Read: Genesis 1, Genesis 2, and John 1
How cool is it that John starts the Gospel with the very same phrase that opens the Bible in the first chapter of Genesis! Both books at the front end of both Testaments have as a focal point things with and without a beginning. In Genesis chapter 1, the beginning of all creation is revealed. Each of the days contain their own new beginnings. In Genesis chapter 2, what was summarized at the end of chapter 1 is given to us in greater detail. As chapter 2 closes, we have been witnesses to a flurry of mind-blowing and phenominally intricate creative activity. All of those beginnings have led to where we are today.
In the movie INCEPTION, Leonardo DiCaprio plays a dreamworld thief. The movie is filled with fantastic layers of twists and turns – definitely a must see. But not wanting to give anything away, I have to tell you about one simple plot building sentence from the movie. The main character is explaining the content of dreams. In that one line he mentions that dreams don’t have a beginning. Think about it. Can you remember the last dream you were in? How did it start? You were just there, in the midst of a dream as it unfolds behind your eyes. It’s something I hadn’t really thought of before, but he was right. Dreams are kind of like being late for a movie. You grab your popcorn and you quickly find a seat and try to make sense of the action where it is. When you think about life it seems like everything has a beginning. The moment before leads to the moment that follows.
Genesis 1 and 2 are so full of beginnings that it’s easy to pass by the One behind all the beginnings – God without a beginning. At first glance this “without a beginning” can be a difficult concept to comprehend. But in reality everyone on Earth is faced with it. Evolutionists ultimately have to explain the existence of matter. Without a creator, then matter must have no beginning. Those who trust in the Creator revealed in Genesis 1 and 2 are faced with matter that is created by the Creator without a beginning. Each is an exercise in faith. The first words in the Gospel of John point us to the Word already in existence at the beginning. The Gospel, like the first book of the Bible, is filled with even more beginnings: the beginnings of John who prepared the way for Jesus, the beginnings of the ministry of Jesus and the beginnings of the disciples following Jesus.
So what beginnings are in your past? And what new beginnings await you? And what old beginnings need to begin again? New beginnings are the beauty of the life of faith! As you begin this track on DAY 1, think of this as a new beginning that is begun again each day.