Because we are all at the beginning, let us begin at the beginning with the Book of Genesis, a Bible book whose name means ''in the beginning." Let us begin with a family story, which seems appropriate, appropriate considering that many of you students have begun your college careers by separating from your families in order to come to Duke, a separation which pains some of you and delights others. We begin with a family story. It's a story not about just any family but the first family, since the head of this family is named Jacob or Israel. It's about our family in faith, Israel, and how we got here.

And because it's a true story, it's also a story about your family because it's a story of promise, dreams,... conflict, violence. Most of what we know of love, we learn in the family. Of c…