Can the creation story in Genesis 1 be validated by modern science? How can light exist without the sun? Was the earth created in 7, 24-hour days? Is there a dome that separates the heavenly waters from the earthly waters? Asking these kinds of questions of Genesis 1- 2:3 demonstrates that modern readers are missing the point. The ancient writers of Genesis were not trying to communicate how, when, or where the creation of the world took place - but who did it and why.

What does a faithful reading of Genesis look like? Is Genesis 1-11 trying to tell us history, biology, or geography in the modern scientific sense? What does Genesis have to say about science? As we prepare for our 7 week series on Origins, let's start with the truth God is saying to us through Genesis 1-11.

Friendship is not just a luxury in the life of faith, it is essential. Listening to others with God is listening with love, allowing us to stand in the gap as a friend of heaven and those on earth. We no longer listen to speak, or know, or advise - we learn to listen in order to pray. When we do this we embody the heart of God and love others the way Jesus loves us.

Jesus tells us it is foolish to only hear his words and not put them into practice. When we listen to God’s voice and obey his leading Jesus tells us the result will be a good and abundant life. But choosing to listen must come with intention on our part. When we take time to actively dial into God’s consistent, comforting, and corrective voice we come to recognize his leading and see his loving care.

We all have an innate need to feel listened to. Feeling heard makes us feel cared for, validated, and understood. Listening is the foundation of all loving relationships, including our relationship with God. God is love and He is already attentive and aware of all we need. When we learn to come to God in all circumstances - when we are appreciative, anxious, afraid, angry, and anguished - our trust in God’s goodness grows and our relationship deepens.

We often see the new year as an opportunity to improve ourselves, and we normally focus on becoming something we are not. Whether our goals are financial, relational, physical, or vocational, we want the new year to give us the opportunity to become a new self. But the Apostle Paul reminds us that in Christ we are already made new and we have access to everything we need to live into this new identity. Instead of striving to attain something we lack, we are called to cooperate with God's ongoing renewal in our lives.

Presents, stockings, mistletoe, magical reindeer, and of course snow! These are all things that make Christmas magical. And while none of these are bad they are not really the reason for the season. Just like Mariah sings that relationship is the real gift she longs for, so too Jesus shows us that the good news of the gospel is bigger than the miraculous ways God works in our lives. The real good news, that Christmas helps us to remember, is that God has come to bring us life everlasting through Christ, and all we are asked to do is to believe.

In this world it’s easy for our hearts to get two-sizes too small, especially with holiday stress and expectations. When things don’t go our way, we feel disappointed, or life seems out of control our tyrant tendencies come to the forefront. But Jesus came to show us the way of love and free us from our grinchy ways so that we might know that “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means something a little bit more!”

Christmastime is supposed to be a joyful season spent with the ones we love. But what happens when grief takes up residence in our hearts during the holidays? How can we celebrate the birth of Jesus when loss is all we feel? The answer is found in the incarnation. Because God came to earth as a human, we can be certain he identifies with our grief and struggles. He sees us in our grief. He came to earth to bring good news that would bring great joy to ALL people. (not just happy ones)

We all know that the Christmas season has officially started when the lights go up, the tree gets decked, and the cups turn red. But when we look at our Christmas story we see that there is so much more than decorations, parties, and gifts. The birth of Jesus is good news of great joy because God has joined us in a world full of disappointment, rejection, and confusion. Even after the marks of the season are stored away and the music goes back to normal, Jesus is with us through it all.