Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

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

Mankind’s origin story starts in the heart of God. He gave us an imprint of His image, and also wanted us to share in His glory, from the beginning. Nothing could ever separate us from the love of God. Jesus made sure of it. In Him, our origin story is recapitulated. Our identity as children of God has been determined through eternity. We get to walk in the Spirit and express whatever He has uniquely gifted us in His Kingdom.

We have spoken about the Kingdom of God quite a bit in the emails this Spring/Summer.  Go back and read them again if you want. Pay attention to the Scriptures. Meditate on them as you sit with God and open your heart to listen to His voice.

This Sunday we will be speaking about Jesus healing a man born deaf and mute.  It is a miraculous and restorative story.  It is also a picture of the renewal of all things set in motion by Jesus.

Here’s how our story ends. In these passages, we see a glimpse of the beauty of His renewed creation. In Him, our stories begin… and His Kingdom shall have no end.

In Rev 21:3, the apostle John tells us:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

He continues in Rev 22:1-5:

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

Blessings and Peace,

Rev. Todd and Dr. Christiane