On Sunday morning, we continued our journey through the early chapters of Genesis. Genesis 2 shows us what a perfect world looks like. We often dream of a perfect world as being all about us, yet God is at the centre here, making the world exactly as it should be. The account here is historical, with real place names, even if we have lost some of the place names over time, and it will be once more in the future. God reminds us here that there are two important things to know about being human. One, we are dust. Two, we have had the breath of life put into us by God. People are made special by God. This account challenges us to see what is really important in our world. We shouldn't spend all our effort on collecting things that are ultimately dust; we should seek to honour the One who made us. We should love Jesus, the One who could be the perfect man none of us could ever be, the key to being in God's perfect world in the future.

On Sunday morning, we looked at the famous image of God passage at the end of Genesis 1. God made so many good things in his perfect world, but people are special to God. We are the image and likeness of God, those called to rule the world under Him. This is a privileged position and a great responsibility. This special status comes with a task: to fill the earth and subdue it. All of us are called to contribute to the development of God's world. We have not done this well, and we need Jesus the perfect image of God to save us, but we are still called to honour the one who made us. These ideas have many different implications. All people are special to God, even if they reject God, even if they feel confused or depressed about themselves. Our worth is not in what we contribute but in who we are. If this is true, consider how you treat those whom you come into contact with this week. All of them matter to God. All of them need God. Christians should be those who treat everyone well and who advocate for those who need our help. It is an incredible blessing to be one of God's image bearers.

We started looking at the book of Genesis together on Sunday morning. Genesis 1 is foundational for our faith, telling us of the God who made everything. God does all the action in the creation, making everything from nothing. All was done in order and all of it was very good and beautiful. The creation tells us that everything belongs to God and He is worthy of our worship. It introduces us to the God who brings people from darkness into light, from emptiness into being very good and at peace with God through Jesus. All of this should remind us to take the time to enjoy God's creation and thank God for our world and even our existence! We take all this for granted too often. We worship the creator God.

On Sunday morning, we completed our tour of the book of Galatians. Paul concluded his letter by touching on the main themes he had written about throughout the book: how central Jesus and the cross should be to us. The world is happy if our faith leads to us trying to be nice. They are less happy if we speak about sin and the need for Jesus. The cross is offensive to many, because it means we cannot save ourselves and all of us are equal in God's sight. Yet the cross of Jesus is the most important thing for us to understand! Striving for whatever we think the good life is, comparing ourselves to others, simply won't satisfy us or fix the issue we have with God. We must aim at living in such a way that we chase the priorities of God, not trying to impress the world. Think about this during the week. How different is your life and your idea of success in this life compared to those who don't know Jesus?

On Sunday morning, we looked at Galatians 6:1-10. Paul here is encouraging the Galatians to bear one another's burdens. The Christian life should not be an individual sport. While our culture and our fear might tell us to focus on ourselves and everything else is 'someone else's problem', that's not how Christianity works. All Christians are equally saved sinners, and not in competition with one another. We are to help one another, to pray together, to give money if needed. In all kinds of ways we show our faith through how we love one another. Take time to consider this during the week. Thank God for those who have loved and supported you. Think of one person you could practically encourage this week.

On Sunday morning, we considered the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:16-26. Paul describes the Christian life like a battle. On the one hand, we are sinful people who want selfish and evil things. On the other hand, we have the Holy Spirit living in us, and we want things that honour God and make us more like Jesus. We used to live in ways that only benefitted us, giving into our desires and leading to division with others. Now, due to God's work, we can produce fruit that builds others up and honours God. Paul encourages us to understand that we can cultivate this fruit, we can pray and encourage others and listen to God's word and take part in the sacraments. We should resist temptation and work on godly fruit. This is possible for us, and it is all God's work that makes it possible. Take time to reflect on sins you often find yourself doing. Ask God for help with them. You can say no. Work hard on becoming more godly, and remember that God loves to work through His Spirit to do this.

On Sunday morning, we returned to Galatians to look at Galatians 5:1-15. Paul is more formal here, explaining that focusing on what we do (including circumcision) contradicts the gospel. As soon as we fail to focus on Jesus and instead focus on our actions and religion, we are trying to be right with God through the law. Instead, we should be constantly focused on Jesus. Our actions should be motivated by love and be seen in service. The key phrase was to have faith working through love. This means that we are not looking to help others or serve God to prove ourselves or to impress others, but because we know God loves us. How can you treat someone with love today? Spend some time thanking God for Jesus.