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Devotional from Pastor John Hartman, September 9, 2022

September 9, 2022 by Rev. John Hartman

Devotional from Pastor John Hartman, Friday, September 9, 2022.

From the Pastor

“In the Beginning”

When someone is said to be proclaiming the “Good News” of the Bible, our thoughts immediately turn to the New Testament, -- Jesus, his life, the cross, the resurrection, eternal life. Verses from scripture pop into our head like a computer retrieving a file. John 3:16, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Romans 6:23, and Revelation 3:20, just to name a few. We know these verses so well by heart, we don’t even have to recite them, because by simply mentioning them, we believe we are proclaiming the good news.

But what about the book of Genesis? What about the first book of the Bible? What about the story of God’s creation? What about the miracle of God creating humanity? Are we saying that one doesn’t make the cut?

I believe the Bible proclaims the “Good News” in its very first verse. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The creation of the world is the very first of the majestic and gracious acts of God. As Paul explains in Romans, it is God’s calling “into existence the things that do not exist” (4:17). That’s good news! Yes, good news may have at its center the liberating and reconciling work of Jesus Christ, who will have the final victory, and because of that so do we, -- but, the sovereign goodness of God is already at work in the very first act, -- the act of creation, which includes you and me.

I look forward to sharing with you over the next several weeks, the wonderful stories in the book of Genesis, -- “in the beginning.” We will learn about Adam and Eve, sin, Noah, the Tower of Babel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. And as always, I hope you will join us.

This Sunday, September 11, we will have a special time of prayer in remembering those who lost their lives back on September 11, 2001, and also recognizing our first responders, and those who put their lives on the line every day. We will also be back inside the sanctuary for the 8:00 am service, and of course, at 10:30 am. For the 10:30 service, we will also be broadcasting on Zoom, Facebook Live, and YouTube. See links below.

Blessings,

Pastor John

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