Genesis 1 (NRSV)
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind and the cattle of every kind and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 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.”
27 So God created humans in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” 29 God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the air and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Here are some questions for reflection:
1. Who in your life has called you good? Where and from whom did you seek validation, did you seek being called good?
2. God has now carefully crafted all life–plant, animal, and mankind–in an intricate design that He has given mankind dominion over. What does God’s care and love for all His creation, repeatedly described as being good, mean for our expectations in caring for and stewarding it all?
3. From the great blue whale to the majestic eagle, and yes the miserable mosquito, there is a purpose behind their creation. How does this tremendous diversity working in cohesion together help us to see the intent God had when He created mankind?
4. No doubt to be created in the image of the divine is an honor and it is an act of love. What might this mean for you and I? How does this notion help define each of us and our capacities? What does it mean to you that YOU are created in the image of God?
5. We have been given instruction to not just love one another and God’s creation but to be active within it. How can YOU be a part of the solution and not a part of the pollution? (Shout out to Captain Planet – He’s our hero!) What can each of us do to be sure to not merely avoid causing harm but to supportively love and uplift?
6. How does being created in Gods image shape our understanding of dignity and value? What impact does this have on how we treat one another?
7. How can we distinguish between exercising dominion over creation (which God establishes on this day) and exercising control over people (which He does not)? How might this shape our understanding of leadership and authority’s role among people? What does true leadership look like in God’s kingdom?
8. How do you define “dominion’? How do you believe God has called us to exercise dominion over the earth? Most often we hear the word dominion defined as to “rule over,” but the original Hebrew word “radah” finds its origins meaning “root, central root.” How can we reshape our thoughts of stewardship to be “supremely good” with our dominion being that of supporting at the root?