Advent Day 02: The Good Creation

Today, we relight the Green Candle. The Green Candle represents life and all that Father God created in Christ, Good and Whole.

Genesis 1:1–5
1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 1:3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 1:4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 1:5 God called the light “day,” and He called the darkness “night.” Evening came and then morning: the first day. (HCSB)

*You may want to read all of Genesis 1:1-25

The very first book of the Bible, Genesis, begins with creation. God creates the heavens and the earth. When we first see the Earth, it is formless (without shape) and empty, like a blob of water. Darkness covered this shapeless blob. But the Spirit of God hovered over the waters as God spoke, “Let there be light.”

The One True God creates simply by speaking The Word. Yesterday, we heard that Jesus is The Word who was God and was with God in the beginning at Creation. We also heard that everything was created by, through and for Jesus. Everything that exists now, belongs to Him.

But here in Genesis, we don’t meet Jesus, the Son, the Word. The story will lead us to Him, but not yet.

The Lord God creates by speaking. He says, “Let there be light…” and there is light. The Word of God is powerful. The Word of God gives light. The Word of God gives life. The Word of God creates meaning and significance.

But then God tells us something about the light; He tells us it is good. This means that the light will do what God plans for it to do. Seven more times in Genesis 1, God will say His creation is Good.

As the story of creation unfolds over 6 days, God brings form to the formless earth in the first 3 days and He fills the earth that was empty in the last 3 days. He also separates things and names them to give them meaning: day/night, sky/earth, land/waters…

When God finished His creation He saw that was all very good (Genesis 1:31). Nothing was wrong with Creation. Everything that was made would fulfill the purposes that God intended.

As the Story of the Scriptures begins – the Story of Life – it is important to note that the earth does not begin in a “perfect” state: it is formless and empty, wild and waste. Then as the Lord shapes and fills, He creates what is good. This is an important theme that runs throughout Scripture: The Lord takes what is not right and transforms it into something good.

God created the Earth to be filled with life and light.

He created the Earth to be the home for humanity.

*This year, we have a downloadable pdf with the complete readings. You can get it HERE.