In the Image of God

I recently read a quote by Barbara Holmes that said, “Goodness is a first principle of the universe. God declares it on the first page of creation.“ That sparks in me the thought that Creating itself is truly a primary characteristic of God. I have heard that our human ability to create is the imprint of God’s image within us. When I combine the two thoughts, I am struck by the realization that we have the ability to create goodness or its opposite. The choice is up to us.

The church I grew up and am ordained in is the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). We have often called ourselves a “People of the Book” and “People of the Table”. In more recent years, we adopted an Identity Statement stating, “We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one Body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us.” To make the statement more tangible that year, the leaders of the Tennessee Senior High Church Camp decided that we would construct a table during camp that would include work from all of us while developing the theme of welcoming all as God has welcomed us.

It was a powerful week. At one point, everyone was given two nails. With these two nails we could create something positive or we could take those nails and nail Christ to the cross. I have kept those two nails taped to a piece of paper with that reminder written on it. With whatever gifts we have available to us, we each have the ability to choose what we will create. Will we create situations of loving care or selfish destruction? Will we create paths to help others or leave a mess of obstacles behind us? Will we build tables of welcome or locked-up barriers to needed resources?

May we all choose to create in the Way of God, the Way of Goodness, the Way of Loving Life, the Way of Good News. Amen.

Barbara Holmes as quoted by Richard Rohr on his May 22, 2020 Meditation