September 13, 2012 - Thursday of the 14 th Week after Trinity

Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 32:1-22; Colossians 1:1-23

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:15-16)

In the Name of + Jesus. Amen. In the first chapter of Genesis God in His Trinity in unity made a proclamation that He would make man. Moses records, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." It was not "good enough" merely to make man and leave him to his own devices. No, God made man in His own image . What this meant for man is that God' s will was our will and our will was God' s will. Then mankind fell into sin. That image was lost to us and our will became our own and it ruled us, leading us to death which is the wages of sin. We broke the perfect creation of God and became sinners.

However, St. Paul writes of our re-creation through Christ. "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." Christ is the image of God made flesh, true God and true man. God made tangible for us. The very God that created all things has recreated us. For while we were still far off God' s own Son humbled himself to be born of, forsaken by and crucified by His own creation. He did all this that we would be a new creation And so that we would have again the image of God. Thanks be to Christ, for we have this image through our Baptism into the death of Christ. Now the Creator looks upon His creation through the eyes of His crucified Son and proclaims, "It is very good." In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.

Thou, grieving that the ancient curse, Should doom to death a universe, Hast found the medicine, full of grace, To save and heal a ruined race. (LSB 351:2)

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