Questions for Personal Reflection and Group Discussion
Read Genesis 1:1-5 (NIV):
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
- What thoughts and feelings come to your mind when you hear the word “home”?
- God created people with a desire for something more (adventure) and also with a desire for a home. How have you felt these desires in your own life? Would you say that you’re more of an adventurer or more of a homebody?
- What did God begin with when he created our world? Talk about how God brought order to the world as he created and how the very structure and design of the creation story reinforces this sense of order?
- Bobby said that God established order and drew boundaries not to limit creation, but to empower it. What did he mean by that? Why are boundaries and order so important in our lives, and in what ways do they actually free and empower us?
- Pastor and writer Tim Keller pointed out that all societies previous to ours have believed in a sacred order of some kind, and our society is the first one in history to reject that idea of a sacred order. How does that modern rejection of a belief in sacred order affect society?
- Talk about the meaning and significance of the words “darkness” and “the deep” (v.2) including how these words come up later in Scripture (e.g. the flood story of Genesis 6).
- Where was God when the world was dark and chaotic (v.2)? How could this encourage you in your chaotic life seasons?
- Water is necessary for life, and yet water can be either chaotic and dangerous or it can be peaceful and life giving. What happened to the chaotic waters when God’s Spirit hovered over them? What does this communicate about God and the impact of his presence in your life?
- Bobby shared about Jerry Sittser, who in the midst of deep grief after the tragic deaths of his wife and daughters, finally made a life-changing choice: “I decided … to walk into the darkness rather than try to outrun it, to let my experience of loss take me on a journey wherever it would lead, and to allow myself to be transformed by my suffering rather than to think I could somehow avoid it. I chose to turn toward the pain, however falteringly, and to yield to the loss, though I had no idea at the time what that would mean.”
What did he mean by this? If you’ve ever done this in a painful situation in your own life, share about that and what happened.
- What did you sense God saying to you through this passage and this message?
