The word "genesis" refers to a beginning. It's the perfect word to describe what was long called the first book of Moses in the Bible. The biblical book of Genesis is the beginning of the what has been called the canon, the gathering of those books we know as Scripture. And it takes us back to the origin of time and space in its opening refrain, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

The book of Genesis announces a beginning in much more profound ways than those. In the opening three chapters, we are provided with Scriptures' essential teaching about the ultimate issues in our existence:

• the nature of God,
• the origin and nature of our world
• what it means to be human
• the purpose of human life
• what has gone wrong with a once-very-good-world
• why there is still hope for our now imperfect world and its people.

These, of course, are the most foundational matters of life. They give the basis for everything else we learn in the Bible. So, at the beginning of 2010, we will look at the beginning of God's book of beginnings. It provides the foundation for everything else that we read in the Bible. I pray God will use it to deepen our understanding and strengthen our faith. It will be a good way to "begin" our year together.

To his glory,

Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor