Fellowship Memphis

Natalie is pictured with her Kenyan family.

We were made in the image of God. When we read the account of creation in Genesis 1, it is clear that there is something distinct about man. We are set apart and given authority over the rest of creation. And there is something else, something shocking: we bear the image of our Creator. What does it mean to bear His image, to be made in His likeness? We could spend a lifetime unpacking these words because of the richness and depth of Scripture.

One aspect of people being made in the image of God is that if we pay close attention, we can find traces of the character of God in the people around us. It may be easier to discover things we don’t understand or don’t like in people who are different from us. Yet if we look carefully, God shows His likeness in these people.

In the diversity of people around the world, we begin to glimpse the vastness of our creator. This lesson became real to me when I lived among the people of Kapsowar, Kenya. Because God exists as the Holy Trinity: God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, He is never alone. He lives in constant community. The Marakwet people taught me volumes about community. They shared their lives with the people around them, opening their homes, feeding their neighbors, and enjoying each other’s presence in a way that I had never experienced. This opened my eyes to God’s character revealed in other cultures. I saw the beauty of God in a new way in the people of Southern India, and I found God’s delight and joy in my friend Jonny from Colombia.

While the effects of the fall of man (Genesis 3) are undeniable, Jesus gives us redeemed eyes to look through the brokenness and find glimpses of God. Instead of feeling pity for individuals who are different from us, we can become enamored by the Creator who reveals Himself in all people.

Memphis is an eclectic city, and God has given us a unique opportunity to see His attributes in His image-bearers from Downtown to Orange Mound to Collierville.