In Gods Image.

• Posted by Rev. Damian Payne August 17, 2014 - #  - 856 views
  I would like to take a moment and introduce myself before I get to my point of this blog. I was born and raised Catholic. I studied to be a Roman Catholic Priest but at the last minute I discerned my life being called to the service of man kind in a different direction so I became a Paramedic and stepped away from my Catholic upbringing. continued to believe but had questions. I searched for answers in other religions and eventually found my way to the pulpit in a small rural church in my farming community I live and work. I joined all of you because I agree with everyone worshiping in their own way with dignity and respect for all. I work a few part tome jobs beside my full time job and get to meet and interact with a constant stream of new people. I always enjoy hearing a new persons perspective. So last night I was working with a new coworker in a kitchen and we were talking with each other and getting to know the person in each of us. It started with the usual idle questions such as where are you from, do you have children, what are your hobbies and finely the one that is getting to my point, what do you do away from working here? When I told him among other things I was a pastor, he instantly wished to talk beliefs. I have to problem doing this and often look forward to such conversations as it give a glimpses into the core of the person. Then this one question came up from him, its a question I have been asked countless times before and so here it is. (I hope this offends none of you as the following is only my views and response to the question I was asked.) His question was simple. It is regards to Genesis 1:27 in the Christian bible. He asked "So if we all are created in Gods image? Why do we all look so different? How can we all be an image of a god and all be so different. We are different genders and colors but all supposedly an image of the same creator. How can that be? So this is how I replied to this seeming simple and difficult question. The kitten could not figure out the mirror. He would arch and plunge toward his image, and, when his reflection would do the same, he would bristle and retreat. A full-length mirror was attached to the inside of a closet door. Leaving the door open would give him hours of planning strategic attacks. He would crouch and peek at the backside of the door preparing a surprise attack only to discover his enemy had outwitted him. What the kitten didn't know was that his image was not three-dimensional and self-willed. His image was only his reflection. How God must laugh them we make that same mistake. We think we have it all figured out. We think we can outsmart what we see. We think God is our image when, in fact, we are his. We are incomplete- nonexistent- without him. Any image is only a replica with certain limitations. A picture of a tree looks like a tree but lacks the ability to flicker its leaves in a breeze. Our shadow is out image. It has arms, legs, torso, and head and moves with us. However, it lacks dimension and color. It also lacks free will. Similarly, the image (people) and the "pre-image" (God) are alike only in some ways. Notice that God created tangible elements by speaking. We can't do that. Our words create only intangible ideas. So, we are not identical to God; only part of us are. Maybe we resemble God in our ability to speak; maybe it's our creativity; maybe its our willingness to help there or our ability to love. We can't really tell for sure what parts of us are God-like. So we might be as silly as the kitten with the mirror to ask what race or gender God is. All we can do is determine race and gender of his image. We can be smarter about this image thing if we realize that all people are incomplete and that only God can complete us.