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Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1: 26-31)
Happy Friday dear Friend! Let's begin our celebrations with a visit back to when it all began; Genesis 1, the creation of humankind. As we celebrate, celebrate a prayer of thanks for Mr. Doug Smith, who is battling cancer, but enjoying some good news of healing. The war is not over, but battles are being won, thanks be to God! This morning at 7 he undergoes a procedure to receive a feeding tube. Pray that that go well and soon he can be free of that and regain normal eating again. Church, why do we pray? Because God answers prayer! Continued prayers for our sister, Mrs. Bonnie Blayney, who is in a nursing facility after suffering a fall believed to have been the result of a stroke. Pray for her complete recovery. Prayers for me as I preach my final sermon at FUMC Gonzales as a staff person; I know I will preach again, Lord willing, as Pastor Matt needs me. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.
The heavenly courts have God speaking to those present at creation, thus the "we" in the first verse of this passage; "Let US make humankind in our image, according to our likeness." Hebrews and New Testament views are that the Lord Jesus Christ was present at creation, as was the Holy Spirit. Being believers in a Triune God, this is the why behind the plural reference to God's work of creation. The verses prior to verse 26, beginning with verse 20 and on through 25 have God filling the earth with all kinds of creatures, except not yet humans. Yet, as God is talking about making us, notice the role He gives: "Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every cropping thing that creeps upon the earth." Quite a list, especially when we consider that it seems like every other day, something "new" appears that we had not yet discovered. But here comes our verse for today: So God created humankind in His image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.'" This is the first creation story of humans. The second, more personal one is coming next week. God creates us with the spoken word. We bear the spiritual likeness of God and the human form resembles that of God Himself. Note the ancient painting in today's graphic. God is the bearded man extending his finger towards the relaxed man. I attended the University of Houston during the summers of my college years and I will never forget in their student union building they had this similar painting, but the creator was Walt Disney, and the creature was Mickey Mouse himself. It was an awesome painting, but through the years that painting was moved and I don't know where one could find it any longer.
Our creation was final and complete as males and females. The chicken came before the egg, but the process was in place for humans to have babies. And it was part of God's command to "be fruitful and multiply." Growing up, I thought it was common for families to be big! My uncle had nine kids. We were five and had my mother not miscarried so many, we would have been a bigger family than five. Yes, all of our relatives were Roman Catholics, but we didn't lag far behind as Methodists! Note also, that God gave us plants and fruits to eat. Some have made an issue that this was the intended diet for humans. And yes, it is a healthy one, but keep in mind that nothing had died yet. Death was not even mentioned to humans at this point of they existence. God wanted a paradise where life would be eternal. And this we will discuss more in next week's study. But, this is not a warning for you to eat only plants and fruits until next week (though for me and others it might not be a bad idea!). The passage ends with "Its as so. God saw everything that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day."
You and I are uniquely made. You and I resemble God. Please remember that the next time you may be provoked to think or say something that is not nice, especially to those around you that you love and cherish! It has become so common place for things to provoke us to name-calling, and worse, for destructive actions towards those who don't agree with us. The political scene in this country is sadly, an example of that. I was going to use the word good, as in good example, but it is not. Those who are voting "the wrong way" now seem to be our enemy. Here's the truth: We are all still brothers and sisters, made by the same Father. Yes, there will be differences, but those should not divide us, nor drive us to rash actions. All of this creation was made by the loving words of a loving Heavenly Father; and if you and I bear a resemblance to Him, then it would seem that we would be loving, and understanding, and even tolerant of disagreements. Our enemy, who has not yet been mentioned at this point, is still our enemy. He loves it when we call others names or do stupid things towards fellow human beings. Don't sink to Satan's low level. He is a defeated creature and he knows his fate. We are called to rise above, so that in our death, we will rise to the heavenly realms of God.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for making us! The story of this creation of us as male and female should be a blessing to enjoy and share. Guide my actions to resemble Yours. May we truly be humans filled with love. Let us treat each other in that way; as precious created beings of the Most High. We pray in the name of He who died for us because of love; and love's great power from God raised Him from the dead; Jesus our Lord. In His name, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Make a plant or fruit be one of the items you enjoy today. And as you eat it, say, "Thank You, God!"
Eradio Valverde
More Pastor's Appreciation Month gift ideas: https://amzn.to/2CWtDy0 https://amzn.to/2q0pWPq
