My adult Sunday School class recently asked me if we could find a study of how the early church fathers read and understood the Bible. I must say that as a pastor, a request like this really warms your heart. I spent some time looking for possible studies to use, but in the end, chose to write the study myself.

I started working on the lessons today since my schedule was opening up and because we will begin our new journey the first Sunday of November. It has been some time since I read the thoughts of the early Christians, and the time spent in preparation today ended up being a meaningful devotional time for me personally.

One faithful, anonymous voice shared these words that spoke to my heart today:

So let us always reflect the image of God in these ways:
I do not swell up with the arrogance of pride;
nor do I droop with the blush of anger;
nor do I succumb to the passion of avarice;
nor do I surrender myself to the ravishes of gluttony;
nor do I infect myself with the duplicity of hypocrisy;
nor do I contaminate myself with the filth of rioting;
nor do I grow flippant with the pretension of conceit;
nor do I grow enamored of the burden of heavy drinking;
nor do I alienate by the dissension of mutual admiration;
nor do I infect others with the biting of detraction;
nor do I grow conceited with the vanity of gossip.

Rather, instead, I will reflect the image of God in that I feed on love;
grow certain of faith and hope;
strengthen myself on the virtue of patience;
grow tranquil by humility;
grow beautiful by chastity;
am sober by abstention;
am made happy by tranquility;
and am ready for death by practicing hospitality.
It is with such inscriptions that God imprints his coins with an impression made neither by hammer nor by chisel but has formed them with his primary divine intention. For Caesar required his image on every coin, but God has chosen man, whom he has created, to reflect his glory.
(Incomplete Work on Matthew, Homily 42)

I was especially blessed by the line, “I will reflect the image of God in that I feed on love,” though there is much more to be mined from these thoughtful reflections. May some of those treasures be yours as well as we see to be reflections of the divine image for the transformation of ourselves and the world.