Gen 1:1-3

Genesis 1:1 says In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (slightly modified KJV)
Genesis 1:2 says The earth was without form and void; darkness was upon the face of the deep. The spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (ibid.)

Kinda funny, but I've always said those two verses almost in the same breath, as if the two of them give the starting conditions before the creation story. Because for me, the creation story started with Genesis 1:3 (God said, let there be light: and light was. [ibid.]).

However, maybe Gen 1:1 is the starting condition all by itself, and Gen 1:2 begins the story of that condition. In high school english classes, composition was all about topic sentences starting a paragraph, and then the filler or background following, then a ending sentence where things are recapitulated. Perhaps Gen 1:1 is the topic sentence. For me that makes more sense, it fits better; a puzzle piece that doesn't fit til rotated, or turned over.

I like these three verses, and the first one best of all. It gives a boundary condition to my life. Believing that God created the visible world, the heavens and the earth, gives him an extreme power. I don't want to submit to someone less powerful than myself. What kind of sense does that make? Why am I going to yield to someone who has no power? But according to this verse, God can do things that humans only dream of. How tremendously cool is that?! This verse describes someone I want to be down with. As a starting point to a relationship, it's a pretty good one I think.