Trinity Sunday: OT Reading, Genesis 1:1-2:4a

I love reading the Biblical account of the creation. There is nothing else quite like it in all the reading I’ve done through the years and I would think that would be true of you as well. There is no better word to describe it in my mind than “extraordinary.” “In the beginning” ignites a potential love affair with the Bible, if you’re open to having an affair. And 1:1 through 2:4a is never put on a shelf or shouldn’t be because in my humble opinion, the rest of Holy Scripture must be read with those verses squarely in our sights.

Most of us are familiar with the regular rhythms that Moses brought to us describing the matchless work of the real Master of the Universe. “The First Day.” “The Second Day.” The Holy Trinity is the agent of creation. No blueprint or schematics for us to see. No, the finished product was complete in the mind of God long before He breathed light. And you and I, or at least our ancient parents were not just a part of the plans, but their pinnacle.

Genesis 1:26-27 gives the literary edition of the beginning of mankind. Not too many words describe it, but they are loaded. The Holy Trinity is conversing and the plans and outcomes of the creation of mankind in its “infancy” are being made plain. Communication is key. But after the creation of man in the image of God, it is the first action that God takes toward His new children that captures my mind and heart. Genesis 1:28 simply says, “And God blessed them …” That’s it. He blessed them.

Are you surprised? Am I? We shouldn’t be. As one of my favorite old American pastors, 

W. Tozer once quipped, “God is always previous.” In His existence and in His actions toward His jewel of creation. Before mankind ever thought to raise a voice or even a thought to bless the Lord, God blessed us. It is beyond the mind’s grasping. Especially since we know by report and  experience the mess that mankind made of His stunning opportunity. “And God blessed them …”

Today in the church, He blesses us. He forgives and heals. He provides and protects. He supplies and feeds. He comes to us and lives within us. In the words of another of my favorite American pastors, the first words in prayer I ever heard from the Reverend Michael Geml were these: “How blessed we are …” Blessed indeed. From the very beginning. What a start.