“神看着一切所造的都甚好。” - 创 1:31
良善、纯全、慈爱的创造主创造了一个奇妙美好的世界。创世记第1章美丽的创造之歌以这个震撼人心的宣告作结：“神看着一切所造的都甚好。”星罗棋布的天空、温暖的太阳和皎洁的月亮、茂密的森林和其中的生态圈、充满水生物的海洋、和雀鸟鸣唱的天空-这一切都甚好。具有神形像的人类、被授予权柄护理看守神所造美好的大地，这也是好的。一切都非常好。
在这个月，我们将会时常思考一个重要的词语：shalom。这个通常被翻译为“平安”的希伯来字，其实有更深的内涵。“平安”主要指没有冲突，但shalom则意味着良善、繁荣、正常的关系、以及万事都像神造它们时那样美好。Shalom指万事都符合它们的本性，好叫它们能实现神造它们的目的。
活在正常的关系中是人类兴旺的要素-与神、与人、与己、和与神所造的世界有正常的关系，这是神的本意。可是，因着人的罪和叛逆，那些关系已被扭曲和破坏了。贫穷和随之而来的诸多限制，是不正常的关系引起的恶果。纵然如此，神出于爱的伟大拯救行动，是要叫我们和受造世界从罪的捆绑中释放出来，从而恢复起初原有的shalom！
祷告
神啊，你如此爱我们，乃至要挽回我们并叫一切都更新，我们感谢你。奉耶稣祈求，阿们。
创世记 1:28-2:3
28神就赐福给他们，又对他们说：“要生养众多，遍满地面，治理这地，也要管理海里的鱼、空中的鸟和地上各样行动的活物。”
29神说：“看哪，我将遍地上一切结种子的菜蔬和一切树上所结有核的果子，全赐给你们做食物。
30至于地上的走兽和空中的飞鸟，并各样爬在地上有生命的物，我将青草赐给它们做食物。”事就这样成了。
31神看着一切所造的都甚好。有晚上，有早晨，是第六日。
1天地万物都造齐了。
2到第七日，神造物的工已经完毕，就在第七日歇了他一切的工，安息了。
3神赐福给第七日，定为圣日，因为在这日神歇了他一切创造的工，就安息了。
Shalom!
"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. . . ." - Genesis 1:31
The good, perfect, and loving Creator made an amazingly good world. The great song of creation in Genesis 1 closes with this resounding affirmation: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” The star-studded heavens, the warming sun and glistening moon, the lush forests and the underlying biosphere, the sea teeming with marine life, and the air humming with birds—all of it was good. And humankind, bearing God’s image, empowered to care for God’s good earth, was also good. It was all very good.
An important word that we will consider often this month is shalom. This Hebrew word, often translated as “peace,” means much more than that. While “peace” often refers mainly to an absence of conflict, shalom suggests the presence of goodness, flourishing, right relationships, and all things being as God created them to be. Shalom points to all things living in line with their character so that they can fully achieve God’s intentions for them.
Living in right relationship is essential for human flourishing—right relationship with God, with others, with self, and with God’s creation. That’s what God intended. Yet because of human sin and rebellion, those relations are twisted and spoiled. Poverty and all its limitations are the result of relationships gone wrong. Even so, God’s great work of love is to free us and his creation from the bondage of sin and to restore shalom!
Prayer
God, thank you for loving us enough to restore us and make all things new. In Jesus, Amen.
