The reading for Sunday, January 1, 2023 is Genesis 1-5

 Today's reading: Genesis 1-5

Here we have the creation story, Adam & Eve, the Fall of Mankind, Cain & Able, and Adam's family line.  

This is a lot to cover in one reading. Remember, we are only reading 5 chapters on Sundays!

As I want this to be a place where people are safe to express different views, I think I would be remiss not to talk a little about the creation story. It can be a hotly contended topic. Is it a poem? Is it literal? Is it literally scientific? What about evolution? I don't know the answers. I do know that it's okay to ask the questions. 

Today, the story of Adam and Eve sounds to me like the first example of passing the buck: the serpent lied to me, and the woman told me to do it. Seems nobody wants to take personal responsibility here. 

Cain and Abel. I can watch much of this same story on any true crime YouTube channel. I love my sister dearly, but I also squirted her with a good amount of water when she wasn't looking at a children's museum recently. Why? I don't know. Why does Cain kill Abel instead of being mad at God who was not pleased with Cain's offering? 

Today, I am particularly intrigued by Lamech's saying to his wives...If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.” What was Cain avenged for? He did the killing. 

Family lines and lists of names always seem pretty boring. I try to remember that God knows my name, too. Also, when I was looking at my family tree last night, all of those names seemed important to me. 

These are a few of my thoughts on today's passage. I would love to hear yours!!





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The reading for Wednesday, February 8, 2023 , is Numbers 10 - 12

  Numbers 10-12 I thought Moses' father-in-law left some time ago? Perhaps I am mistaken.  Fire from the Lord burned among them because they complained of their hardships in the hearing of the Lord. This sounds to harsh to me yet, it is this same Father that sent Jesus for us.  The Israelites rejected the Lord saying why did we ever leave Egypt. This makes me think of the ways we continue to do this today. We want to run back, or stay, in what is known to us even if it's miserable and unknown to us. New paths are scary and likely make us feel insecure. However, we must lean on the Lord and not whatever is the Egyptians in our lives.  The Lord sends quail, but sets a plague on those who eat it. This seems excessive to me. Perhaps the lesson is that we must trust the Lord instead of our own desires.  Moses married a Cushite wife. When did he do that? Frankly, how did he have time.  Aaron and Miriam oppose Moses sounds like sibling rivalry to me. I must say it...
Read more

The reading for Tuesday, February 7, 2023 , is Numbers 7 - 9

Numbers 7 - 9   Although I find the listing of what each tribe brought to the tabernacle dry reading, I do note that each tribe brought exactly the same thing. It's fair. I am also curious about how they decided which tribe presented on which day. It's not by age and it doesn't say.  I am also struck by a celebration lasting 12 days. What celebration in our culture lasts 12 days? None that I can think of. The longest thing I can think of in our culture is the county fair which lasts for a week.  I continue to remind myself that all of these offerings speak to the holiness of God and a greater understanding, albeit it a nanoparticle, of the import of Jesus' death on the cross. 
Read more