As we continue our study in Genesis this Sunday, we find the origin story for the very first city, Nod.

Of course, every city has an origin story. A visionary sees opportunity where others see only wilderness. A brave pilgrim plants a stake in the ground, building something out of nothing. Each city has an origin story that begins with a conquering hero.

This is what makes Genesis 4 so striking. The first city was born from the first human death. Filled with hatred and malice, Cain murdered his brother Abel. As his father was before him, Cain is cast out of Eden even further. Thus a fugitive establishes Nod.

This ignominious beginning was a portent of what comes next. Strife and division escalate, with Cain's grandson, Lamech, murdering two men. Rather than giving us a hero story, we're given a villainous founding with disastrous outcomes. Genesis orients us toward the shaky foundation of not only Nod, but all human culture.

The societal division we see today is nothing new; it goes back to the beginning. And, as +Philip reminded us last week, that division isn't just "out there." It resides inside every human heart. In the story of Cain, we're given a diagnosis for the sectarian division running through every earthly city. In the story of Jesus, we're given the remedy. Jesus has come to bring a true and lasting peace to individuals, to families, and to cities.

Come and see!