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Adult Bible Study September 9, 2007 |
Lesson Text: Genesis 1:26-30
By Melanie Zuercher
E-mail: mz606@cox.netThen God said, “Let us make humankind in our image.” Genesis 1:26a NRSV
To read or listen to the news these days is to sometimes wonder how human beings ever survive to adulthood.
The State of Kansas, situated in the Great Plains of North America, has notoriously volatile weather in the spring and summer. In 2007, there was a killer tornado in the western part of the state that practically wiped out the whole town of Greensburg, followed about a month later by a devastating flood (unfortunately mixed with oil from a leaky refinery) in the southeastern corner. From earthquakes in Peru to a bridge collapse in Minnesota to the recent heavy rains and flooding in many communities, whether through the awesome force of nature or the fallibility of humans, we’re reminded constantly of how vulnerable we are.
Yet, as the psalmist has written, we are also “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14 NRSV). Even as I think about how easily a life can be snuffed out, I also marvel at the body’s capacity to protect and heal itself.
Being made in the image of God is not an easy concept to wrap our minds around. If we think we share God’s omnipotence, we delude ourselves. At the same time, the miracle of human life clearly demonstrates the divine creator God, calling forth the creativity in humanity.
Perhaps the key is to consider being made in God’s image not so much as a description of us as humans but as a reminder that we are responsible to care for the creation that God modeled after himself. God requires that we respect both ourselves as individuals, and all other people, as his creation.
That’s not an easy concept, either, raising issues from the mundane (How do I relate to my difficult student/coworker/backyard neighbor?) to the profound (How can I support killing, whether through abortion, capital punishment, or war?). But look at the world God created, with all its complexity of creatures and phenomena and know that the trade-off is a universe and an existence of never ending beauty, mystery, and surprise.