And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.”God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
3 sermons cite this verse
And God blessed the seventh day, and God made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work of creating that he had done. These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day God made the earth and the heavens. That's from Genesis chapter 1. So how do those words sit with you? Maybe you can. Look out your window, or if you're outside, just look around, and you can see it. You can see that same dry land, that same earth, and all the things that creep on it, and the waters that gather into the sea, and the trees swaying, and the birds soaring above, and the canopy of the sky. You can see it. Everything is a gift. Or maybe you're having one of those days, or seasons, or years, and it all seems wasted and empty. On some level, we can all relate to Ecclesiastes' sigh. I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and look, it's all vapor, vanity, void. …
and on the seventh day God finished the work that God had done and rested on the seventh day from all the work that God had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it because on it God rested from all the work that God had done in creation. Friends, this is the word of God for us, the people of God. Thanks be to God. Well, good morning. That was pretty good. Good morning. It is truly a joy and privilege to be with you today. I bring greetings from my colleagues and friends at Princeton Theological Seminary. A special thanks to Chris for hosting me and Stephanie for making all the arrangements. Now this theme you all have been exploring this summer, water in the desert, seems especially apt for this time, goodness for this week. But water, water is tricky. It is both necessary and powerful, life-giving and dangerous. And in Genesis 1, specifically the first verses that we read, there is a lot of water in that story. …
… it had a purpose and God divided the light from the darkness that was for utility and God called the light day and the darkness night and God said let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters and God made the firmament and divided the waters that were under the firmament I won't go on but the whole two chapters in Genesis is simply a beautiful exercise in utility it is God making an orderly world for a purpose, everything having a reason for existence. And utility was first, usefulness was first, purpose was first, and so it is with people. When a man goes out onto the far plains of Canada or the United States and decides to squat and start a little place, he doesn't think of beauty first, he thinks of usefulness. He wants to get a cabin up that'll house him before the blizzard hits. and so he builds himself, as you see scattered even yet throughout the United States in the West. …