Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann says that the Bible begins with a song of praise for God's generosity in the very first chapter of Genesis. Writes Brueggemann: "It tells how well the world is ordered. It keeps saying, 'It is good, it is good, it is good, it is very good.' It declares that God blesses -- that is, endows with vitality -- the plants and the animals and the fish and the birds and humankind."
Genesis offers us a beautiful vision of abundant life, but so often we miss it. Instead, we look around us and see scarcity. We want more money, more time, more energy, more resources. We fail to see what Brueggemann calls "the overflowing goodness that pours from God's creator spirit."
Overflowing goodness. That's the reality of our world, as created by God. Such goodness is seen when "wagon tracks overflow with richness," according to Psalm 65, and when "the pastures of the wilderness overflow." A world of overflowing richness is where we live, and it's the place we are challenged to care for God's gifts and share them with others.
Genesis offers us a beautiful vision of abundant life, but so often we miss it. Instead, we look around us and see scarcity. We want more money, more time, more energy, more resources. We fail to see what Brueggemann calls "the overflowing goodness that pours from God's creator spirit."
Overflowing goodness. That's the reality of our world, as created by God. Such goodness is seen when "wagon tracks overflow with richness," according to Psalm 65, and when "the pastures of the wilderness overflow." A world of overflowing richness is where we live, and it's the place we are challenged to care for God's gifts and share them with others.
