It was good

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…and he saw that it was good.”

I love that the first and most prominent thing we see God do is to create and organize. If someone were to pick up the Bible looking to understand God, halfway through the first sentence, they would know He is a God that takes a void and fills it with something good. He takes darkness and nothingness and builds the heavens and the earth. He takes the heavens and the earth and spends the next six days filling and organizing them. He creates light, birds, snowflakes, supernovas, and butterflies and spends equal time putting all he has created where it is supposed to be. God creates, and He organizes, and it is good.

Then he makes humans in his image and tells us to do the same thing. He tasks Adam with creating names for all the animals. He puts him in the garden to “work it and watch over it.” Adam quickly finds himself creating, organizing, naming, and working. That’s God’s nature, and he expects those created in his image to do the same. We create and fill, and we keep chaos at bay.

We do this in all our lives because it is in our nature. Whether we are talking about physically making things, creating relationships, working on ourselves, or strengthening our society, in the most basic sense, we are simply creating and organizing. What is a painting but the creation of something beautiful through the sorting and organizing of colors? What is parenting but creating possibilities and a future by organizing and sorting behaviors? What is work but creating something of value in the right place, for the right person, at the right time? These are oversimplifications, but hopefully, you get the idea: humanity longs to create something good when there’s an opportunity, just as we long to organize purpose and meaning out of the chaos around us.

And you were given to our world because God wants you to use your creating and organizing right where you’re at. Just like Adam was placed in the garden, you are also placed in your life. Your job, family, relationships, neighborhood, church, and every other aspect of your life is the garden where God has placed you. You were placed there to create goodness where it’s lacking and bring order out of the chaos around you.

It is a new year. All that lies ahead is potential and possibility. We are making resolutions, looking forward to what we will do this coming year, and hoping it has a little less chaos than the one before. We know new goodness needs to be created and given to the world. We know our time, desires, and expectations need to be ordered and balanced.

I don’t need to remind you there is darkness in our world or of the dangers of disordered thoughts and actions. We are all familiar with the consequences. I want to remind you that you are God's child and are called to push back on that. You’re called to create goodness and beauty in the places around you that need it. You’re called to sort out your time, priorities, and energies, so chaos doesn't reign. You are placed here and now to create and bring order.

As you go into this new year, I encourage you to create as much goodness in the world as possible. Make sorting out your priorities, energy, thoughts, and relationships nonnegotiable. When you do so, you align yourself more with the nature God created us to have. When you are living who God has created you to be, you will help the world around you more. We create. We bring order. And it is good.

Thank you for being part of this church and joining us all as we strive to create beauty in our world and push back the darkness and chaos. God has great things in the coming year for this little group of people called Hillspring. I look forward to what we will create and how we will bring a little more order. Thank you for being part of that.

Happy New Year, and here's to the year ahead!

--Pastor Trevor