IT WAS VERY GOOD

 August 13, 2024

God, thank you for this new day. Would help me to find my joy and strength in you today. To walk in your way of love. My keep my eyes focused on you and off all the struggles and chaos of this world. Let your peace replace worry. Help me to choose kindness over hurrying and forgiveness over disunity and resentment. Help me to surrender to your Spirit-filled power over-relying on my own strength and ability. Amen.

 

Genesis 1:26-27

²⁶ 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.”

²⁷ So God created humankind in his image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

 

In Genesis' opening chapter, God breathes life into His creation. Amidst the many refrains, one stands out: "And God saw that it was good."

The remarkable creation of light? "And God saw that it was good." The splendor of mountains, meadows, rivers, beaches, and oceans? "And God saw that it was good."

The bounty of trees, plants, and fruits? "And God saw that it was good." The awe-inspiring sun and moon, stars and planets? "And God saw that it was good." The birth of birds and fish, whales and dolphins, lions and tigers, bears and gorillas, deer and elk? "And God saw that it was good."

“But then God did something crazy. He created something higher than any mountain peak, more beautiful than any white-sand beach. He created something he could love way more than he ever could a rhinoceros. Or even a golden retriever. He created something he could love with his whole heart. He created someone he could love. Outrageously. He created human beings—his beloved. He created you and me.” 

And so, for the first time, we encounter the words, "God observed all that He had created, and indeed, it was very good." Exceptionally good. In the vastness of the universe, nothing can match the magnificence of you, or of me, or of all the individuals in our cities, nations, and every part of the world.

Humankind is the pinnacle of God’s creation and the focus of his extravagant  love. And because of his intense feelings, God can’t help being generous. He loves giving his sons and daughters gifts. Even in hardship, he blesses us with his love and care and rescue.

Our devotions this week is asking the question “Who is at Your Table?” In other words, who do welcome in? Who do you avoid? How do we welcome others at our Table?

The creation account in Genesis 1 speaks about the unity of all humankind, every person or people despite their differences are united in one very key way, all bear the Image of God. Meaning that  in God’s view all the people around us are part of the “very good” creation.

If we believe that, it makes a difference in how we engage with people around us doesn’t it? I know, I know, you are maybe thinking some people make it very hard to invite to my table, even if we all bare the image of our creator. I have met some of those people too.

Many years ago, I received advice, good advice I think, that when encountering seemingly difficult people, ask the question in your mind “What Happened?” For example, God created motivations, passions, pleasures, and thinking power in us all that mirror his own, what happened in a person’s experience that distorted such gifts from being evident. It’s helped me, that advice, to be more patient and caring. (just so you know, I sometimes forget to ask that question)

I was recently at an event and sitting at our table was a guy who is a photographer, he called himself an amateur but I think he was selling himself short. We were talking about pictures in nature and he pulled out his phone and was sharing some of his recent pictures. He held up one for us all to see, and it was a picture of a Hummingbird hovering near a plant. I looked at the picture and thought to myself “that's a Hummingbird”, I've seen pictures of hummingbirds, it didn't seem all that special or spectacular to me. But then we were told the story behind the picture, what it was about, the context of the moment this photographer was able to catch such a sight. The more he expressed his patience and passion and excitement of the moment  to get that particular shot, I began to see the picture differently. You see his passion and love for getting this picture changed how I saw that Hummingbird, no longer was it just a picture of just a Hummingbird. I began to see that photo through the eyes and heart of the one who took the picture.

I wonder if that is what this idea of the image of God, that we all share, is meant to do for us. That as we look at the people around us, those who we know well, those who we barely know, and those we do not know at all, with an understanding of the passion and love that the creator has for all people. What if we saw in the many faces, someone that God created that he could love with his whole heart. Someone he could love and be generous to. Someone he could love and be generous to through us!!

I wonder what this understanding  might do to who is at our tables.

 

LET US PRAY

O God, help me see people as you see them. I pray that you will soften my heart, help me to see others as your beloved children, and give me the courage to set aside differences and come together for the good of all.  

 

“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

Colossians 3:14