Ex Nihilo

Nothing is ever nothing.

I have been stuck. Unable to imagine a way forward out of what seems to be, nothing. I have been trying to think about ways to pray, talk, give shape to, and finance a new ecclesiological endeavor in the city that has become my new home. And, for all of my effort, nada. Not a thing to show for it. It has felt like I have been trying to make something happen out of nothing. Then it hit me. I can’t make this new church happen. God has to do it. I had to go back to the way all of this started.

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. - Genesis 1:1-2 (NRSV)

Listen, a central doctrine of theistic thinking is the concept of ex nihilo. The idea that God created the world out of nothing. That there were no pre-existing materials for God to work with. And, out of this nothing, God made everything.

Out of nothing. Really? Nothing? It feels like when I read the text, there is something there. Yeah, it doesn’t have much shape or form, but it is something. Sure, can’t really see it because it is dark. But the wind seems to kiss it. The Spirit seems to stand over it. Then, the creative work of God spoke light and life into it.

The story then stretches over a seven day period before things start cooking. Things get good, very good even. Then, people start to people and things take a potentially tragic turn. I say potentially because God seems to make a way to set things good again pretty quickly. And his plan involves the covering of shame. Even all the way back then, he was always the good one.

Anyway, this is how the creator God went about creating. It wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t bad either. So now, back to me and my pretty little pity party. It happens to the best of us. Things don’t always go as planned. Things (including people) that we thought we could count on prove themselves to be unimaginative and not about the creative work of God after all.

So here I am, sitting outside a coffee shop in the neighborhood I believe the Lord is calling me to join him in, and I can’t help but to feel as if what is nothing to me, is going to become something special. God just has to speak light and life into it. So I will continue to be patient and trust him to give shape to that I can’t see the form in yet. I will continue to let the wild and untamed wind from God sweep over me and my dreams.

And for this, I give thanks.