The Essential Jesus – Weekly Bible Readings Image of God | Children of God | Beloved Bible Readings John 1:12-13 — Jesus came to give the power for those who believe and receive Jesus to become children of God Galatians 3:26-29 — No longer Jew nor Greek; all are one in Christ Genesis 1:26-27 — All human beings bear the image of God Matthew 12:46-50 — Whoever does the will of my Father is my mother and brother, my family 1 John 3:1-2 — By God’s love we have become children of God Key Sermon Quotes “Every. Single. Human. Precious children of God.” “All of humanity reflects the image of God.” “The Conversation carries on, in, among, and around us still.” “We belong in God’s Conversation. We belong to each other.” “As soon as we name another human as the enemy, we’ve denied their belovedness.” Reflection Changing our actions is key. It is the first step. But God wants more for us. The harshness of the world teaches us to fear others, to judge those who are different, and to align with our own. Fear leads to division. Division leads to hate. Hate leads to death. We forget this eternal truth: that every human being literally bears the image of God. We forget this essential reality: that Jesus died for every human being. We forget that whatever we do to any human being who is God’s beloved, we literally do to Jesus himself because his Spirit resides in everyone. If we are going to be freed from the shackles of sin to live in the new reality Jesus offers, we must transform how we see our neighbors, all neighbors. We must learn to see with the eyes of Jesus. My Notes