Grow Guide | 9/11/2022

by Jen Hackbarth

Who We Are 

Genesis 1:26-31

Connecting Questions:

What place in nature has special meaning for you?

What does it mean to you that you’re made in God’s image?

Context:

This week we begin a new worship series called “Who We Are.” Each Sunday through October 16, we will hear stories from the Old Testament that shape our identity as faithful people. This Sunday we go back to the very beginning in Genesis chapter one, which tells how God created the world and all that is in it. This story reminds us that everything we have, including our very lives, is a gift from God, created out of God’s love and hope.

We are living gifts created in God’s image. This informs all we do, and Genesis chapter one especially reminds us we were created to be in deep connection with the earth and all its inhabitants. Our calling is to live in partnership with the earth so that it may thrive. We were created to be in relationship to others and the world.

Look at the Book

·      Skim through the first chapter of Genesis to remind yourself of the creation story, then carefully read Genesis 1:26-31.

·      The creation story in Genesis is less about the “how” and more about the “why.” What questions do you have about the details of this story? How do you see it fitting in to our modern understandings of science? Why do you think the story is told this way in Genesis chapter 1?

·      What kinds of beings does God give humans reign over in vs. 26?

·      How do you understand the phrase “be fruitful and multiply?” What ways, other than only childbearing, can we be fruitful and multiply God’s love in the world?

·      What does it mean to you that God saw all that God had made and called it “good” (vs. 31)?

·      In the original Hebrew text, the first five days are referred to as “a first day,” “a second day,” etc. Only the sixth day, when humans were made, is referred to as “THE sixth day” (vs 31). The sixth day may be distinguished in this way because the creation of humans was the pinnacle of the creation story. How does this inform your understanding of the creation story?

Taking it Home

·      What does it mean to you that humans are made in God’s image? What does it mean to be representatives of God in the earth? What would happen if we did our best to live up to this calling? What would change? What would we prioritize?

·      God’s priority in the creation story is relationship. What relationships need more care in your life? What relationships are you prioritizing this week?

·      September is a month full of gorgeous weather in MN. In what ways can you purposefully enjoy God’s good creation this week?