Gospel of Love: From Genesis to Jesus

Week 1: Genesis 1:27, NRSV

Creation lives in the both/and & beyond!

Genesis prepares us for the journey ahead. No matter where we are – through chaos or times of peace – God’s reflection of expansiveness, love and connection to the divine is infinitely within us. Creation is expansive and fluidly nimble to rise to the occasion of love.

To embrace how creation lives and breathes in both/and & beyond all binaries, we begin with Genesis. 

In our Bibles this verse is indented. The indention is a form Hebrew poetry signaling from the author what’s being shared holds significant importance for the reader.

Let’s dive in:

  • God says, “let’s make humankind in our image.”  God when translated from biblical Hebrew in this verse is plural. I hold this, just as this poetry asks of us, as an invitation to pause and reflect on how vast and mysterious the divine is.
    • It’s worth asking ourselves what does this plurality; this fluidity of the Creator mean for us?  
  • The Word Adamah, which is translated from Hebrew to Adam in our bibles, is repeated 3x in this verse. Adamah means groundling – a both/and – a genderless being. In Genesis 1:27 humankind = a both/and. 

The Gospel of Love found in Genesis 1:27 shows us humankind is comprised of male, female and beyond. And embraces all of our human complexities because God created us in their image. 

Our creation: our lives – just as we are – is evidence of God’s diverse reflection in the world. 

Rachael Ward (They/Them), Minister & Team Lead for Gender & Sexuality Justice Ministries

When we read scripture at its face value, we can miss opportunities to discover a more expansive Gospel of Love. The beauty of love is we are always invited to witness its transformation over and over again.