Andrew Bird – Ten-You-Us
I love “beginnings.” And today we have a few.
The first is the beginning of a new year. 2010. I seem to remember a science-fiction movie from the ‘80s bearing this year as a title. I’m going to have to go back and re-watch it to see how much they got right. My guess is not much.
It is customary to make resolutions as the new year begins. I’ve certainly made more than a few in past years. Nothing against them. However, as I get older, I find myself more and more hesitant to make them. My life is already littered with enough unfinished stuff that I don’t really have any business making any grand new promises that I may or may not be able to keep.
Save one. I mentioned it a few days ago, but let me say it again if only to remind myself.
Today, I’m beginning to read the Bible from cover to cover.
I do, in fact, hope to accomplish one or two other things this year, but this is the one.
Part of me wants to attack it Harry Potter-style. That is to tear through it in as rapidly as possible so that I can say, “Ok, done. What’s next?” But that would defeat the purpose of taking on the project in the first place. My hope in doing this is manifold, but mainly, I want to know the Author more. So instead, I’ll be taking it at much more reasonable pace, a few chapters a day.
Which brings me to the most famous of “beginnings”… Genesis 1:1.
It would be hard to guess how much ink has been spilled on the first three chapters of Genesis, but it is considerable. Instead of my own commentary, let me point to another.
John Walton recently wrote a book on Genesis One. 
I haven’t read it, but I’m very familiar with where he is coming from and would commend this book to anyone who would like to have their understanding of the biblical view of origins stretched.
He says, “We should not expect the Bible to answer the questions that arise from our own time and culture. Genesis was written to Israelites and addressed human origins in light of the questions they would have had. We should not try to make modern science out of the information that we are given, but should try to understand the affirmations that the text is making in its own context.”
Well said.
Ok, well I have high hopes for 2010 being an amazing year in all kinds of ways, and I trust that reading the entirety of the Scriptures will play no minor role in that being that case.