESV) What is being set in motion here, and why does it matter that this promise comes immediately after the fall?
“And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” (John 20:22 ESV) How does this moment echo Genesis 2:7, and what does that continuity mean for us?
Beyond
Covenant Moves — “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’” (Genesis 12:1-3 ESV) What does it feel like to be called to go before you can fully see where you’re going?
Jesus Moves — “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25 ESV) What does this open ending invite us into as we move forward?