The fall of Adam & Eve (Genesis 3) is the fall of all humanity. We are not now what we ought to be, what God created us to be. Since Adam, we have been dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1). But Jesus Christ has begun the curse's reversal, winning life for all who trust in Him.
“Human Doing”
Genesis 1 and 2 are distinct, related creation stories, that -- when held together -- reveal to us God's design for human beings: to work with Him as stewards of His good world, and to work with each other in Christian relationships.
“Human Being”
We see the fullest expression of the Image of God in Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:15). Jesus Christ is the new beginning of the restoration of our ability to reflect God's Image after sin (2 Corinthians 3:18). And Jesus Christ is our pattern in the meantime.
Beginnings: Creation
Creation bears the mark of its Creator, reflecting and revealing His character. When we pay attention to creation, we see living, tangible expressions of God’s heart of love.
“Mary”
When Mary said “Yes” to God, in all of her humility and devotion and simplicity and wonder, God gave the world Jesus Christ. God still uses our simple acts of obedience to reveal Jesus and bear Him to others.
“Bathsheba”
Bathsheba endures terrible loss and grief with quiet grace, allowing God to shine through the weak points in her life to transform King David, to shape King Solomon, and to pave the way for King Jesus. May we be brave enough to do the same.
“Ruth”
This is the third sermon in the Advent series “Mothers of Jesus,” preached on Sunday, December 23, 2018. God enters our stories in the midst of their brokenness, and brings peace and wholeness and beauty where we least expect it. Read Ruth's story!
“Rahab”
When we get stuck in our lives, God rescues us in His love, and He uses faithful, obedient people to do it. We must have the courage and vulnerability to let them -- and God -- in to our stuckness.
“Tamar”
God brings Tamar, an outsider and a woman, into Judah’s family to bring wholeness and reconciliation and peace. And through Tamar’s courage, generations later, God brings his Son, Jesus Christ, into the dark and broken world that He loves so much.
Emmanuel Reformed Church 