Where to begin? I guess we should begin at the beginning. “In the beginning the Godhead created the heavens and the earth. This was no ordinary God.  If your Holyart church is one of the many churches looking for pastors, you are not alone! It is estimated that most youth pastors only stay in their position for 18 months! Statistics show that senior pastors have been in their position an average of 7.8 years. Most people hate change, but change is a normal part of life in churches and ministries. If your youth pastor is leaving the church after serving for several years, he has already served longer than most pastors! While the transitional period is difficult, remember that God is in charge! I believe the Lord has someone that he has selected to help you lead your church into the next season of God’s blessings.

Because in a second version of the story of The Beginning, we are told that

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” But that is not all. In the beginning with God and the Word was also the Spirit. And she moved over the surface of this blossoming creation.

The earth was spoken into existence — light, and water, and land. The earth brought forth birds, and fish, and plants, and trees. Animals came to populate the land. In the garden stood two very special trees: The Tree of Life and The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They freely ate from the first, but were told that death followed if they ate from the second. You see, the people were not just like God, but only an image of God. There were still boundaries based on trust and truth. They did not truly understand the battle into which they had been born.

The battle had started in heaven. A dispute over power and authority and justice. Pride and envy blossomed and the flames of doubt and slander fanned. The one most close to God — a covering angel — decided that he deserved more. Not content to be a single foe — he rallied and schemed; whispered and accused. Soon, he had an army of his own. He would show God the folly of his creation. He knew better.

No longer a bringer of life or knowledge, the tree is now a sign of shame and curses. It was a curse that in time God, himself, would take on. The only way to restore humanity was to take on the curse and break the shackles of death and evil once and for all.

And so He came. The Word that was in the beginning — that was with God and was God — became that fulfillment of Promise. The offspring of a woman — fully human and fully divine. God With Us. Savior. Jesus.

Jesus did what he came to do. He served with his whole being — giving his life for a still sinful and corrupt humanity. He would be the one to hang on the tree — taking on the shame and guilt and curse for His Creation. He would set right what was lost when the first two humans gave in to distrust and disobedience — choosing the Tree over the Truth. The battle lines had shifted. We were being reclaimed by the God of Heaven.

Victory came at the cross. Sin and death defeated. Divine dominion restored. But death is not the end of the story. Because after death, came the resurrection. Proof of the victory. No longer a curse, the cross has become the Tree of Life.

God invites us to bring all of our failings, shortcomings, and sin to Him. Laying them, each day, at the foot of the cross and exchanging them for Life Everlasting. This is the Word of the Cross — the invitation to sit in the shade of the Tree of Life and trust that God is good.

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Source: by Kristy Hodson

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Genesis University.