This is the fourth of seven devotions I have written for d365.org. d365 has been a favorite resource of mine for over ten years. It has been a privilege to write for them! Please visit the website for the full d365 experience.
PAUSE
Our God is one – unity.
Our God is three – diversity.
Our God is three in one – mystery.
LISTEN
Genesis 1:26-27 (CEB)
Then God said, “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth.”
God created humanity in God’s own image,
in the divine image God created them,
male and female God created them.
THINK
There are so many messages out there telling us how to be and how to look. It’s pretty hard to like who we are when all of these messages tell us to be someone else. Do you ever wonder why these messages are so prevalent? Why do these messages stick around, echoing in our head when we look in the mirror, when our God gives us such a more accepting and loving message about who we are?
We are made in “the divine image” of God. We see this divine image of God in our faces and skin tones, sexuality and personalities, but also in our actions and behaviors. We resemble the glory of God in who we are together, when we are “us;” in the ways we live out our humanity together. Our calling is not to be someone else, but to really know ourselves, and resemble the divinity of God in our actions together – caring for this beautiful creation, protecting our earth’s resources, and loving one another.
PRAY
Oh God, our creator, help us remember today that we bear your image. Help us resemble you in the ways we respond to those around us and the ways we treat your creation. Help us to live in ways that represent your love in the world. Amen.
GO
Work for unity.
Engage diversity.
Welcome mystery.