Imago Dei = God’s image.

Welcome to a week’s worth of daily guided devotions grounded in the wisdom of Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Each 10-12 minute immersion in scripture, sights, and sounds offers a taste of the Creation story for every day of any given week. Explore with us the first chapter of Genesis and the poetic beauty of God’s blossoming creation. Remember your place in the created world as an image bearer for God.

Although we ourselves love the detailed and technical study of scripture and its meaning, our invitation here is one of prayerful listening: allowing the words of scripture, together with images and melodies, to be a voice through which God speaks.

Perhaps you’ll want to repeat these 7 devotions each week for an entire month, or maybe for the first week of each month throughout a season of your life. As you move through each devotional, always feel free to pause the video whenever you feel the need for more silence, reflection, or prayer. Audio-only versions for walking or driving are available each day, as well as a printable worksheet for reflection and discussion.

Make use of this space in whatever way helps you remember your place in God’s creation as one who bear’s God image.

Day 1 — Sunday

Day and Night

On this first day of creation, Light and Shadows play. You’ll hear the Genesis account of God calling the world into being, giving names to Day and Night. Can you sense God hovering over your life?

SUNDAY NOTES

COLLABORATORS for Sunday’s devotional included DON WEST, pastor of the historic Boston Presbyterian Church in Boston, Georgia, whose 133 year old sanctuary bell serves as a Call to Worship for each day of this series. Throughout this series, we are proud to collaborate with musicians from around the middle Georgia region. TOM & DORIS GRANUM prepared the instrumental and vocal music for this first day. Accomplished musicians both, they have spent decades teaching and leading music in a variety of church and educational settings and are active in the Presbyterian Association of Musicians. Currently they reside in Macon, Georgia. ELLA HAWKINS rendered the various paper collages used each day in this series for the Genesis readings. She lives in Macon, Georgia, is high school student at Mount De Sales Academy, and enjoys creating visual art in a variety of mediums. The quartet singing “O Christ, Surround Me” at the close of each devotion included undergraduate ABBY SMITH, highschoolers ELLA COLE ALDERMAN and ELLA HAWKINS, and featured SANDY SMITH on the piano. Sandy is Music Director and Organist at Northminster Presbyerian Church in Macon, Georgia.

TEXTS: The Genesis 1 readings today were quoted from the New Revised Standard Version and The Message paraphrase of Hebrew scripture. To explore numerous translations and paraphrases of scripture, visit BibleGateway.com

MUSIC: “Longing for Light, We Wait in Darkness: Christ, Be Our Light” — words and music by Bernadette Farrell, 1993 / “The Lord Is My Light” —words and music from Communauté de Taizé, 1991 / “God, Be the Love to Search and Keep Me (O Christ, Surround Me)” — words and music by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, 2004

VIDEO and AUDIO for Sunday’s devotional were captured and produced entirely in middle Georgia, with filming on location in Boston, Kathleen, Macon, and Perry. All music for this devotional was recorded at Northminster Presbyterian Church in Macon, Georgia.

Day 2 — Monday

Sea and Sky

“God separated the waters from the waters.” The vast and beautiful horizons of sea and sky point us to the majesty and mystery of God. What horizons in your life are calling for spiritual attention?

MONDAY NOTES

COLLABORATORS for Monday’s devotional included ALWEN YEUNG, a gifted pianist who prepared the instrumental music for this second day. Born in Hong Kong, Alwen received her Master’s degrees in Piano Pedagogy and Chinese Pedagogy from Florida State University and Middlebury College respectively. She now lives in Americus, Georgia, where she serves as senior lecturer of Music and Chinese at Georgia Southwestern State University, and pianist at First United Methodist Church of Americus. Alwen’s piano playing was recorded in the beautiful sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church of Americus, Georgia.

