ADVENTALES - THE BEGINNING OF TIME

In the beginning, there was no heaven and no earth. 

Once upon a time, at the beginning of time to be precise, God was all alone. He had made the universe and the choirs of angels but He still felt lonely. 

So, He took out His magic pencil and set about sketching a masterpiece. When He was done, He filled it with a myriad of colours using a magic paintbrush. Stroke after stroke till it looked perfect. 

God then made that painting come alive with the breath of His Spirit. The heavens and the earth were created by His Word. He placed the sun, the moon and the stars in the heavens and bedecked the earth with an array of green forests, blue oceans and rust brown soil. Countless birds and animals dotted the sky, land and water. God saw that all that He had done matched the picture He had painted - IT WAS GOOD! 

He watched his creation for a while but He wasn't satisfied. Something was missing! What could it be? 

God thought and he sketched and finally He had the missing piece of the painting ready. He looked at the earth and chose to create His first sculpture. A self portrait but in clay! He worked the lump into the shape and size He had in mind, carefully and skillfully setting every toe and finger in place, fixing the systems within the body with the precision of a surgeon. Then, with His breath, He blew life into His work of art. 

Man stood up slowly, his eyes opened wide as he beheld the creation God had made for him. He gasped at the sheer beauty and majesty of the landscape and marvelled at the diversity of flora and fauna. He turned to God to thank Him, bowing at His feet. 

God lifted Man up, hugged him tenderly like a father does his son. "Adam," God said. "This is all yours. We share this together, you and I. Take good care of my creation. As long as you cherish my gift, you will be a good steward."

Adam was placed on the earth, where he met and played with all the animals and birds, naming them one by one. He watered the garden of Eden daily with the spring waters that gushed from the mountains nearby. He ate of the delicious fruits growing in the orchard. He slept under a tree at night, never fearing anything. 

God would come to meet Adam every evening. That was a special time -  the two bonded deeply, as they spoke of many things regarding the care of the earth. God loved coming from the heavens to meet Adam. In fact, He looked forward to their long and insightful conversations. He was extremely proud of Adam, his VERY GOOD creation. 

One day, God thought to Himself, "There's so much on this earth that I have created and only Adam to enjoy it. When I am not with him, he must get very lonely. Let me make him a suitable companion, someone just like him." 

And so, in the grand scheme of things, God designed Eve. He wanted this companion to be intimately connected to Adam. So, God put Adam to sleep, then He opened up His side and pulled out a rib. The one closest to Adam's heart. He fashioned another sculpture, breathed life into it and Eve rose up from the ground. Breathtakingly beautiful, she personified all the flowers and fragrances upon the earth. God took her to Adam and said, "Behold, Adam, your bride " And Adam immediately recognised the flesh of his flesh, the bone of his bone and exclaimed, " She is woman, for she was made out of man."

And thus, God finished His masterpiece. He was overjoyed with  what He had done. He whispered, "Go forth and multiply, all of you. Fill the earth, bring it to birth."

Written by Auriel Ribeiro Sa

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