On the last day, God gives crea\u00adti\u00adon the rating \u00abvery good\u00bb. This includes per\u00adfect crea\u00adtures living in suc\u00adcessful rela\u00adti\u00adonships with each other. Man, crea\u00adted in God\u2019s image, takes ser\u00advant respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty for the rest of crea\u00adti\u00adon in a simi\u00adlar way that God does. A very good gos\u00adpel invol\u00adves not only the sal\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon of indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adal souls, but the res\u00adto\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon of the who\u00adle cos\u00admos. God will res\u00adto\u00adre the shalom of the crea\u00adti\u00adon nar\u00adra\u00adti\u00adve in the new creation.<\/p>\n
The peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel, the Hebrews, are in exi\u00adle in Baby\u00adlon in the 5th cen\u00adtu\u00adry BC<\/span>. In the pro\u00adcess, they are indoc\u00adtri\u00adna\u00adted with the crea\u00adti\u00adon myth that reig\u00adns the\u00adre: In the begin\u00adning, two divi\u00adne beings ruled: Apsu (fresh water) and his wife Tiamat (salt water). The two flowed tog\u00ade\u00adther and beca\u00adme one. Demons, mons\u00adters and gods were born in their waters. Vio\u00adlence, death and cha\u00ados reig\u00adned in the floods as the des\u00adcen\u00addants of Apsu and Tiamat waged war against each other. Apsu and Tiamat plan\u00adned to kill their child\u00adren to res\u00adto\u00adre peace. But their gre\u00adat-grand\u00adson Ea rose up and kil\u00adled Apsu. Spit\u00adting rage and fury, Tiamat crea\u00adted ele\u00adven mons\u00adters. The\u00adse were to help her win the war against her des\u00adcen\u00addants. Tiamat\u2019s new lover, the god Kin\u00adgu, led her army. Then Ea\u2019s son, the god Mard\u00aduk, rose up and pro\u00admi\u00adsed to defend her on one con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon: if he pre\u00advai\u00adled, he would take over. He won. His first act in supre\u00adma\u00adcy was to divi\u00adde Tiamat in two. Her ribs beca\u00adme the dome of hea\u00adven and the earth of the ground. Her pier\u00adced eyes beca\u00adme the source of the Tigris and the Euphra\u00adtes and her tail the Mil\u00adky Way. Then Mard\u00aduk took Kingu\u2019s blood, mixed it with red clay and crea\u00adted huma\u00adni\u00adty to ser\u00adve the gods forever. \tThe rela\u00adti\u00adonship bet\u00adween humans and God was powerful\u00adly good. And it is never-ending good that God is exal\u00adted and dif\u00adfe\u00adrent from man. \tYou are made in God\u2019s image! What does this mean in terms of your worth and dignity? On the last day, God gives crea\u00adti\u00adon the rating \u00abvery good\u00bb. This includes per\u00adfect crea\u00adtures living in suc\u00adcessful rela\u00adti\u00adonships with each other. Man, crea\u00adted in God\u2019s image, assu\u00admes ser\u00advant respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty for the rest of crea\u00adti\u00adon in a simi\u00adlar way that God does. A very good gos\u00adpel invol\u00adves not only redemp\u00adti\u00adon from\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7026,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[81],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-creatio","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-3815","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"has-post-thumbnail","8":"hentry","11":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nThe world is seen as the result of war\u00adli\u00adke con\u00adflicts in the world of the gods, as a more or less acci\u00adden\u00adtal by-pro\u00adduct of the gods\u00bb vio\u00adlence. This is hard\u00adly a sui\u00adta\u00adble basis on which to place a high value on crea\u00adti\u00adon. Gene\u00adsis 1 (Gene\u00adsis 1) was most likely writ\u00adten at the end of the exi\u00adle by the Hebrew priests (c. 538\u2013450 BC<\/span>) to deli\u00adbera\u00adte\u00adly set them\u00adsel\u00adves apart from the Baby\u00adlo\u00adni\u00adan world\u00adview. In the bibli\u00adcal text, crea\u00adti\u00adon is deli\u00adbera\u00adte\u00adly crea\u00adted by a crea\u00adti\u00adve and loving God and given the pre\u00addi\u00adca\u00adte \u00abvery good\u00bb.
\nThe Hebrew word for what God\u2019s crea\u00adti\u00adon is and expres\u00adses is Shalom. And it is pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly this shalom that God will res\u00adto\u00adre. God\u2019s respon\u00adse to the very well crea\u00adted world is a very good gos\u00adpel. The very good gos\u00adpel speaks not only of how the human soul will go to the hea\u00adven bey\u00adond, but how the who\u00adle cos\u00admos can be rede\u00ade\u00admed and res\u00adto\u00adred. The ori\u00adgi\u00adnal shalom is to be restored.
