In the story of the beginning of all life from Genesis, what if God is answering a slightly different question than we're asking? In this new series, we want to better understand God, ourselves, and the world we share with God and others. We want to develop our identity and our relationship with the world and with God based on what God has said. Who is God? Who are we? Why does anything exist at all? This weekend, we begin exploring these questions together. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: 1. What preconceptions or deeply held opinions and beliefs come to your mind when you consider the beginning of life? What questions do you have when you consider how and when and why life and all things began? 2. Did you hear anything this weekend that caught your attention, challenged, or confused you? 3. Read through Genesis chapter 1-2:4. What captures your attention? What do you observe about… a. God: b. Creation/Nature: c. People: 4. How could reading the Genesis creation account through our modern scientific perspective on truth and knowledge cause us to miss the point of the creation account, regardless of our belief about creationism or evolution? Consider this paraphrase from Chuck Colson: “We have been persuaded to believe that truth about origins can only be packaged in scientific terms; that the only cosmological reality is a scientifically informed reality; that if a cosmological text operates outside of the scientific realm, it ceases to be truth. We too easily accept the dictum that the only absolute is science.” (See, Chuck Colson, Nancy Pearcy, Howard Ficket, How Shall We Now Live, p. 375) 5. Pay attention to the verbs that describe what God does in Genesis chapter 1. How many times does God… a. See/Look: b. Create/Make/Set: c. Speak/Call/Bless: What does this teach us about God’s power, character, and both desire and ability to connect with us and his creation? 6. When you consider the dignity and responsibility included in the truth that you are an image-bearer of God, how does this change your behavior to other people, the natural world, and God himself? 7. Would you commit to reading Genesis 1-11 over the next six weeks of this message series, In the Beginning?