READ Genesis 1

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.                                                                                                                                                                                  (Genesis 1:26-27)

REFLECT

In the story of the creation of the first two humans, the cast of characters is actually more extensive than it appears at first glance. Of course, there are the two humans and God the creator. There’s also the Spirit, hovering over the scene. And there’s the second person of the Trinity, the Word who was with God in the beginning, through whom all things were created (John 1). That person, Jesus Christ, may not be present in his human flesh quite yet, but he’s certainly part of this scene.

As God squats in the dust, gathering it into the form of a man, he has another human in mind—Jesus Christ. Though Jesus has yet to be born into the world, when he is, he will define humanity for all time. He is first—alpha—and ultimate—omega (Revelation 1:8). So when God creates that man and that woman in Genesis, fashioning them after his image, he is really fashioning them after the image of Jesus Christ, who is the image of God (Colossians 1:15). If we humans bear God’s image, Christ is God’s image.

Keep this in mind the next time you hear that it’s our ability to reason, to create things, or to relate to other people: that it is the image of God in us. It might be that. Or it might simply be Jesus Christ, the perfect human, the one there from the beginning, the one who is always interceding for us (Romans 8:34). If we worry that the image of God has grown dim in us, we can be confident that through Christ, it’s shining brightly.

It’s hard to know exactly what God looks and sounds like—except that we know what Jesus is like. Jesus is God in the form of a human being. Jesus looks exactly like God. He is God! So if you’re wondering what about you resembles God, you can just think about Jesus. You might not have his hair colour, and your body might be built differently than his, but your heart can look just like Jesus’ heart.

TALK

• What is your favourite thing in nature?
• What things about you—your personality or your character—are like Jesus?
• Can you think of ways that God made you to look like him?

 PRAY

Wow, God! We feel pretty special that you made us like you. Would you help us get to know Jesus so that we can look more and more like him? I’m thankful that through the Holy Spirit, I’m united to you. I pray that you would shape me to be more and more like you each day. Amen.

BLESS & DO

Add some nature and the next picture to your Jesse Tree.

Bless someone by telling them that they are made in God’s image.

Materials adapted from: https://www.faithward.org/jesse-tree/, http://flamecreativekids.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-jesse-tree-printable-pictures.html