Spiritual Preparation

If you are familiar with the first Creation story passage from Genesis, recall the circumstances under which you heard or read it. What meaning was ascribed to it? How did it make you feel?

Try to set aside the "culture wars" debate over the literal truth of the story as opposed to the scientific understanding of evolution. Find the beauty and poetry in the text, and its vision of human kinship.

Reflect on how you responded (or might have responded) to this passage as an eight-year-old child, a fourteen-year-old youth, or a young adult making your way in the world. Envision the way you will think about this passage when you are an elder, looking back on your life.

Bring each person in your group into your mind and hold them in appreciative thought and/or prayer.