Lady Gaga hit the nail on the head. God makes no mistakes. After that her views and opinions drastically contrast that statement, but the statement within itself is quite sound.
I don't remember much about the lesson we had this morning. It was more discussion and in-depth study of the epistles. Not to say it was boring, because we did several dramatic re-enactments of different people living in the time that the book of Philemon was written, and we learned even more about the context of that 20-something verse book which so many people simply glaze over as if it means nothing.
As a matter of fact, doing subjects like this which are not as interesting as others train our minds to see God in everything--not just the things we want to see Him in.
It was dessert discussion today that took the cake--pun definitely intended--because it actually led to a slightly heated debate. We of course left the building laughing and joking with each other, but at the mid point of the discussion I'm quite certain half of us hated the half that wasn't comprised of us.
Which, by the way, is the problem with the church today: they never get past the disagreements. But that's a whole other subject.
We watched an hour and a half video of Lenda Cope
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GAlgnnn0mw
talking about the image of God. You can watch the video if you like, or keep reading, or both. I recommend both so that my bias of opinion doesn't cloud the actual message Lenda was trying to get across.
Now, when you think of the image of God, you usually expect a lecture talking about what God looks like. Or, if you're a more, "in tune" Christian, you expect it to be about how Christians are supposed to represent Christ. I won't say you're wrong, but in this scenario that is not at all what Lenda was talking about.
The trinity is the Godhead three in one and one in three. We think this to be a mind-blowing thing, and for those who have a human perspective it really can be quite mind-blowing--or can it?
The creation of mankind began with Adam. And for a while, it was just Adam. We look at this and don't comprehend the implications of, "Just Adam". "Just Adam" means that the original Adam was a hermaphrodite. This may seem as heresy to many traditional Christians, but if God created many other species to be hermaphrodital(take worms for example) then there is nothing that could stop Him from making man the same way. God said it was good.
It was good, but God decided He could make it better. God took stuff from Adam to make Eve(side note: Lenda called them Adam 1 and Adam 2 because they didn't get names until sin entered). The idea that God took something from Adam means that everything that was needed to make Adam a fully functional physical and spiritual being was there. Now it was in two. Two in one, one in two. "And they shall become one flesh". (I don't have a bible handy, but you can google that phrase and get the exact verse it's from).
Men and Women are created with the same idea that is the trinity. The trinity is a relationship between three forms of God. They are a perfectly harmonious relationship. You never hear the Holy Spirit asking God the Father, "Why'd Jesus get the body?!?!?!". They are in perfect harmony, and there's no sex involved.
The world today is obsessed with sex, and it is how we are told to define our identity. The example God gives us for a perfect relationship doesn't even involve sex. That's just like an awesome gift that God threw in with mortal life. God's example of a relationship is separate parts that originate from the same thing and come together to work in perfect harmony.
God has created men and women each uniquely and individually, but they are derived from the same being--first God, and then the original Adam. Men and women are told from day one to find their identity in their gender. If you are born a man, x is what you do. If you are born a woman, x is what you do. God didn't intend it like that. My favourite quote from Lenda is that the world--and church--of today has put the two genders in their own box. God didn't create boxes. God created a kaleidoscope.
Not all men are what society calls, "manly" but they are definitely exactly the way God intended, and He's more than willing to give them purpose and identity in life beyond how much they can dead lift. The same goes for women. God didn't create women to have their value placed in breast implants.
Lenda then went into this big spiel about the process of a fetus which I fully grasped but not enough to be able to repeat it in writing as I don't know enough about the terminology.
Lenda's main point was that humanity today is searching in vain for an identity in sexuality, but their true identity can only be found in the image of God. Men and women are definitely different, but they are also very much the same in that they were created to be in harmony, just like the trinity lives in harmony. Sex is just a bonus.
I feel like I've already completely done the video no justice whatsoever, so I highly recommend that you take the time to sit down for an hour and a half and watch it, because it is awesome, and is something that the church doesn't address enough--and in some cases not at all.
In fact, I'm making a rule. I forbid you to comment on this post until you have watched the video, because my presentation has a bias of my opinion of what the original content is. Thank you.
Catch you all tomorrow.
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