Made in the Image

REFLECTION QUOTES

“Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other.”
~John Calvin, the opening sentences of his Institutes of the Christian Religion

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”
~Aristotle

“When the ancient philosopher Thales of Miletus was asked what was the most difficult thing to know, he answered, ‘Thyself.’”

“The constructs of idol and image overlap and both take their clue for meaning from outside themselves, either in reverence or in rebellion to the only true and living God…The image finds its flourishing in its relationship to the original. Creatures [us] find their satisfaction in the God who made them. The idol represents both a false fulfillment and a perversion or corruption of the creature.”
~Richard Lints, Identity and Idolatry

“I liked myself better when I wasn’t me.”
~Carol Burnett


SERMON PASSAGE

Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 135:15-18; Mark 8:14-21 (ESV)

Genesis 1

26 Then God said, “Let us make manin 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.”
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

Psalm 135
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but do not speak;
they have eyes, but do not see;
17 they have ears, but do not hear,
nor is there any breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them become like them,
so do all who trust in them.

Mark 8

14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”