David Bahn – Reflections

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These reflections grow out of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey

Today’s readings are Genesis 1-3; Psalm 9.

Genesis 1:1-10

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

⁶ And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” ⁷ And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. ⁸ And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

⁹ And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.d.

It’s the Bible verse I use on my personal correspondence: And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. (Genesis 1:3-4) Let’s reflect on that for a few moments.

God spoke light and the world and the universe into being. When he said, “Let there be light,” there was light. God’s word has power – not just authority, but power. When a police officer stops you, he has authority. But his word has no power to make your car stop. He can record your license plate number and your violation. He has authority to write a citation charging you with speeding or any other traffic violation. But he cannot – just by speaking – exert any restraint or cause any action.

God, on the other hand, has both authority and power. When he speaks light into existence it comes into existence – so too the land, waters, plants and stars and planets, and living creatures of all kinds. He did it by speaking. It is interesting to note that when the Lord God made man, he formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. The act was far more intimate and personal.

Because God created the heavens and the earth, and made man in his image, he also has authority over all things. Some people don’t like that idea. They don’t want to be under God’s authority. They want to be their own God. They will have their day in court. It won’t go well for them. We who recognize not only God’s power but also his authority submit to him, fear, love, and trust in him. We recognize that God has the final word and rejoice that God’s final word was spoken to us in his Son. This shapes our true identity and destiny.

When the light of God and his word fall on us, we see how good and gracious God truly is. We see how his final word is not only a word of power (which it surely is), but also a word of grace and love. Even when Adam and Eve sinned and hid themselves from God, he comes searching for them to bring them back to himself and restore them and all of creation. The seed of the woman will strike the heel of Satan and although Satan will inflict a mortal wound, the seed of the woman (Jesus) will destroy the works of the devil.

I cannot create light by speaking, but I can pray, “Let your light fall on us, Lord God, and point us to your final word, your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”