What do you think is the biggest problem we face today? Do you think we cannot solve the biggest problem? When you encounter the biggest problem, have you thought about
yourself and your abilities? In face of the biggest problem, what do you think about yourself and your abilities? Today’s scripture proclaims that we are created in the image of God and the likeness of God. What does this proclamation tell us about the biggest problem we face? What does this proclamation tell us about who God is, who are we,
what can we do, and what is the aim of Jesus’ ministries?
First, who is God? To find the answer to this question, let us think about before creation and after creation. As Genesis 1:2 states: “the earth was a formless void and darkness
covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters”. Before the creation of the heavens and earth, the earth was formless and did not have
anything. The earth was covered with darkness and deep water. In other words, there was no condition for any living things to exist, and there were no living things. In this
situation, first God created the condition for all living things, by separating light from darkness and day from night and by dividing dry land from sea. After creating the condition, God created all living things. As a result, water, sky, and the earth are teeming with all kinds of living things. So we can see that the condition for living things to live and all living things are created by God’s creating power. This means that the life
of all living things begins because God gives it. The life of all living things can continue because God created their living condition.
After God created the condition and all living things, God blesses them to be fruitful and multiply and fill water, sky, and the earth. This implies that God empowers all living things with the capacity to live and grow. At the same time, God provides all living things with plants and fruits as their food. Here when we consider that God provides all living things with the ability to live and grow and God provides them with food, we can see the intention of God creating the condition and all living things. The intention of God is that all living things flourish with the ability and food God gives them. Also when we consider the intention of God, we can know that God guides us to know what we should do and what we should not do with what God has done and what God will do. So Genesis 1 tells us that God is the Creator of the condition and all living things, Provider of the ability to live and grow and food, the One who intends to flourish, and Guide of us to know what we (should) not do. In other words, all living things absolutely depend on God for the beginning of their life, the continuing of their life, and the guidance of their life.
So God is like a singer, and all living things are a song. If the singer stops singing a song, the song does not sit there. The song ceases to exist.
Second, who are we? We can find the answer to this question in Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness …
So God created humankind in his image; In the image of God he created them; Male and female he created them.”
Let us think about verse 26. According to verse 26, God creates humankind in God’s likeness and image. What do God’s likeness and image tell us about who we are?
First, let us think about likeness. The Hebrew word likeness (can be translated as) shadow. My shadow is like me. If I raise my arm, my shadow raises its arm. We are God’s likeness, saying that we are a shadow of God. What we say and what we do are like what God says and what God does. As God creates the condition for all living things to live and all living things, we, God’s shadow, can participate in God’s creating power by copying what God does and what God says. As God provides all living things with the ability to live and grow, we, God’s shadow, can support others to find their ability and develop it for their living and growth. As God provides all living things with plants and fruits as their food, we, God’s shadow, can provide the needy, the hungry, the homeless, Palestine survivors and bereaved families by sharing what we have. As God intends all living things to flourish, we, God’s shadow, do not participate in diminishing and destroying all living things’ life but help them to thrive in their life.
Now let us think about image. God’s image is not the idol or statue of god. God’s idol or statue is thought of as a picture or sculpture of the god or as being of the god. However,
God’s image is the place where people can encounter and truly worship God. The Hebrew word for image is translated to the Greek word icon. You can see icons on your
cell phone or computer. When you click an icon on your cellphone or computer, it is not for you to admire it. Instead, when you click an icon on your device, it is for you to have
access to it. For example, when you click on the YouTube icon, it is for you to have access to YouTube videos and channels. When Genesis 1 says that each of us is the
image of God, it is saying that everyone here is understood as the place where God can be encountered and truly worshipped. In other words, if anyone wants to encounter and worship the Creator creating the condition and all the living things, God providing the ability to live and grow and food, God intending all living things to thrive, God guiding us
to know, the only way to encounter and worship God is in each of us. For this reason, in the Ten Commandments God commands not to make an image of God because God has already made the image of God. It is everyone sitting here and everyone sitting next to us.
Now let us think about verse 27. Verse 27 gives us an example of one characteristic of Hebrew. Hebrew is characterized by parallelism. Parallelism is basically saying the same thing again and again, by replacing some of the words. In verse 27, we have three lines. The first line and the second line are parallel because they are saying the
same thing by just replacing some of words. The third line is also paralleled to the first and second lines, replacing some of the words. Here, the image of God is replaced with
male and female. The image of God equals male and female. This means that male or female alone does not image God. A roomful of men does not give us the image of God. A roomful of women does not give us the image of God. Instead, to encounter a full image of God, we need male and female. If we want to encounter the full image of God, we need men and women both. We should not exclude anyone due to their gender but we should include all genders in our church to have the full image of God.
