The Jesse Tree: Day 1

CREATION

The best stories have amazing first lines; just think about Charles Dickens’ “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” in A Tale of Two Cities or E.B. White’s “Where’s Papa going with that ax?” in Charlotte’s Web. A great opening pulls us into a bigger story, one we want to keep reading.

The Bible begins with the greatest opening line of all:

Before there was light or sound, before people or planets, God was there. He didn’t need anyone to make Him, and He didn’t need anything to keep Him going. But out of love, He spoke, and everything came to life.

But Genesis 1 isn’t only about what God made; it’s about why He made it. God was building something more than a world. He was building a home.

After all the creating is done, on the seventh day, God rests. Not because He’s tired, but because His home is ready, and He moves in. The Bible says God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. That means He set it apart as special, a day to rest, to enjoy, and to be close to Him; and what’s most surprising, unlike days one through six, day seven doesn’t have a morning and evening, because it was never supposed to end; humanity was made to rest with God forever! It was a beautiful beginning!

But as we all know, the story doesn’t stay perfect. Humanity turned out to be rebellious, and instead of peace and rest, there came pain and separation. Yet even then, God didn’t give up on His plan. From the very start, He promised to bring His people home again.

That’s what Advent is all about: God making his home with us again. Long after creation, God came to live with His people again, not as a voice from heaven, but as a baby in a manger.

John’s Gospel mirrors Genesis’ first three words: “In the beginning,” but then gives us additional detail, “In the beginning was the Word… and the Word became flesh and lived among us.” Jesus is God’s invitation, the One who says to every heart, “Come home.” Come back to how it was in the beginning.