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In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Before there was anything, there was God. Before there was ice cream and chocolate sauce; or popcorn and pop; or computers, VCRs and TVs; or the sun, the moon and the stars - or even space itself - God was there. There wouldn't be anything at all if God hadn't thought it all up. But he did. God said, "Let there be light!" And there was light. God saw that the light was good, and so he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "Day," and the darkness he called, "Night." Evening came. It was the end of the first day of God's creation. The next day God made the earth, and he put the blue sky above it. At first the earth was completely covered with water. There wasn't any dry ground anywhere. Evening came again, and that was the end of the second day. Morning came on the third day, and God made dry land appear. God called the dry ground "Earth" and the water he called, "Sea." And God looked at all that he had made, and he saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let there be plants on the earth, and all the things that grow!" And all the different kinds of plants and trees began to grow; apple trees and banana trees, grass and dandelions and roses, wheat to make bread, and corn so kids would have a vegetable they would like; but God made spinach and broccoli too. And God looked at all that he had made, and he saw that it was good, even the broccoli and spinach. There was evening and there was morning. The third day had come and gone. On the fourth day God said, "Let the great lights appear in the sky!" (so kids will know when to go to bed and when to get up for school). And just by his word God made the sun and the moon and the stars. And God looked at all that he had made, and he saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning. That was the fourth day. On the fifth day God said, "Let there be swimming things in the oceans and lakes, and birds in the air!" And the oceans were filled with hammerhead sharks and dolphins and whales. And in the sky there were robins and eagles, blue jays, cardinals and yellow bellied sapsuckers. Until then the earth must have been a very quiet place. But not any more! And God looked at all that he had made, and he saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, the fifth day had come and gone. Then God said, "Let there be animals upon the earth!" God made giraffes, and zebras, and lions and tigers and bears. He made moose with great big antlers, and little gophers and chipmunks and squirrels. He made monkeys swinging through the trees and giant gorillas sitting in the forests eating bananas. He made huge elephants, and he made hippopotamuses rolling around in the mud. What a great imagination God has! Then God said, "Let us make people in our own image" (God said, "us" because God the Father was there, and so was Jesus, and so was the Holy Spirit - but still he was just one God). So God made people in his own image. When you look at yourself in a mirror, you see an image of yourself. What you see in a mirror is a reflection of what you are like. We are the image of God. We are a reflection of what God is like. God made us in his own image. Always remember that. So God looked at all that he had made, and he saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning, and that was the sixth day. On the morning of the seventh day God saw that the whole universe and everything in it was finished. Nothing else needed to be made. And it was all very good. So God rested on the seventh day to celebrate all the good work he had done. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. What does that mean? When something is "holy" that means that it is special. When God made the seventh day holy, he made it a special day, different from all the rest. God rested from his work on the seventh day and enjoyed all that he had made. That is what God wants us to do too. That way we will always remember that all good things come from God. God made everything there is. And God is good.
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