When Everything Was New
Scripture Reading — Genesis 1:1-5; 2:2-3
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Today marks the beginning of a new year. The turn of the year is a time for new things: hopes, dreams, and resolutions about how we'll live differently now that we've turned the page on the calendar.
Once, the whole world was new. Out of nothing, God created the heavens and the earth. The Bible describes the process of creation: God spoke, and the world came into being. And what God made was good. It shone with delightful diversity, reflecting the richness of God's character.
We do not always see the goodness and brilliance of God's creation because sin and brokenness obscure our vision and bring decay to what was once brand-new. Our delight in the newness of God's work wears off. So we need our attention called back to the character of the Creator. Genesis tells us that God can bring goodness out of chaos, and in this way God assures us that the world is firmly in his control.
In the coming year, we will face times when the newness of our January goals wears off, when the brokenness of our lives keeps us from receiving each day as a gift. When that happens, let's remember that God made all things good, and let's trust that he has the power to make all things new and good again.
Thank you, God, for your good creation. Open our eyes to see the brilliance and beauty of everything you have made, and to rest in the knowledge of your care for the world you created. In your name we pray. Amen.
About the author — Joel Vande Werken
Joel Vande Werken has been a pastor since 2007, serving churches in Sussex, New Jersey, and in Whitinsville, Massachusetts. He and his wife, Brandie, have five young children.
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