\nIt is pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly this shalom that we now need to under\u00adstand bet\u00adter, based on Gene\u00adsis 1. The crea\u00adti\u00adon sto\u00adry rea\u00adches its cli\u00admax on the sixth day. On this day, God spo\u00adke three words and one sen\u00adtence. And this offers the essence of the visi\u00adon of shalom: image, liken\u00adess, domi\u00adni\u00adon and very good. God, the exal\u00adted Crea\u00adtor, sepa\u00adra\u00adted the realms and brought forth every plant and every living crea\u00adtu\u00adre. Then God said, \u00abWe will crea\u00adte peo\u00adp\u00adle in our image, who are like us. They shall have domi\u00adni\u00adon over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over all live\u00adstock, over wild ani\u00admals and over every cree\u00adping thing\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 1:26 NLB<\/span>).
\nRepre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adti\u00adve image
\nThe Hebrew word tse\u00adlem (image) is repea\u00adted twice in the next ver\u00adse, which shows the rele\u00advan\u00adce of this term. Tse\u00adlem means repre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adti\u00adve image. This is a revo\u00adlu\u00adtio\u00adna\u00adry state\u00adment in a time when only kings and queens were eli\u00adgi\u00adble to repre\u00adsent a dei\u00adty. Peo\u00adp\u00adle do not inhe\u00adrit their intrin\u00adsic worth and digni\u00adty based on lineage, finan\u00adcial sta\u00adtus or roy\u00adal posi\u00adti\u00adon. Value and digni\u00adty are besto\u00adwed on a human being by the Crea\u00adtor, the exal\u00adted God. This must be a balm to a bat\u00adte\u00adred people\u2019s soul that \u2013 during the 70 years of cap\u00adti\u00advi\u00adty \u2013 was com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly depri\u00adved of a sen\u00adse of healt\u00adhy self-worth and digni\u00adty. Gene\u00adsis 1 speaks to peo\u00adp\u00adle who were mas\u00adsi\u00adve\u00adly oppres\u00adsed. They lived in a land whe\u00adre the theo\u00adlo\u00adgi\u00adcal world\u00adview was taught that they exis\u00adted to ser\u00adve ruthl\u00adess, ven\u00adgeful and bru\u00adtal gods. The gods trea\u00adted the Baby\u00adlo\u00adni\u00adans as if they were no more than pawns. Against this back\u00adground, the priests remin\u00added the Hebrews of their deep intrin\u00adsic worth and dignity.
\nTse\u00adlem means eikon in Greek. In the New Tes\u00adta\u00adment, the word descri\u00adbes the image of Cae\u00adsar, which was erec\u00adted as huge sta\u00adtu\u00ades at the city gates and stam\u00adped on Roman coins. The image was to remind all sub\u00adjects always and ever\u00ady\u00adwhe\u00adre that Cae\u00adsar reig\u00adned here. Jesus says in refe\u00adrence to this image on the coin, \u00abThen said he unto them, Ren\u00adder the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre unto Cae\u00adsar the things that are Caesar\u2019s, and to God the things that are God\u2019s.\u00bb (Matthew 22:21 LUT<\/span>). The coins bore Caesar\u2019s eikon, they belon\u00adged to Cae\u00adsar. You and I \u2013 we bear God\u2019s eikon! All peo\u00adp\u00adle bear God\u2019s image becau\u00adse they belong to God. One of the tasks now is to ser\u00adve as a mar\u00adker whe\u00adre God reigns.
\nThe home\u00adl\u00adess man on the street cor\u00adner is made in God\u2019s image. The Colom\u00adbi\u00adan worker who works on a cocoa farm owned by an inter\u00adna\u00adtio\u00adnal cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adti\u00adon and ear\u00adns two cents a day is made in God\u2019s image. The woman ens\u00adlaved in the sex indus\u00adtry is made in God\u2019s image. All human beings are made in the image of God. Whoe\u00adver strikes ano\u00adther human being strikes the image of God. Whoe\u00adver lies to ano\u00adther human being lies to the image of God. Whoe\u00adver exploits ano\u00adther human being exploits the image of God. Whoe\u00adver decla\u00adres war on ano\u00adther human being, an eth\u00adnic group, a reli\u00adgi\u00adon or a nati\u00adon, decla\u00adres war on the image of God. To com\u00admit phy\u00adsi\u00adcal, emo\u00adtio\u00adnal, psy\u00adcho\u00adlo\u00adgi\u00adcal, sexu\u00adal, poli\u00adti\u00adcal and eco\u00adno\u00admic vio\u00adlence against fel\u00adlow human beings is essen\u00adti\u00adal\u00adly to try to des\u00adtroy the image of God on earth.
