An ongoing look at salvation from William Willimon.
In Scripture, salvation is what God does. ...salvation is creation, or re-creation. In Genesis, God does not really create the world out of nothing, ex nihilo, but rather works on the dark and formless void. Creation is that good that would not be there is God were not the sort of God who God is. God addresses the chaotic, formless stuff of darkness with, "Let there be light!" God speaks to the chaos, and in that address there is evocation of a world that God calls "good." Creation is depicted in Genesis as a series of divine addresses. There is something about this God that speaks something out of nothing by commanding, summoning, addressing, calling, and preaching. Salvation, seen from this perspective, is a primary product of divine love, the grand result after a creative God goes to work with words.
God works on the dark and formless void - ever been there?!? There are days and places and situations in which any of us may feel as though the void is all that there is....or darkness is being pulled down around us when light would be a wonderful gift. But there...in that place all of us may find ourselves at one point or another...our God works. God addresses the day and makes something happen that will bring a resounding "Yes!" In the dark days and when the day is mired by this formless void, the Spirit of our God reminds us of the "Yes" that is spoken about humanity...all of humanity...even me...stuck in the mud! God works on the chaos and is always available to create and re-create no matter what the day may look like from our perspective. As we all know, it is not easy to see God with us and shaping us. And yet, there is that promise that uses the story of Genesis to show us how much our God is for us and what power there is when God is eternally for us. In and through all things, God works with us and God's work begins to present us with new opportunities and new ways of seeing the chaos we think will consume us.
Connection: Just imagine what God is going to be doing with you today...and then, trust that what God does will be called Good...and you will be a part of that good day.
Create in us, O God, a day of new life that brings us into the domain of your grace. We may not know how to live there but when your Spirit pulls at us day after day, we may find ourselves in the middle of the encouragement that creatively deals with chaos. Amen.
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