1st Tuesday of Advent (December 3). AND GOD SAW

Prepare to Listen.  God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas.’
 
Prayerfully Read Genesis 1:9-13, 20-23
9And God said, ‘Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so.  10God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas.  And God saw that it was good.  11Then God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.’ And it was so.  12The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good.  13And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
 
20And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.’  21So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind.  And God saw that it was good.  22God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’  23And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
 
Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect
Well-known words, but how often do you prayerfully reflect on them?  If rarely, why?
 
A main theme of the Genesis creation account is the bond between God and creation, a bond that also links Jesus to creation.  Reading about creation during Advent isn’t, therefore, a distraction from Jesus’ Advent.  Christ came to restore creation to its original goodness.  Today’s reading on the creation of water relates to our Advent theme--Where the River Goes.
 
“And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures’.”  Remember Ezekiel’s vision (1st Sunday)?  The Dead Sea came alive, teemed with water life, and swarmed with living creatures.  Water and life are inseparable and thus Jesus promised “rivers of living water”, meaning life in the Holy Spirit.  And God saw that it was good.
 
“And God saw” is used seven times in Genesis 1, three times in these verses.  This isn’t seeing in a casual, cursory way that fails to see details and depth.  God’s seeing is a contemplative action.  A seeing that notices the whole and the details.  Contemplation is a loving action because it’s committed to being present, patiently waiting for all to be revealed before making an evaluation.  God saw that it was good because God took time to see it all, including its goodness.  The waters teeming with life were good.  The water of life Jesus gives teems with life and is also good.
 
What do you see in the water Jesus gives?  Take time to patiently wait before saying anything.
 
Prayerfully Respond
Creator God, in your well-ordered world, where life abounds, may I live a life of joyous and grateful response, and may I see as you see.  Amen.
 
Live obediently.  Take time out to truly see what’s there before you.