Today marks the start of a new month and new challenge I put forward to the members of the congregation and to myself. Awhile ago our church participated in a planned reading of the Bible in 90 days. Yes you read that correctly. We read the entire Bible in 3 months. During the first experiment, I learned a great deal of planning a very intense reading schedule. I also learned a lot from the Bible reading it from "cover to cover." During the first challenge, we meet weekly to review our readings and encourage ourselves for the week ahead. This time I took some of the lessons and revamp the readings a little. For one, the Sunday will be a Sabbath rest on reading the Bible (or you can use it as a time to catch up). Also, we will not be meeting weekly during the summer to review and prepare for the readings. Lastly, it may be a little longer than 90 days. WE start on June First and go through the last day of August.
Today being the first of June is the start of the great challenge again. I already finished today's reading (Yes I did read it). Today was Genesis 1-16. This section has the whole of creation, all of the early works of God with the people, the flood and the tower of Babel. It also contains the start of the Jewish history with Abraham and Sarah (known by their given names Abram and Sarai). IT was in this section that Sarai is passed off as Abram's sister in Egypt, Lot separates and is saved by Abram and Hagar is given to Abram to bear a son. Full of great stories and moments in the story of the Bible. Yet, what catches my attention today is nothing to do with these fantastic stories of faith and working to follow God's desire. Rather, I am caught and focused on the creation account.
During the creation, God speaks that He will make people, humans, in OUR image (Gen. 1:26). I must admit that when I was younger, this passage was not a central part of the teaching. I remember that we, male and female, are made in the image of God, His image (Gen. 1:27). What are we, I, to make of this strange configuration of pronouns and wording. Who is GOd speaking with in the passage that we are told, "we shall make in our"? I am perplexed a little in the passage, yet, a little comforted.
As I wrote about yesterday, Sunday was the reminder in the church calendar of Trinity Sunday. A special day we set aside to remind and celebrate that God has been and is presented as three persons and we participate in all three. This is what I believe to be a foundation of where we see the Trinity presented in the earliest parts of the Bible. God puts little points through out the books to help us see the truth.
This passage points to something greater in the reality of coming to know God. People are formed in the image of God, male and female, they are formed. The way to coming to know God better is not some self introspection. We need a community of men and women to help us discover fully God. We need a fellowship. This is clear when we see that the image of God we poses is only partial and needs the fullness that comes from all.
The challenge is for us to allow ourselves seen as just a part of the whole and not the whole in ourselves. We need each other, espically if we wish to follow the demands of Christ.
Hebrew; Syriac all the wild animals ">
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