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REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is “Words from God to everyone”. Words from God to everyone mean a piece of important information or news from God, the creator to human beings, His creation. We shall reflect on the fact that God’s Words assure us that everyone is uniquely created with dignity.

Beloved in the Lord, we receive words from God, reassuring everyone that we are unique and have been created with dignity. The Psalmist wrote “For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb. ¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalms 139:13-14). The observation of the Psalmist is confirmed in Genesis 1:26-27 when “… God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” ²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” In other words, among all God’s creations, human beings share some unique attributes or characteristic with God that makes them special. Examples of these attributes are the power of will and the ability to make choices, the power to create and a sense of judgement or knowing the difference between good and bad and expression of emotions. Because God considers us special, He meticulously designed and created us with dignity. The Psalmist again acknowledges the dignity and uniqueness of human beings when he wrote, “…what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? ⁵ You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. ⁶ You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: (Psalms 8:4-6). My dear friend in the Lord, regardless of whatever is going on in your life and the distorted self-image you may have of yourself, the Words from God to everyone, including you are that you are fearfully and wonderfully made therefore you are unique and important to God and humanity. Trust in God to overcome your low self-image, doubts, and weaknesses, and have confidence in your uniqueness and your divinely given qualities. Keep developing and using your God-given talents and gifts to serve God and humanity.

Dear friend, if we have been created uniquely in His image and likeness of God then it is imperative for everyone to respect the dignity of every human being regardless of age, race, class, gender and religion. Many of the laws given to the Israelites by God are centred on the preservation of human life and respect for human dignity. Key among these laws is “³ “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). It is forbidden for a person to unjustly take the life of another person because human life is priceless. Jesus admonishes us to respect the dignity and uniqueness of everyone when He said, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,(worthless)’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matthew 5:21-22). We are reminded to respect the dignity of people who work for us, thus Paul wrote, “Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven. (Colossians 4:1) This admonishment is instructive when it comes to labour relations. A worker must be paid adequately and fairly for the services he or she renders. In other words, Paul says “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.” (1 Timothy 5:18).

Dear friend in the Lord, the poor and less privileged are also human beings who must have their dignity respected and protected. Poverty and vulnerability do not take away a person’s dignity, value or respect. Some of us look down on others and treat them with disdain because of their social status or class. A person may be poor, sick and age but his or her humanity must never be taken for granted. Wars or conflict is the greatest sins against human dignity. Wars or conflicts largely destroy and further impoverish the poor and vulnerable in society. The ongoing war between Israel and Gaza has led to the murder and displacement of many people, especially, women, children and the aged. Human dignity has been taken for granted for the sake of political expediency, territorial supremacy and religion. Human beings are been slaughtered daily in some countries in Africa because of the quest and sustenance of political power and control of natural resources. In some parts of the world, those who control power and resources determine who lives and who dies especially in dictatorship regimes. Christians have a divine mandate to speak against oppression, preach about peace and reconciliation and be actively involved in legally fighting and pleading the cause of the poor and vulnerable in our societies. Jesus’ ministry was about respect for human dignity and the salvation of humanity. Before He started his earthly ministry, He fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah when he read, ““The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (Luke 4:18-19).

In summary, we have reflected on the theme, “Words from God to everyone. ” We have discovered that God’s Words assure us that everyone is uniquely created with dignity. For this reason, we must endeavour to respect and value the dignity of everyone Shalom

PRAYER
Almighty God, we are grateful to You for fearfully and wonderfully creating us. Heal and restore our unjustice and wicked world. Strengthen us to practice love over hate, peace over conflict, forgiveness over bitterness, and reconciliation over division so that we may continue to preserve and share in our mutual and divinely given dignity Amen.