Third, what can we do as those who are the image of God and likeness of God? We can find the answer to this question in v28: God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth andsubdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air andover every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
As I mentioned, “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” tells us that the intention of God creating human beings are for them to flourish. One thing we should pay attention
to is that God does not bless individuals. Instead, God blesses people together to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. This means that, as God creates all living things,
provides them with the ability to live and grow and food, intends them to flourish, and guides them, when we participate in God’s creating power by copying what God does and says, provide each other with supports to find their ability and develop it and their needs, intend each other to flourish, and guide each other, human beings can thrive. In
other words, when we allow ourselves to depend on each other in order for us to live, grow, thrive, and be guided, human beings can flourish.
Fourth, what is the aim of Jesus’ ministries? As we read, Matthew 5:43-48 tells us about Jesus’ teaching ministry. We love our families and neighbours, and hate our enemies and prosecutors. However, Jesus teaches us to do more for our enemies and prosecutors than for our families and neighbours. We love our families and neighbours,
but Jesus teaches us not only to love but also pray for our enemies and prosecutors.(Ed. note: I think he means “persecutors”.) In other words, we should support our enemies and prosecutors with love and prayer. This
means that we should allow our enemies and prosecutors to depend on us in order for them to live, grow, thrive, and be guided. Why? Because our heavenly father loves and
prays for our enemies and prosecutors, which is shown that our heavenly father provides them with sun and rain. So they can live, grow, thrive, and be guided. Here Jesus’ teaching reminds us that we are the image of God and the likeness of God. So we, the image of God and the likeness of God, should do what our heavenly father does. According to 2 Corinthians 5, Paul proclaims that Jesus’ actions, teachings,
crucifixion, and resurrection reveal who God is, what God does, and what God says.
Jesus’ ministries show us the image of God and the likeness of God. So Jesus becomes the place where we can encounter God and truly worship God. We can live, grow, thrive, and be guided. Also Jesus’ actions, teachings, crucifixion, and resurrection have the power to create us as a new creation. In other words, Jesus’ ministries create us to be restored to the image of God and the likeness of God.
So we, the image of God and the likeness of God, should become the place where people can encounter God and truly worship God. So they can live, grow, thrive, and be
guided.
Can you tell me a problem we human beings cannot solve? On Tuesdays Barbara Sher led an encounter group whose members had more life problems than us. This experience with the encounter group led Barbara to start the success team. She said, “What if we get together every week and we tell each other what we want? If we do not know what we want, we help each other figure it out. We will make each other do what we want.” She has changed thousands and thousands of people’s lives. One example, when she had the success team taking place in Memphis in summer, one woman in the front row raised her hand. Barbara asked, “What is your wish?”. She said, “I am tired. I want to go on a cruise”. Barbara asked, “what is your obstacle?” She said, “I have three. I do not have money. I have a sick daughter at home, an adult daughter. I cannot leave her for a second. I’d rather not mention the third.” Before Barbara could ask if anybody had an idea, a guy came running up the aisle, waving a piece of paper, and grabbed a mic and said, “I ran for the Heart Association this morning, and I won a cruise for one. My wife is not going to let me go on the cruise for one. You take it.” Everyone got excited, and applauded, and did not have to worry about money. She said, “That’s sweet, but I really cannot leave my daughter.” A woman on the aisle raised her hand, and said, “I am a public health nurse. Every year to keep our license, we have to give ten days of free work. I have not found anyone. Can you use ten days?” Everybody got excited. Barbara said, “you have to tell us the third obstacle.” She said, “It is embarrassing. She is in bed because she is physically injured and she is frightened
because her ex-husband is stalking her.” Then the room fell silent. Suddenly a voice came from the back of the room. Barbara said, “she never forgets his voice.” He said, “I
am a cop. What is his name?” She went on the cruise. Barbara said, “we defend each other’s dreams coming true. The daughter is going to become a teacher. She is going to
understand kids who are scared. When we make someone else’s dream come true, it echoes. It echoes in practical and wonderful ways.
What problem does your family have? What problem does your church have? What problem does our city, country, and world have? When we, the image of God, copy what God has done for us, we will solve all the problems. When we become the place where our families, friends, neighbours, and communities encounter God and truly worship God, we ourselves, our families, friends, neighbours, and communities will live, grow, thrive, and be guided. Amen.