Then God said, “Let us make humans in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the wild animals of the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

So God created humans in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them. —Genesis 1:26-27

Introduction: The Imago Dei

We, humans, are made in God’s very own likeness: the

.

A theophany is an

of God to human beings.

Throughout the Bible, there are other symbolic descriptions of God as: a hen, an

, and a bear.

No matter how much we want to, we, as finite human beings can never fully comprehend our

God.

At some point, all

break down. (1 Corinthians 13:12)

The images we have in our heads about who God is

what we think and do in response to those images.

“There’s something infinitely sad about little girls who grow up understanding (usually unconsciously) that if God is male, it’s because male is the most valuable thing to be. This belief resonates in a thousand hidden ways in their lives. It slowly cripples girl children and it cripples female adults.” —author Sue Monk Kidd, “Dance of the Dissident Daughter”

God is not exclusively

. God is not exclusively

Reveal Answer

.

God is beyond

.

Women reflect God as

as men do, and sometimes we forget that. (Genesis 1:27)

Why This Matters on Mothers’ Day:

More than

of women in Oklahoma will face intimate partner violence in their lifetime.

In a world where everyone is seeking power-over, we are called to

to one another out of reverence
for Christ. (Ephesians 5:21)

The world sets up a

between male and female.

In the Kingdom of God, we have one

, and through that we are all equal. (Galatians 3:27-28)

Application:

If we haven’t

our concept of God, have we truly grown towards maturity?

Jesus’ mother, Mary, was his first

. She was the first to believe in his gifts and ministry.

There’s a lot we can learn from Mary—about

and about God.

In the New Testament, Mary appears in

verses, is mentioned by name 19 times and given 17 different titles.

Mary, upon her encounter with the angel, doesn’t “get it” right away. She is

. (Luke 1:26-29)

She’s got

. But Gabriel has answers. (Luke 1:30-37)

Mary, after hearing this evidence, chooses to

with God in what will be the most important plot line in the salvation of humanity. (Luke 1:38)

She is blessed because she

that what God said would happen will happen. (Luke 1:41-45)

Mary’s words in the Magnificat were

. (Luke 1:46-55)

With the shepherds’ arrival, reality sets in. Mary realizes the

of all these events. (Luke 2:16-19)

Guided by the

, Simeon greets Mary and Joseph at the Temple. (Luke 2:34-35)

“One of the most astonishing and precious things about motherhood is the brave way in which women consent to give birth to creatures who will one day die.” —Kathleen Norris, The Cloister Walk

Jesus likely picked up ideas about power, empire, and justice for the oppressed from his

.

Mary is the only

woman included in the list of those gathered in the Upper Room. (Acts 1:13-14, 2:1-4)

Every moment of Mary’s life captured in the scriptures

us to Jesus.

Action Steps:

1. Reexamine the images you hold of God.

2. Are there people whom you struggle to see as made in the Image of God? Look for God in them.

3. Like Mary, ponder these things in your heart, say yes to God, and bear Christ to the world.

“My additional notes:

”.