Beginning
"Tell us a story, Abba."
The night was cool, the sky was alive with stars, and the fire around which they sat was warm. Everyone was here this night, and the animals were safely in the pens. It was the day of rest, and sleep would come soon. But first, a story was expected. And on this night, especially, Abba knew the children would want to hear The Story.
But that didn't stop him from teasing them just a bit. "What story would you like me to tell? Shall I tell about the time I took on the wolf? Or the time I found a very large fig growing..."
"No!" they cried out. "No! Tell us the story, Abba. Tell us how it all came to be."
Abba smiled, leaned back a bit, and closed his eyes. The Story. It had been handed down from generation to generation, entrusted word for word to the head of each family. Abba knew it was his responsibility to tell it well, so that one day his children would tell it to their children just as he would tell it tonight. After a pause, he smiled and began.
"In the beginning," he said, "there was nothing. No land, no water, no stars, nothing. And it would all still be nothing if it had not been for a spark in the heart of God. You see, children, God is a creator, and he loves to bring new things into life. And so, God spoke and creation came to be. This world came to be. You and me—we came to be.
"And God said, 'Light!' And light appeared. And according to God's plan, some of the day was now light and some was darkness. That was the first day. Then God said, 'Land and sky.' You see, it was all messed up, all chaotic until then, but with God's word, land and sky separated. And day by day, God made everything you see: plants and animals, stars and sun and moon, birds and trees for the birds to sit in. And do you know what God said about it all?"
"It was good," the children chimed in, in chorus. "It was good!"
"Yes, it was good," Abba said. "But still creation wasn't complete. It needed something more. God wanted it to be very good. You see, as good as the animals and the sky and the trees were, there was nothing in creation yet that God could fellowship with, nothing that God could love and have it love him back." And, with a glint in his eye, Abba looked each child in the eye. "So do you know what God made?"
The smallest of the children got a huge grin on his face, stood up with his hands in the air and shouted, "Me!" Abba laughed. "Well, not you specifically, but yes, people. Man and woman. And the thing that made them different from the rest of creation was God's image. God breathed life into Adam and into Eve, and out of all the creation, he made them most like himself. Adam and Eve were God's image in the world, so he took them and he placed them in a garden, a beautiful place, full of everything they needed, everything they could ever want. And then do you know what God did, after everything was created and all the work was done?"
The children were wide-eyed. "What?" one of them asked, almost whispering.
Abba smiled. "He rested, just like you need to do. Off to bed with you, now!"
The children each in turn hugged Abba as they headed back to their tent to sleep. The oldest, though, who always seemed to be thinking deep, serious thoughts, hung back. "Abba?" she asked.
"Yes, my child. What is it?"
"You didn't tell the whole story. You didn't tell the bad part."
Abba sighed. "I know, child. But that's a story for another day."
"Okay. Good night, Abba. I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night, child."
And there was evening, and there was morning, and it was good.
The night was cool, the sky was alive with stars, and the fire around which they sat was warm. Everyone was here this night, and the animals were safely in the pens. It was the day of rest, and sleep would come soon. But first, a story was expected. And on this night, especially, Abba knew the children would want to hear The Story.
But that didn't stop him from teasing them just a bit. "What story would you like me to tell? Shall I tell about the time I took on the wolf? Or the time I found a very large fig growing..."
"No!" they cried out. "No! Tell us the story, Abba. Tell us how it all came to be."
Abba smiled, leaned back a bit, and closed his eyes. The Story. It had been handed down from generation to generation, entrusted word for word to the head of each family. Abba knew it was his responsibility to tell it well, so that one day his children would tell it to their children just as he would tell it tonight. After a pause, he smiled and began.
"In the beginning," he said, "there was nothing. No land, no water, no stars, nothing. And it would all still be nothing if it had not been for a spark in the heart of God. You see, children, God is a creator, and he loves to bring new things into life. And so, God spoke and creation came to be. This world came to be. You and me—we came to be.
"And God said, 'Light!' And light appeared. And according to God's plan, some of the day was now light and some was darkness. That was the first day. Then God said, 'Land and sky.' You see, it was all messed up, all chaotic until then, but with God's word, land and sky separated. And day by day, God made everything you see: plants and animals, stars and sun and moon, birds and trees for the birds to sit in. And do you know what God said about it all?"
"It was good," the children chimed in, in chorus. "It was good!"
"Yes, it was good," Abba said. "But still creation wasn't complete. It needed something more. God wanted it to be very good. You see, as good as the animals and the sky and the trees were, there was nothing in creation yet that God could fellowship with, nothing that God could love and have it love him back." And, with a glint in his eye, Abba looked each child in the eye. "So do you know what God made?"
The smallest of the children got a huge grin on his face, stood up with his hands in the air and shouted, "Me!" Abba laughed. "Well, not you specifically, but yes, people. Man and woman. And the thing that made them different from the rest of creation was God's image. God breathed life into Adam and into Eve, and out of all the creation, he made them most like himself. Adam and Eve were God's image in the world, so he took them and he placed them in a garden, a beautiful place, full of everything they needed, everything they could ever want. And then do you know what God did, after everything was created and all the work was done?"
The children were wide-eyed. "What?" one of them asked, almost whispering.
Abba smiled. "He rested, just like you need to do. Off to bed with you, now!"
The children each in turn hugged Abba as they headed back to their tent to sleep. The oldest, though, who always seemed to be thinking deep, serious thoughts, hung back. "Abba?" she asked.
"Yes, my child. What is it?"
"You didn't tell the whole story. You didn't tell the bad part."
Abba sighed. "I know, child. But that's a story for another day."
"Okay. Good night, Abba. I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night, child."
And there was evening, and there was morning, and it was good.
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