On a Personal Note

In some ways it’s strange that we class books like Job, Ecclesiastes and Proverbs as 'wisdom literature'. When you read them, you will notice that they are all doing very different things, they are almost nothing alike. Moreover, they were written at very different times, often centuries apart.  But if you keep reading, it's almost as if these books respond to each other, as if one book says something and then the other book says something back. So perhaps the people who gathered these books together and those who classified these books as wisdom literature, imagined these books in conversation with each other. In this series, we're going to listen in on this conversation that took place in the ancient past and which spanned several centuries as we let each speaker take their turn.  

This week, we reflect on what it means to be made in the image of God—as told in Genesis 1. Rather than treating imago Dei as a theological abstraction, Eric invites us to consider the deeply relational, grounded, and human dimensions of bearing God's likeness. To be made in God's image is to live with dignity, creativity, vulnerability, and connection. Through stories, scripture, and honest reflection, the sermon challenges the cultural pressures that distort our sense of identity—urging us to resist performance, perfectionism, and isolation. Instead, we’re reminded that our truest selves are already enough. This is a message of grace and presence: an invitation to live fully human, fully seen, and fully loved.