GOING DEEPER
01.24.2021 | RHYTHMS OF THE GARDEN | Wk 1: “Creativity”
Join the community and go deeper with this Bible study.
Breaking Ground
What’s your favorite form of art? Why?
The Dig
Spend this week reflecting on the nature of creativity in the biblical story.
How do you define creativity? When do you feel the most creative? (i.e., what activities, settings, etc.)
How can we increase or decrease our capacity for creativity? Is there an area of your life where you struggle to be creative?
Next, read Genesis 1:1-5 & 26-28. In the first section, we see the pattern that repeats over the course of Genesis 1. God, as a divine artist, looks at an emptiness, sees within it a potential vision for what it could be, & then speaks that into being – first, creating spaces for life & then filling those spaces with life.
What stands out to you the most from this pattern?
How does the concept of God as an artist impact you? Do you naturally associate the attribute of creativity with God?
In the second passage, God creates humanity & defines us with four unique words:
- We are created in His image – a term for reflecting or representing Him in Creation
- We are created in His likeness – a term signifying being in His family
- We are tasked with ruling over the other creatures – a term for kingship or guiding life as He has already modeled
- We are tasked with subduing creation – a gardening term related to cultivating the earth to produce more than it would on its own
Which of these terms do you find most interesting? How is it impacted by God’s creative work in the first part of the Creation Account?
In short, humanity is created to co-create with God. We are called to share in His creative work & allow Him to move it forward through us.
How does this impact or expand your understanding of what it means to be creative? What does it mean to be a co-creator with God?
Is there an area of your life that you struggle to engage with creativity? That is, where do you find yourself leaning towards apathy, instead of creativity, in terms of how you seek to reflect God’s character & purposes into our world?
What might it look like to embrace divine creativity in that area of your life?
Getting Out of the Hole
Take time in this series to reflect on each piece of the creation story & the rhythms of life that it invites us into:
- Where can I be more creative in how I think about & relate to God?
- Where can I be more creative in how I reflect God & His vision of goodness in the world?
- What simple actions can I take each day this week to increase my creative capacity in my relationships, my work, & my rest? Think outside the box & try something new in each of these areas this week!
Journal, reflect, & pray over these questions. Ask God where you need to hear & take part in God’s creative work in the world. Share your experience with your growth group next week!
Additional Resources*
The Hebrew Bible Commentary: The Five Books of Moses by Robert Alter
The Image of God in the Garden of Eden by Catherine L. McDowell
The True Image by Philip Hughes
TheBibleProject.com – website by Tim Mackie
Coming Up This Week:*
Sunday, January 31: Join us for week two of our new series Rhythms of the Garden – where we will be looking at how Creation & the Garden of Eden in Genesis invite us into a divine practice of relationship.
* Please see mye3.org for details.