In the Beginning was the Word

Encounter: Read or listen to the first 7 days of Bible Study Together and listen to how it seems to bring the themes of Creation, Wisdom and The Word.

The most precious gift I received this year was a Bible.

Not just any Bible—but The Jesus Bible. Inside the cover, these words are printed:

“66 books. One story. All about one name.”

When I opened it, I paused. Not because I don’t already own Bibles (I do), but because this one re-centered me immediately. Scripture is not ultimately about information, timelines, or even moral instruction. It is about Jesus.

This Bible was a gift from my niece and her husband. And in one of those quiet, grace-filled moments, I realized how fitting it was to return the gift. I sent them each a Bible as well.

What makes this so meaningful is not just the exchange—but the timing.

All of us are beginning again in Genesis. All of us are learning together—across generations—how to know Jesus more fully, love Jesus more deeply, and live like Jesus more passionately.

That is the heart of what we are doing as a church as we begin 730+, paired with Lectio 365.

Seeing the Forest, Not Just the Trees

Genesis can feel overwhelming. Stories pile up quickly—creation, the fall, Cain and Abel, the flood, Babel. Sometimes the details are so thick it’s hard to see the bigger picture.

This is where tools like The Bible Project are such a gift. They help us step back and see the forest when the trees get dense.

Genesis chapters 1–11 tell one unfolding story—not disconnected events, but a movement:

• Humanity is created for relationship with God

• That relationship is wounded by mistrust

• Brokenness ripples outward into violence, corruption, and pride

• Yet God keeps giving humanity space for goodness to grow

At the heart of the fall is a lie spoken by the serpent:

“You will become like God.”

The tragedy, of course, is that humanity was already made in God’s image.

That lie—you are not who God says you are—echoes through every generation. It leads to shame, hiding, broken relationships, and eventually to Babel’s declaration: “Let us make a name for ourselves.”

Scripture later calls this impulse Babylon—human systems built on independence from God.

And yet, woven quietly through Genesis 1–11 is hope.

A promise that one day a descendant will come. One who will confront evil at its source. One who will be wounded—but victorious.

The Bible Project calls this figure the Wounded Victor.

Genesis ends not with resolution, but with longing.

One Story, One Name

This is why John begins his Gospel the way he does:

“In the beginning…”

John is telling us that the God who walked with humanity in Genesis has not given up on His world. The promise has arrived. The Word has become flesh.

And in 1 John, we learn how this restored relationship now functions—not through hiding or perfection, but by walking in the light and living in love.

This is what pleases God.

Not mastery of Scripture alone—but lives shaped by it. Not earning grace—but walking attentively within it. Not making a name for ourselves—but centering our lives on the name of Jesus.

What made the gift of this Bible even more beautiful was something I didn’t expect.

As I held the Bible, I realized the cover itself looked strikingly like one of my daughter’s paintings—layered, textured, full of light and movement. It stopped me in my tracks. Art has always been one of the ways I’ve seen how beauty tells truth without words, how creation still reflects the Creator.

It felt like a quiet reminder: the story Scripture tells is not only something we read—it is something God continues to create in and through our lives. Beauty, imagination, relationship, and redemption all belong together in the story God is telling, and all of it finds its meaning in Jesus.

As we begin again—reading Scripture together, praying daily, and walking the path of discipleship—may we never forget what that Bible cover reminded me of so clearly:

66 books. One story. All about one name.

With you in the Word,

Pastor T

Spiritual Practice: Try a different version of the Bible this year. A new one you can make new underlines and notes in. It's a new season. Expect the Spirit to speak to you in different ways.

Reflect & Gather Discussion Questions

1. What helps you see “the forest” when Scripture feels overwhelming?

2. Why do you think the serpent’s lie is still so tempting today?

3. Where do you see the ripple effects of broken trust in Genesis 1–11?

4. What does the image of the Wounded Victor reveal about Jesus?

5. How does centering Scripture on Jesus change the way you read the Bible?

6. What would it look like for you to know Jesus more fully, love Him more deeply, and live like Him more passionately this year?