That is the translation of the Hebrew words that begin most Jewish prayers and blessings. It is an address, a reminder of who it is to whom one is speaking.
Pastor and author Eugene Peterson writes that the primary Hebrew form of speech was prayer – a response to someone who had already spoken. The Jewish people always knew that they had been born into a world that they did not create.
This Sunday at the Gathering Church our message series, Beginnings Matter, looks at the very first chapter of the Bible: Genesis 1:1-2:3. The Hebrew Bible title for Genesis is Beginnings. And the beginning of the Beginnings begins with the description of a Living God who spoke all things into existence.
The message of this chapter is usually lost because of the instant debate between science and faith. Has science made it unreasonable to believe in a Creator God?
Why was God’s identity as the Creator essential to the Jewish faith? Why did it matter so much? What difference does it make?
When life is not aligned with the very first words of the Bible, everything gets warped.
How is it that beginnings do matter?