The book of Genesis is the first in a collection of books we now call the Bible. It is also the first of five books called the Torah. This collection of books was compiled somewhere around four hundred years before the time of Jesus. It is a book about beginnings: of the world, of humankind, of a people.

We cannot deal with the entire book of Genesis in just three sessions. Instead, we will consider selected passages. In the first session we consider parts of what might be called the introduction to Genesis (chaps. 1-11). Participants will discover a loving, caring Creator for the whole human family by exploring the "beginnings" as expressed in the flood story and creation accounts in Genesis. Session 2 includes the stories about Abraham and Sarah in chapters 12-23. Participants will reflect on God's promises to Abraham-and to us-and how their lives are changed by this interaction. The third session will center on Joseph, and God's providential care of him, as found in chapters 37-50. Participants will see how the short story of Joseph and his family reminds us of how God cares for humankind and opens us to the realization that good can come from the worst situations.