Genesis? It’s the first book in the Bible. It means ‘the beginning’. And this term we’re taking a 10-episode journey through this book of beginnings.
What do you think when you hear ‘Genesis’? It might be creation. We see order from chaos, light from darkness, land and life from formless void. There’s the first human family, the first sin and much more ... Maybe when you hear ‘Genesis’, you think of the great flood: God’s judgement on the Human race. Perhaps you recall the Tower of Babel: the peak of arrogance of humankind.
Genesis is agonising. It’s full of abandonment and abuse, anxiety and anger, anguish and avoidance, barrenness and blaming. There’s childhood trauma, defensiveness and denial, emotional fusion, fear and famine, idolatry and judgement, lying and longing, manipulation and mocking, sibling rivalry and fakery, polygamy and playing favourites for example. Is there ANY hope for this world?
What is Genesis all about? Hope! If you need hope in your world, you need to journey through Genesis 12-35 with us this term, to see the hope of God’s blessings, through Abram and his dysfunctional family, to all the families of the earth. God decides not to give up on humanity but redeem it. God is transforming our relationships, promising blessing to the world through the agony of growing up in Abraham's family. This includes you and me. God, through Jesus Christ, is in the business of transforming us and our relationships.
Read the full introduction here