DON WEST rang the bell of the historic Boston Presbyterian Church in Boston, Georgia, for each day of this series. ELLA HAWKINS rendered the various paper collages used each day for seeing the Genesis readings. The quartet singing “O Christ, Surround Me” at the close of each day included ABBY SMITH, ELLA COLE ALDERMAN, and ELLA HAWKINS, and featured SANDY SMITH on the piano. The quartet was recorded in the sanctuary of Northminster Presbyerian Church in Macon, Georgia.

TEXTS: The Genesis 1:3-5 reading was quoted today from the New Revised Standard Version of Hebrew scripture.

MUSIC: “I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art” — words attributed to John Calvin (1509-1564), translated from French by Elizabeth Lee Smith (1817-1898); tune: TOULAN, originally an adaptation of the Genevan Psalter melody for Psalm 124 / “Spirit” — words and music by James K. Manley, 1975 / “Source and Sovereign, Rock and Cloud” — words by Thomas H. Troeger, 1987; tune: ABERYSTWYTH by Joseph Parry (1841-1903) / “God, Be the Love to Search and Keep Me (O Christ, Surround Me)” — words and music by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, 2004

VIDEO and AUDIO for Monday’s guided devotional were captured and produced entirely in middle Georgia, with filming on location at Houston Lake in Perry, Georgia, and at Tybee Island, east of Savannah, Georgia. The image of technical drawing instruments is by DestinysAgent, licensed from dreamstime.com

Day 3 — Tuesday

Land and Plants

When God spoke again, dry land came into being. For the first time there was solid ground on which to stand, a gift of stability amidst the swirling waters of change. Where is God speaking dry land into your life?

TUESDAY NOTES

COLLABORATORS for Tuesday’s devotional included CAMRON CUMMINGS, a self-taught pianist, who fell in love with the piano as a boy while listening to his grandmother play for a Methodist church in Texas. He started playing for Wednesday night services and eventually Sunday worship services. He continued to hone his gifts serving as an organist at First Baptist Church in Abilene, Texas, while attending McMurry University. Eventually, Camron relocated to Americus, Georgia, where he resumed studies at Georgia Southwestern State University and began serving as the pianist/organist at First Presbyterian Church. He continues in this role while growing his business, White Oak Design Studio, which focuses on interior design and custom sewing for the home.

DON WEST rang the bell of the historic Boston Presbyterian Church in Boston, Georgia, for each day of our Genesis series. ELLA HAWKINS rendered the various paper collages used each day to illuminate the Genesis readings. The quartet singing “O Christ, Surround Me” at the close of each Genesis devotional included ABBY SMITH, ELLA COLE ALDERMAN, and ELLA HAWKINS, and featured SANDY SMITH on the piano. The quartet was recorded in the sanctuary of Northminster Presbyerian Church in Macon, Georgia.

TEXTS: The Genesis 1:9-13 reading was quoted today from the New Revised Standard Version of Hebrew scripture. The quotation “God called all God made good” and following was taken from the 1977 Presbyterian theological statement A Declaration of Faith.

MUSIC: “For the Beauty of the Earth” — words by Folliott Sandford Pierpoint (1864); tune: DIX, composed by Conrad Kocher (1786-1872) / “All Creatures of Our God and King” — words by St. Francis of Assisi (1225), paraphrased by William H. Draper; tune: LASST UNS ERFREUEN, deriving its opening line and several other melodic ideas from the Genevan Psalter of the 17th century. / “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!” — words by Reginald Heber (1826); tune: NICEA, composed by John B. Dykes and named after the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325) at which church leaders began to formulate the doctrine of the Trinity. / “God, Be the Love to Search and Keep Me (O Christ, Surround Me)” — words and music by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, 2004

VIDEO and AUDIO for Tuesday’s guided devotional were captured and produced entirely in middle Georgia, with filming on location at Amerson River Park in Macon, backyard scenes in Kathleen, and at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in Atlanta, Georgia. The closeup image of the sunflower is by Alexander Garaev, licensed from dreamstime.com