"Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day."

Genesis 1:31

Throughout the creation story in Genesis 1, God sees his creation and judges it to be good. Now, as his work is completed, he sees that it is "very good." The religious world in which Judaism developed had plenty of creation stories, but never a good world, yet alone a very good one. The physical world and the people within it were supposed to come from a war among the gods, with the stuff of this world derived from the dead body of an enemy god. Yet Genesis shows us that the essence of this world is not only good, but even very good. It is the result, not of some heavenly battle, but of God's deliberate effort to create a world that reflects his own goodness. What an astounding revelation!

In what ways do you experience the goodness of this world? If the world is fundamentally good, what does this say about your daily life?

PRAYER: Gracious God, we marvel at your creation, at its goodness. Even though we experience this world only in its post-sin, broken state, nevertheless we taste its goodness in the beauty of a sunset or the embrace of a friend. And even in our daily work. Work isn't something given to us after the Fall, but rather it is part and parcel of your good creation. Help us, dear Lord, to experience this day something of the goodness of this world. And may we contribute to this goodness through our acts of kindness and compassion. Amen.