Looking for the Imago Dei

The concept of imago dei is rooted in the very first passages of the Hebrew Scriptures. When the Triune God set out to put order to creation, all of life was spoken into being by transcendent power. When it came time to create humanity, there was a pause and brief conversation among the Trinity. “Let us,” God whispered into the ears of the Sources of All Community, “make humanity in our image” (Genesis 1:27). 

As the original Hebrew was translated into Greek and then into Latin, this idea of “the image of God” became known as the imago (image) dei (God). Of all of God’s beautiful creation, only humanity bears God’s image in this specific way.

This is the mystery at the root of our existence. You and I are bearers of the image of God. Your parents, whether they were good or bad or the common human mix of characteristics are bearers of the image of God. Your neighbor, the one who doesn’t mow their grass frequently enough for your liking and screams at their kids and allows their pet to leave droppings in your beautiful grass is a bearer of the image of God. Your high school sweetheart, your childhood bully, your horrible boss, your crush, the child screaming on your flight, the person on the corner who asked you for spare change, the teenager who wears enough axe body spray to choke an elephant and still manages to exude the smell of raging hormones and unwashed socks - all bearers of the image of God. 

And you, in your best moments when you have gotten in right, in your worst moments when you have gotten it wrong, in your moments in between - are a bearer of the image of God. It is your birthmark, your birthright, and your blessing. It is the thing at the root of our beings that connect us one to another in ways that our categories of distinction and judgment cannot overcome.

And yet, we see through a glass dimly. We have accepted the lie that we are always to be separated into categories of acceptance and exclusion, of insider or outsider, as the truth. It is not the truth. The truth is that all of us belong. In God’s kingdom all of us are insiders; God is just waiting on us to accept the invitation. If all of us are bearers of God’s image, then who can be excluded from the community of those seeking God? No one. Period.

Perhaps you have felt like you don’t belong. Good news, you do. Perhaps you have been excluded or witnessed the exclusion of others from the banquet of God’s grace. Good news - this is not the way it is meant to be. 

Do you long for a place where everyone belongs, where open-mindedness is valued, where grace is more than a word, and where growth is more than a dream. We do too and believe the community of Re:imago to be such a place. Our community is intentionally organic; we seek to have those who find a home here use their gifts to help Re:imago become the place and people that God is asking us to be. This is not church as usual. It is an attempt to recapture something we’ve lost along the way, an attempt to remember that before anything divides us, God’s image unites us. If you are looking for something different in a faith community or are looking for something different for your life, we hope you’ll join us. We will keep it simple. We will keep it sacred. We will keep Christ centered and bring all of who we are to these gatherings to see what God creates in our midst. We will spend time talking, we will spend time singing, we will spend time praying, and we will spend time listening. We believe God wants to speak to us here and hope you will come and listen alongside us to the Voice of Love as it sings out over the universe.