The Beginning and the End (Which is really just the beginning)

"Let Us make man in Our image..." (Genesis 1:26)  This was our beginning.  God had spent the past five days speaking the world into existence.  Up until this week, our planet had been an undefined mass of matter.  But the Son, pre-incarnate, had very carefully called every air molecule, every beach and blade of grass, every fish and bird, every beast into being.  Finally, he has come to the most magnificent part of creation week.  They (the God-head) decide that they want a being like them to take charge of this planet.  They want a being that has the power to love, the  power to choose.  The same God whose mere voice has actuated life into every other living thing on the planet decides to kneel down in the freshly created dirt, and form this being He calls man with his very own hands.  When He's finished, he leans in even closer, touches his lips to the man's, and with a kiss, breathes into the man the breath of life.

Unfortunately, this man chooses to doubt his Creator, the very being in whose image he is created.  He eats of the fruit that His master has forbidden from his touch, let alone his consumption.  He is no longer the perfect image of his Creator.  Instead the image has been tarnished by doubt, pride, selfishness, and disobedience.  While he may feel wiser, he holds knowledge of something the God never intended should enter the mind of this magnificent being: the knowledge of evil.  His perfect body begins the degeneration that is the result of sin.  He recognizes his mistake and repents and calls out to his Creator, and God has a plan.

Humanity's Creator takes on the imperfect, degenerated body of man and walks the planet that He so lovingly built and sin has so maliciously corrupted.  He relieves the suffering of those plagued by the results of sin.  He demonstrates the Character of the God whose image humanity should be bearing.  He takes the very wages of sin, death and separation from God, upon Himself so that any who might believe and repent might be restored to the original masterpiece that is the image of God.  But humanity is ungrateful for the Creator's sacrifice and demands the most horrific death imaginable to his corrupt mind. 

On the third day, the Father calls the Creator's name and the earth shakes as it's Creator throws off the chains of death.  He has proven to the universe that it is not impossible for man to bear the perfect image of God.  He has vanquished death and sin and breathes into humanity hope of a better future.  He points man in the direction he is to strive, takes his hand, and says, "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."  He has restored to us the privilege of bearing the image of God!