"Selfies" Genesis 1: 26-28; Galatians 3: 23-29

Selfies are the photos that people take of themselves -- sometimes selfies are taken for fun; sometimes to communicate where a person is; sometimes to show what is happening in the moment; and probably for many other reasons.  I confess, I seldom take selfies, in part because I don't particularly like the look of the photo wih my face splashed across it!
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Regardless of why selfies are taken, they give the impression that the only person that matters is the person taking the photo, who happens to be front and center of the photo (or maybe off-center if I took the selfie!).  Everyone else is background.  It reminds me fo when my father used to take Polaroid photos of the baby grandchildren.  If a parent seemed concerned about how they looked, my father would tell, "Don't worry, you're just background!"  In the world of selfies, the person taking the photo is all that matter; everyone else is background.

I find this counter to the idea that we are created in the image of God. The Trinitarian nature of God reveals that God desires relationship and interconnectedness, both of which matter little in the world of selfies.  The creation story tells us about the world not being right when there was just Adam; Eve needed to be created so that Adam could be in relationship with another human.

Selfies can be dangerous, literally.  I read in July about a new brochure published by the Russian police that begins with the comment:  "A cool selfie can cost you your life."  In the first six months of 2015 in Russia there had been ten deaths and 100 accidents from =people striking lethal poses -- for example, getting close to an animal for a selfie only to have the animal attack; standing near exposed wires and then touching them while taking the selfie; leaning over rooftops for a photo and then falling (www.cnn.com/2015/07/08/russia-selfie-death-brochure/index.html).

What does it mean to be created in God's image?  We all look rather different, don't we?  I also hear in various discussions, "God created me this way, so it must be ok."  How valid is that perspective? how far can we push it?

When Paul writes to the Galatians, he reminds them that in Christ we can connected and that the obvious differences between us are bridged by Christ.  How does being created in the image of God fit with the idea that in Christ we become new creations?