On Wednesdays, I walk with friends. Sometimes, when we walk in silence through the forest, my heart is full of gratitude to the Creatore who made all the beauty around me. How exactly I don't know.

 

In the beginning God ... These words imply that God was already there; in other words, before he created space, matter and time, he already existed.

 

If we read Genesis, it is clear that everything was formless in the beginning until God gave it form. The sky was put in place and the waters under the heavens. Only after God gave form to everything, he created life. He made plants, fish and animals. There are several creation theories (such as the theory of evolution, the Big Bang theory), which I do not want to discuss here. To me, God is the most important fact in the story of creation. "It is by faith that we understand that the universe was created by God’s word, so that what can be seen was made out of what cannot be seen." (Hebrews 11:3) The writer of Hebrews does not give us a scientific explanation of how the world came into being, but does emphasise the role of God.

 

Let’s say that we believe God created the world. What do you believe about yourself? Did God make you? In Genesis, we read that human beings were made in his image: "Then God said, ‘And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us ...’” (Genesis 1:26). God blessed man and told them to be fruitful and rule over his creation. (Genesis 1:28)

 

Unfortunately, sin entered the world. Is this the end of the story? No, the Bible says God is not done with us – he is still recreating: "Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17) In 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, we read that God wants to reconcile himself with us through Christ and he gives us a new assignment: "Here we are, then, speaking for Christ, as though God himself were making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: let God change you from enemies into his friends." (2 Corinthians 5:20)

 

I believe in God, the Creator of heaven and earth, even though it is difficult to understand.

 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your creation. Help us to look after and care for it as your ambassadors. Also, help us to share your message of reconciliation with others. Amen