And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,
Genesis 1:26-28
Good news begins right at the beginning. The good news found at the beginning of things in Genesis 1 is that there is a God who makes and upholds all that there is, and that we humans are made in the image of this amazing God.
We don’t look like God, of course, for God is Spirit—but this means, among other things, that we are God’s representatives. We are called to take care of all that God has made—and not just the creatures mentioned in these ¬verses, but also the unfolding of all human history that follows, in all its complexity.
Amazing! Mere mortals are endowed with the dignity and honor of representing the infinite God, acting on God’s behalf to care for his creation with all its potential. We are God’s agents with a most prestigious job description. And this leads us, with joy and gratitude, to a profound sense of identity and calling.
This is good news for everyone, of course—but perhaps especially for people whose sense of identity and purpose are diminished, whose ability to live joyfully and fully are held back because of poverty or anything else that hinders their participation in life. Good news for the poor begins with a reminder that they bear God’s image.
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