Male and female

Yesterday at church one of the creation stories from the book of Genesis was read. I say 'one of the' because I think there may be many people who don't realize that there are two creation stories in Genesis: one in Chapter 1 and the other in Chapter 2. They are, neither of them, meant to be seen as scientific fact. They are rather of the genre of myth which, as I understand it means we should not expect 'facts' but we might expect some deeper 'truth'. Anyway, my point here is not to talk about myths but to share something I 'heard' particularly clearly in that reading.

The part of the reading I want to say something about went like this:

         So, God created humankind in his image,
         in the image of God he created them;
         male and female he created them.

Now I am pretty sure that most people if asked to identify God's gender would say that God is a 'he' - even though we know that God really has no gender. This passage is for me , kind of interesting. Although God is referred to throughout as 'he'  the passage says that God created humankind in God's image, male and female God created them.

I know there are many people who have no problem with thinking of God as a 'he' - it is so entirely part of our language and imagery. But it has also created difficulties through history for women because for centuries men were thought to be the ideal image of God and women lesser. But this interesting passage says that God created humankind in God's image - male and female. I find that so affirming.

I personally, do not want, following this, to consider God female to redress the balance. I don't know how to think of God except what I know of Jesus. Now, okay, Jesus was male doesn't that mean that God is 'male'? I think not. Jesus is the human face of God. He had to be some gender to be human (which God is not) and in his time no one would have listened to him if he had been born a woman. That is what makes sense for me. The point is, that male or female Jesus shows us how to love and care for one another and to know our God. He gives us the means to do that as well in the Spirit of love that remains with us.

I am obviously a Christian but I am quite sure that Spirit lives in the hearts of all religions in the unique way God has chosen. I can only speak of what gives my own particular life meaning.

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