\nWe are not God. But becau\u00adse we bear God\u2019s image, we are wort\u00adhy of human digni\u00adty, love, respect, honour and protection.
\nDivi\u00adne ste\u00adward\u00adship of creation
\n\u00abThey shall have domi\u00adni\u00adon over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over all catt\u00adle, over the wild ani\u00admals and over every cree\u00adping thing\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 1:26b NLB<\/span>). In the same breath that God crea\u00adted man in His image, He gave him the cal\u00adling to exer\u00adcise domi\u00adni\u00adon (radah). Being made in His image has dif\u00adfe\u00adrent mea\u00adnings: We have attri\u00adbu\u00adtes as God has, we are crea\u00adti\u00adve beings and have fee\u00adlings, we are crea\u00adted for com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty as God lives within the Tri\u00adni\u00adty. This is all true, but in the text the word tse\u00adlem (repre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adti\u00adve image) is direct\u00adly lin\u00adked to exer\u00adcis\u00ading domi\u00adni\u00adon (radah).
\nThe importance of being made in the image of God is evi\u00addent in the cal\u00adling and abili\u00adty of all human beings to exer\u00adcise domi\u00adni\u00adon. We asso\u00adcia\u00adte exer\u00adcis\u00ading domi\u00adni\u00adon with peo\u00adp\u00adle like Xi Jin\u00adping, Vla\u00addi\u00admir Putin or Joe Biden. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, we see domi\u00adni\u00adon in clo\u00adse con\u00adnec\u00adtion with human exer\u00adcise of power, up to and inclu\u00adding impe\u00adria\u00adlism and explo\u00adita\u00adti\u00adon of land and people.
\nIn the crea\u00adti\u00adon account we are given a pic\u00adtu\u00adre of God\u2019s rule that bears litt\u00adle resem\u00adblan\u00adce to this human way of exer\u00adcis\u00ading power. Radah is not a man\u00adda\u00adte to exer\u00adcise impe\u00adri\u00adal power. How did God live radah? After He crea\u00adted the first trees, the first plants and the first ani\u00admals, God sets limits for each spe\u00adci\u00ades. Within the\u00adse spe\u00adci\u00ades and abo\u00adve them, He crea\u00adted func\u00adtio\u00adning rela\u00adti\u00adonships. When the aut\u00adhors use the word radah, it is a pic\u00adtu\u00adre of a new crea\u00adti\u00adon that needs to be mana\u00adged. An image of what hap\u00adpens when peo\u00adp\u00adle use their power for base moti\u00adves is the situa\u00adti\u00adon in the Bal\u00adkans after the war. If you tra\u00advel\u00adled through Bos\u00adnia during that time, you would see house after house ridd\u00adled with bul\u00adlets, bad\u00adly dama\u00adged. Nor\u00admal\u00adly, the first tar\u00adgets in a war are govern\u00adment buil\u00addings, warehou\u00adses, fac\u00adto\u00adries, bridges and mili\u00adta\u00adry instal\u00adla\u00adti\u00adons. In the Bos\u00adni\u00adan war, howe\u00adver, Serb forces des\u00adtroy\u00aded civi\u00adli\u00adan homes. Ten years later, you could still see the bul\u00adlet holes and how trees grew out of the bom\u00adbed hou\u00adses. When peo\u00adp\u00adle fail or abu\u00adse their man\u00adda\u00adte to ste\u00adward crea\u00adti\u00adon, the unta\u00admed wil\u00adder\u00adness takes over.
\nWhen the priests wro\u00adte Gene\u00adsis 1, the Hebrews had just lived as cap\u00adti\u00adves for seve\u00adral gene\u00adra\u00adti\u00adons. They had no con\u00adcept of what it meant to exer\u00adcise free\u00addom of choice: neither how to use one\u2019s voice nor how to use one\u2019s power to make decisions.
\nThis was the con\u00adtext in which the priestly wri\u00adters declared that all human beings were crea\u00adted with the voca\u00adti\u00adon and capa\u00adci\u00adty to exer\u00adcise domi\u00adni\u00adon. No one is too low\u00adly to take respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty for God\u2019s crea\u00adti\u00adon. This is true for the Soma\u00adli taxi dri\u00adver, for the woman sto\u00adcking shel\u00adves at the Denny\u2019s, for the men and women in pri\u00adsons, and for you and me. God crea\u00adted all of us with the abili\u00adty to govern our world. This means gover\u00adning a nati\u00adon or a city as well as lea\u00adding in the com\u00adpa\u00adny, the fami\u00adly, our rela\u00adti\u00adonships and our own person.
