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It was very good ...

Friday, Sept 23, 2016. We are preparing a special worship service for Sunday. It is a breakfast service, where we have breakfast together in church, and then move into a guest service afterwards. It is always a great event, with a lot of interaction with people and guests. I am preparing the topic, which is about how valuable humans are, how valuable you are. I had to think a lot about it, and got to read the creation story, which is truly a remarkable story! Let us have a look at it:

It was very good …

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,1 and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. […] 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. (from Genesis 1)

There are several fantastic parts of this story. First of all: humans are created in the image of God. They are created in his likeness. We are reflecting God, his character, his majesty, his power, his mercy. Humans are reflecting a lot about how God is and what God is.

We cannot be surprised when humans start to worship each other, when they build a cult around particular people. Since they are just influenced by this reflection of the majesty of the Lord, which is there in each and everyone of us! Of course, we should not worship the reflection, but God himself. We should not be misled by illusions, but be led to the full light, which is the Lord himself!

Very good …

The creation story ends each of its parts with the conclusion that it was very good. The same here is said about humans - about both of them, male and female. This is a remarkable statement with deep meaning. You are made very good. You are made in the image of God, you yourself, as you are, with all what you are, with all what you bring, with all what you hope and fear. God wanted you, he created you, he loves you!

Humans have started to create all different types of systems to judge people. We have schools and give grades to our kids - picking a selection of topics. We generate particular systems in business or universities to judge people. But each and everyone has been made good by the Lord. We need all the different talents, the different gifts, the different characters. When we bring them all together, in peace and coordination, we experience strong prosperity. When love reigns with truth, so much is possible.

Humans have lost, what they had, when they decided to leave the community with God. We all know about the fall of mankind, we hear about the mistrust which started to enter creation. But God has reconciled us with himself in and through Christ Jesus. We are invited to come back into this community, and to discover the original humanity, majesty and light, which has been given to us! Come, come! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts