In what's being hailed as a stunning scientific discovery, researchers say they've found solid evidence for the Big Bang—where the universe sprang into existence. It was suggested the universe grew so quickly, it left ripples in patterns of light, visible in the very far reaches of the universe. The Washington Post described the discovery: "In the beginning, the universe got very big very fast, transforming itself in a fraction of an instant from something almost infinitesimally small to something imponderably vast, a cosmos so huge that no one will ever be able to see it all. This is the premise of an idea called cosmic inflation—a powerful twist on the big-bang theory—and…it received a major boost from an experiment at the South Pole called BICEP2. A team of astronomers … announced that it had detected ripples from gravitational waves created in a violent inflationary event at the dawn of time."
A well-known writer James Emery White adds, "In other words, as we might say, it was a start of biblical proportions. Miraculous, even. I mean, who or what can go beyond the speed of light and spread out the entire universe instantly from a single explosion? Sounds kind of like an 'in the beginning, God created' thing to me." I couldn’t say it any better.
It’s mesmerizing to think of God’s vastness. If there ever was a time that mankind would try to research and discover God in some form and fashion in an attempt understand it all, it would be today—although we come to the reality knowing what we think we understand, we actually know nothing.
In starting our journey today, we are going to dive into the origins of it all with Beginning with God. It’s a concept I think each of us know about, but maybe haven’t really put much energy into it. Remember friends, our carnal body is not designed to know, see or experience all things of God. Listen to what prophet Isaiah tells us “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Nowhere does it hint that we will have it all understood—nor should we. There is a real need to trust in God above all things, especially when we obviously cannot phantom it all. Proverbs “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
In the Gospel of Mark this morning, we see what scripture calls the start of Christs ministry. As you may know, John came to prepare the way, to fulfil the beginning purpose of what God had planned. Let us read Mark 1. The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— 3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” If we think for a moment, we are drawn into the divine concept that God had not only a plan for His people but it was predestined—where as we follow Christ in everything we do, we see Him providing a new path, a new beginning in every area of our lives.
In order for Jesus’ ministry to be successful, God had to start somewhere! Often times we forget that when we feel God isn’t listening, He is actually making preparations. For about thirty plus years, John the Baptist was Gods beginning venture in preparing the way for the savior of all mankind. While it is true John wasn’t just a common, polished or colorful speaking person that would use winsome messages to make God’s message attractive to the lost, John was doing God’s work period—although some would call him a Wildman that was rugged and vulgar. Defiantly not a modern-day Billy Graham example.
Friends, beginning with God is a concept we each need to grasp. Whether starting out this New Year of life, new job, new adventure or even rejuvenate a new life with God, in order for God to begin something with us, we need to begin something with God! You heard me say this before as we do not have to wait until all the stars line up in heaven in order to begin something with God. We are to start now by wasting no time! God has done all the prep work as Jeremiah tells us “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Let us be honest with ourselves this morning. How often do you begin things with God? Do we only pursue God when we think we need Him, or we have nowhere else to go? Do we really think of God as a God of new beginnings, or do we think God is not in the creation business anymore? When reflecting on beginning with God, we have a fitting place to start from the book of Genesis—which its name means ‘begin.’ Genesis deliberately tells us that without the originating, creative word of God, there would be no beginning, no world, no life, no nothing! “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In addition to Genesis, Gods beginning is made mention with the start of the Gospel of John “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
When we look at the creation story, we see a claim that God didn’t create the world in some dim, very distant past. God began creating the world and continues even today. No where in Genesis does it give an account where God created the heavens and the earth in six days and on the seventh day, God stopped creating! It seems we forgot that God loves to begin things, which includes us beginning our everyday lives with God himself. Think about it! Christ’s empty tomb has been rolled away and the despondent disciples didn’t walk but ran to the tomb not truly believing. They thought Jesus’ mission was finished, completed, nothing new will be done. At the resurrection of our Lord and savior friends, the story between us and God did not end, it’s just beginning. Amen. N.T. Wright said “Jesus' resurrection is the beginning of God's new project, not to snatch people away from earth but to colonize earth with the life of heaven."
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who was resurrected from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, is alive and well—bearing witness to each of us at this very moment that God is a God of new beginnings as all things begin with God. Alas don’t take my word on it. A well-known Pharisee named Nicodemus came to Jesus by night learning of the perplexing statement from Jesus that we each must be born again! “How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit.” Here we see firsthand the word born that is in Greek ghen-nah'-o which means to bring forth or give birth to a man or women. How in the world can we be reborn once already physically born? Jesus’ response was simple yet complex. God begins something, God creates a new. Paul tells us in his second letter to the people of Corinth “even though we have known Christ by the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” If ever a statement we find about what God does new is in the book of Revelation when Jesus himself says “Behold, I am making all things new.” God is a God of new beginnings, continuing to create life and love in all the world. Amen.
No matter how we dish it out, we cannot escape the truth in that God is a God of new beginnings. In beginning with God friends, He so much desires a genuine, true relationship with us by beginning with us in everything we do. When Jesus himself tells us “I am with you always, even to the end of the age..I am the beginning and the end, the first and the last,” what do you think this portrays? God will move heaven and earth if necessary to make a way for each of us by providing a way with a NEW beginning, NEW life, NEW creation—and when the time comes and we are called home, scripture tells us we will be house with a NEW body.
Today we also remember the Baptism of our Lord, and when Jesus went to John the Baptist to be baptized, God marked that event as a new beginning with humanity by portraying the Gospel, or good news, for each of us in having the real God of creation who cares for us, loves us unconditionally and ultimately desires us to have a relationship with Him by way of His only son. This gives us a new fresh start when we are reborn in Christ and Christ in us. What’s really sad to think about in beginning with God is Gods original intent was designed for our journey in life to not be deviated from Him, but it did. We wanted it our way. So, God then teaches us the fabulous word called forgiveness. Thanks be to God that He didn’t just set the world in motion and then withdraw himself, seeing us squirm and live amongst our own devices. Creation continues my friends. Praise be to God that He is refusing to just see us on our first steps of faith and then lose interests in us. If you really think about forgiveness, is it not free will with the ability to begin again, to start over? With a new beginning with God forgiveness would be useless!
No matter how bad, no matter how fickle, no matter how distant we, no matter how sinful, no matter how unforgiving we may be, God made a way for us to start over with Christ and in Christ alone. Amen.
There was once a man who made a mess of the first half of his life. He didn’t keep his marriage vows, betrayed his friends and family. Wasted his inheritance. Midlife he got stopped short by a serious illness. His prognosis was grim. He asked the doctor “Is this the end?” The doctor responded, “I honestly do not know!” Ultimately the man got a fresh start, new beginning by beginning is ‘new’ life with God. He told his friends “I lost my way, threw away my blessings but now I am a new creation in God. God has given me a fresh start even when I was near death.” This is a real story for each of us! Nowhere in scripture does it say we will be forgotten, lost or abandoned for Paul’s letter to the Romans tells us “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Gods story in your life is NOT OVER, it’s just beginning. When your too tired, too lost, too old to begin a new, rest assured God can and will make a way. Please rest assured friends just as the Apostle Paul tells us “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.” God is a God of new beginnings as we are to begin all things with God. Amen.