Good morning on this fine Monday. Welcome to the beginning of a new week in the Pastor’s Workshop.
This week we’re working in our new series, “Begin with Basics”. The premise of the series is: “When we start right, things go better, and when things go better, we can finish well.” Last week we celebrated that as people of faith we have the best beginning point possible, “In the beginning, God…” We explored how to integrate “beginning with God” into daily living through prayer, worship, and Holy Communion.
This week we advance one word in our Scripture: “In the beginning, God created…” Our Scriptures are Genesis 1:1-2 and Isaiah 43:1, 18-21. Our title is: “Begin with Basics: Get Creative”.
This message will explore what it means for us to be created in the image of a God who is constantly creating. How does this challenge us to exercise our own God-given creativity as we live faithfully in our world? How does “living creatively” call us to live more fully as people who “declare God’s praise”?
Today we’ll spend time reflecting on those questions in light of our chosen texts.
“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God (the Spirit of God) swept over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2
“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine…Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. 19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 20 The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, 21the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise.” Isaiah 43:1, 18-21
As we begin our thinking together we immerse ourselves in the Scripture. By now you are familiar with the process. We read and re-read, write and re-write, and finally paraphrase the texts in our own words. As you engage in this spiritual exercise let it be a “creative experience”. Listen for words and phrases that catch your interest, capture your curiosity and fire your imagination. Make sure you write down your thoughts. When the Spirit sweeps across your mind you don’t want to let your inspirations escape.
Now it’s time to get to work. We enter the week trusting that the God who has created and is creating (in the words of the Creed of the United Church of Canada) is constantly creating in and through you. In that faith I look forward to how God will call us to get creative for Christ’s Kingdom this week.
Prayer: Gracious God, thank You for the beginning of a new week. Thank you that in the midst of this week You are at work. You are “making a way in the wilderness”. You are calling us to live as people of creative faith to Your praise. Let your Spirit move and let your Word call us into new ways of living into Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name we pray.