Genesis 2:7-17 It is difficult for us to imagine what it would have been like to live in the Garden of Eden. This garden is so very far removed from anything we have ever experienced: not only according to the distance in time that is involved; but also according to the totally different nature and…
Genesis 50:15-21 In the movie “The Godfather, Part 2,” the mafia boss Michael Corleone and his brother Fredo had a serious falling out, due to Fredo having taken sides with a competitor crime family, against his brother. After a tense meeting between the two, when Michael might have been expected to order his brother to…
Genesis 1:1–2:4 Today’s Old Testament reading presented us with the creation account from the Book of Genesis. It is real history, written in majestic prose, by divine inspiration. The Book of Genesis is not written in the vocabulary of modern science, because it is a story for the ages. It was true and meaningful before…
Genesis 3:1-21 “Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” Through the Prophet Isaiah, as God there addresses Israel and the human race, he describes himself in this way: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are…
Genesis 28:10-17 One of the common beliefs that was held by the pagan idolaters of the ancient world, was the idea that certain deities were attached to certain geographical places, and served as special guardians and patrons for the people who lived in those specific geographical places. So, based on where they were at any…
Genesis 4:1-15 Cain, the fratricidal son of Adam and Eve, is treated in Scripture as being among the most heinous of villains. St. John writes in his First Epistle: “Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard…
Genesis 22:1-18 Think about someone right now whom you would consider a friend. You are more than likely thinking about someone with whom you have some significant shared experiences, or whose life experiences are similar to yours. The closest friends we have tend to be people like this. Those common experiences serves as a bonding…
Genesis 3:1-21 The devil generally follows a certain well-rehearsed strategy in the spiritual warfare that he wages against the human race. He has not made any fundamental changes in his tactics since he started this war against humanity in the Garden of Eden millennia ago. The reason why Satan’s basic strategy has stayed the same,…
Genesis 1:1-2:4 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” It’s not possible, in just a few minutes, to explore everything that is touched on in today’s text – the creation account from the Book of Genesis. But we can think together about some of the things that the creation account tells us…