I am reading a chapter of the book of Genesis each day, along with a poem or reflection from Walter Brueggemann

Today was Genesis chapter 17. God is the initiator – speaking to Abram and establishing his covenant with Abram.

Abram is given a new name – Abraham.

And his wife Sarai is given a new name – Sarah.

Abraham – Ancestor of nations

Sarah – Princess

The covenant promises are to do with family and land. Abraham and Sarah are currently childless and in old age. It is impossible for them to have children, yet that is exactly what God promises – a child who will be called Isaac.

Alongside reading Genesis, I have also just started ‘The River is waiting’ by Wally Lamb. In early chapters, there is a tragedy that happens to the main characters – Corbin and Emily. To say more would be a spoiler. It’s enough to say that this event will shape their whole lives, as disasters do.

I wrote these two pieces after reading from Genesis and Wally Lamb today.

God speaks
God initiates
With purpose and promise
God is the prime mover
Without God’s action, none of what follows would have happened
None of what follows will happen without God’s promise
God shapes and changes everything.

Tragedy speaks
Tragedy initiates
With no purpose and no promise
Tragedy rules
And without this tragedy, none of what follows would have happened
None of what follows will happen without the tragedy
Tragedy changes everything.

After I had written that, I wrote this:
I hope to write another verse as the story unfolds.