In the beginning ... (From Monday, Jan 23 2012)

The theme for the Princeton Forums on Youth Ministry this year is “CREATE”.  Fittingly, our opening worship for the week centered opened with Genesis 1:1-2:

“In the beginning when God created the heavens and earth, the earth was a

 formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep,

while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.” (NRSV)

There’s something about this particular biblical story (creation) that always stirs something in me.  When I close my eyes, and James Earl Jones’ booming bass starts reciting “In the beginning …” in my head, I start to feel very small, and as the days of creation continue on, I am always filled with a child-like sense of awe and wonder.  Genesis 1 reconnects me with the vastness of a creator God who spans the length and breadth of time and space, and whose skills as an artisan are unmatched.

The beauty of starting with the Genesis story of creation in worship today, is it gave permission for the worship leaders to not only incorporate creative arts into the worship, but to immerse it … infuse it.  Dance, painting, masks, pantomime, poetry, drama, and music provided by an awesome musical trio playing a variety of instruments (one I’ve never seen before!) were all flowing in and out of the worship experience from beginning to end.

Our table … altar … whatever you want to call it … changes and grows throughout the day.  Pieces are added and removed throughout our time together.  I managed to nab a photo of how it started off.  I’ll try to grab a few more throughout the coming days, without becoming a ‘tourist’ in our worship space.

I was worried showing up for worship after the frenzy of the last 14 hours; worried that perhaps I should have stayed a little longer at the hotel and settled myself so I could be truly present when I arrived later.  Turns out the worship service gave me the opportunity to bless the stresses of the trip and let them go.  I walked out of worship still tired, but feeling grounded and present and open to the week.  I’m excited to be here, and already (being the lone Canadian in attendance) I’ve been able to have some great conversation with some fine youth ministers.

Out of curiosity, what biblical passages stir up the awe and wonder in you?