The promise of Revelation is that we are returned to the intimacy with God that existed in the Garden.

Pentecost offered an invitation to be “the body of Christ”, and an invitation to share in community in a way never done before.

There is salvation for all through belief in Jesus.

God’s patience and repeated warnings provide many opportunities for repentance, but the children of Israel disregard the God of their redemption.

Following the arrival of the people Israel in the Promised Land, judges were appointed to ensure the people lived according to the covenant. But Israel wanted kings at their head, instead of judges, so that they might “be like the other nations.” Samuel, nor God, were pleased with the request. Let us not forget, Israel wasn’t called to live like other nations.

Moses is given the Ten Commandments atop Mount Sinai. The Ten are offered to provide covenantal guidance to the people Israel. As we look at the larger arc of the universe, we should consider what role the Ten Commandments play in the greater framework of God’s creation. Are they really written in stone? Can they ever change? Should we still be following them today?

Following the flood, God forms a new level of intimacy through the covenant with Abraham. This new covenant establishes a lineage out of Abraham that will be given a homeland, a sense of belonging, and a purpose of vocation. God is forging a new path with humanity, which is promised to be an everlasting covenant.

The story of the flood wraps up the opening stories of creation. We were created in intimacy with God, humanity then found themselves distanced from God, and through the flood, creation is rescued by God. This three-fold pattern will become the norm for creation in the arc of the universe.

Humanity, which was given dominion over all the earth, was enticed to try and take dominion over God. This action led to their being evicted from the Garden of Eden. This first sin snowballed until God was so upset with humanity that God decided to start anew. There is agony, concern, mercy and grace in this story.

The creation narrative indicates that humanity is different than the rest of creation. God spoke to us; God breathed life into us; God gave us words of instruction, unlike any other part of creation. We are, as God’s created humanity, formed in the likeness (the image) of God. But what does this mean, and how does that shape our purpose?