\nIf human beings are crea\u00adted in God\u2019s liken\u00adess, then the way we exer\u00adcise domi\u00adni\u00adon should reflect God\u2019s way. It should pre\u00adser\u00adve the well-being of all crea\u00adti\u00adon. Exer\u00adcis\u00ading domi\u00adni\u00adon that seeks first one\u2019s own advan\u00adta\u00adge breaks with God-likeness.
\nThe shalom is on this world when all peo\u00adp\u00adle are in the pro\u00adcess of ste\u00adwar\u00adding crea\u00adti\u00adon in God\u2019s image.
\nAnd it was very good
\n\u00abAfter that, God loo\u00adked at ever\u00ady\u00adthing he had crea\u00adted. And he saw that it was very good. And the\u00adre was evening and mor\u00adning: the sixth day\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 1:31 NLB<\/span>). After God has six times cal\u00adled what has been crea\u00adted good, on the last day, at the seventh eva\u00adlua\u00adti\u00adon, a very good escapes Him. For the Hebrews, the num\u00adber seven sym\u00adbo\u00adli\u00adses who\u00adlen\u00adess and per\u00adfec\u00adtion. In the over\u00adall view, God is thril\u00adled and fasci\u00adna\u00adted. In the Hebrew under\u00adstan\u00adding of the world, all crea\u00adtures are inter\u00adcon\u00adnec\u00adted. The \u00abvery good\u00bb thus does not only refer to the indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adal object, but to the con\u00adnec\u00adtions bet\u00adween things. The ori\u00adgi\u00adnal hea\u00adrers unders\u00adtood that the qua\u00adli\u00adty of rela\u00adti\u00adonships within spe\u00adci\u00ades and bet\u00adween spe\u00adci\u00ades were very good. The Hebrew word for very is meod. It means powerful, vehe\u00adment, abun\u00addant, flou\u00adris\u00adhing, and never ending.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe rela\u00adti\u00adons among the peo\u00adp\u00adle were vehe\u00admen\u00adt\u00adly good.
\n\tThe rela\u00adti\u00adonship bet\u00adween humans and the rest of crea\u00adti\u00adon was flourishing.
\n\tThe rela\u00adti\u00adonship bet\u00adween hus\u00adband and wife was excellent.
\n\tetc.<\/p>\n
\nThe shalom of crea\u00adti\u00adon is per\u00adfect, very good. Every sin\u00adgle crea\u00adtu\u00adre as well as the rela\u00adti\u00adonships within the spe\u00adci\u00ades and bey\u00adond are per\u00adfect. Add to this the human being who repres\u00adents God\u2019s image in crea\u00adti\u00adon and, in liken\u00adess to God, mana\u00adges the rest of crea\u00adti\u00adon. The very good gos\u00adpel is: today it is God\u2019s turn to res\u00adto\u00adre this shalom. \u00abFor God so loved the world (\u00abcos\u00admos\u00bb) that he gave his only Son, that whoe\u00adver belie\u00adves in him should not peri\u00adsh but have eter\u00adnal life\u00bb (John 3:16 NLB<\/span>). When a per\u00adson responds to this love, he belongs to rede\u00ade\u00admed huma\u00adni\u00adty, which is to give a face to shalom in this world even now.
\n
\n
\nQues\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRea\u00adding the Bible text: Gene\u00adsis 1:1\u201331<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat does it mean for coexis\u00adtence in this world that every sin\u00adgle human being is crea\u00adted in God\u2019s image?
\n\tHow did God exer\u00adcise his domi\u00adni\u00adon in the six days of crea\u00adti\u00adon? What does this mean for us?
\n\tOur ste\u00adward\u00adship of crea\u00adti\u00adon con\u00adsists of crea\u00adting well-being for indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adal crea\u00adtures as well as inter\u00adcon\u00adnec\u00adted\u00adness. What might this mean in con\u00adcre\u00adte terms?
\n\tThe \u00abvery good\u00bb abo\u00adve crea\u00adti\u00adon cor\u00adre\u00adsponds to the \u00abvery good\u00bb of the Gos\u00adpel. What is the con\u00adnec\u00adtion bet\u00adween crea\u00adti\u00adon and the Gospel?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"