“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day…

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, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.”

In the beginning God. Before the Big Bang sent subatomic particles hurtling through space was God. He always was and always will be. All that is seen and all that is unseen has been created by God. Indeed, the first five verses of Genesis are echoed in John 1:1:1-5:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

As Jesus is the foundation of Christmas, so too is he the foundation of creation as “all things were created through and for him” (Col 1:16). And all that was created through and for him was deemed good.

And as marvelous are the wonders of creation, whether it be a far off nebula or a beautiful flower in your garden, there is nothing more astonishing than humans, for we are made in the image of God. And with such a great honour comes great responsibility. As NT Wright has noted, humans have been given the task of reflecting God, with all his love, mercy, and justice, to the world and to reflect the praises of the world back to God. We were created to worship and work with God in the world. God has chosen to partner with humanity in creation, making us co-creators. As he created out of his love and gave us life through him, so to are we to operate, to create and move through the world as he would- with love and justice and bringing life with us wherever we go.

Let us pray.

Thank you God, for the wonders of creation. Thank you for the mountains that rise high into the heavens and the creatures that fill the deeps of the ocean. Thank you for the wildflowers that line the road and for birds that sing in the trees. Your works, O God, are marvelous. Help us to live and move in this world as you would- taking care of these many wonders and building communities of love and justice. in Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Questions

Think about your favourite place to go to in nature. Is it a beach? A lakeside property? A hiking trail in the woods? What makes it special? What makes it good?

If Jesus is the foundation of creation, what should that mean in how we treat our natural world?

As we are made in the image of God, how should that be reflected as move through our day?