Dear Friends,
I hope all of you enjoyed our first day of Alpha last Sunday as much as I did. Thanks to everyone who brought food and who helped to set up, lead groups, teach kids, etc. It was somewhat disappointing that none of our non-Christian friends came to join us. However, I'm proud of us as a church simply for having made as many invitations as we did. And I'm reminded that the reason we are doing this on Sunday morning right now is so that we can take the Alpha course for ourselves, share freely about our own thoughts, and grow in confidence for inviting more people in join us in the future. With this in mind, let's both keep inviting friends to come to Alpha with us over these next few weeks and not be discouraged if they don't come but instead dig into how the Spirit is at work forming us as a church through Alpha. I can't wait for week two this Sunday!
In my devotional reading lately, I've been exploring the theme of goodness. This has taken me all the way back to the very beginning of the Bible and of the history of the universe. The Bible begins,
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day."
(Genesis 1:1-4 NIV)
People often imagine there is a great conflict between faith and science regarding the origins of the world. However, when I read Genesis, I often find myself thinking the opposite. Scientists theorize that our universe began as a great explosion of light and energy originating from a single, infinitely small, dense, and hot point. It always fascinates me to read the first few sentences of the Bible's origin story for the universe and see the very same story scientists imagine, a sudden burst of light originating from something infinitely dense and powerful and yet utterly intangible and indescribable.
There is, however, one huge difference been the big bang and the opening words of the Bible. That one difference is goodness. Intentional goodness at the very heart of the universe. The explosion of light from which the universe began went out from God, that is, from something not just infinite but also sentient. And the light was good. The beginning of all things was good - was something wonderful and joyful and meaningful. If you have ever wondered, as we talked about at Alpha last Sunday, "Is there more to life than this?" indeed, there is more. And the more is good.
A simple prayer:
God, maker of the universe, thank you for your goodness and the goodness of your creation. Reveal yourself to me. Let me be in awe of all you have made, and let your goodness live in me. Amen
Love in Christ,
Michelle
