Imagine walking through a Goodwill store and spotting an old abstract painting. At first glance, it’s just another donated piece of artwork—interesting enough, perhaps, but nothing that would stop you in your tracks.
That’s exactly what happened in Maryland in 2023.
Then someone noticed the initials “E.H.” The painting turned out to be a long-lost work by renowned artist Eva Hesse. Overnight, something that had been treated as ordinary suddenly became extraordinary. The painting eventually sold for more than $100,000.
What changed?
Not the painting.
The identity of its creator.
The moment people recognized who made it, they understood its true value.
That same principle applies to something far more important than a painting—it applies to us.
The Creator Determines the Value of Creation
The opening chapter of Colossians gives us one of the clearest pictures of Jesus in all of Scripture:
“For in him all things were created… all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16–17)
Notice what Paul doesn’t say.
He doesn’t describe Jesus as merely participating in creation.
He declares that Jesus is the Creator Himself.
Everything exists because of Him, through Him, and ultimately for Him.
When we remove Jesus from the creation story, creation loses its anchor. Humanity becomes little more than a fortunate accident. Life becomes random. Value becomes something we invent instead of something we inherit from our Creator.
But when Jesus is at the center, everything changes.
Creation Is About More Than Origins
Discussions about creation often become debates about science, geology, fossils, or the age of the earth.
Those conversations have their place.
But Scripture consistently points us to a much bigger question:
Who created us?
Genesis doesn’t simply explain how the world began—it reveals the character of the One who spoke it into existence.
Psalm 33 says,
“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made.”
God didn’t struggle to create.
He spoke.
Stars appeared.
Oceans formed.
Life flourished.
The universe exists because the Creator willed it into existence.
Order Isn’t an Accident
One of the easiest things to overlook is how remarkably orderly creation is.
Morning follows night.
The seasons continue their rhythm.
(Well…except lately here in Kentucky, where sometimes it feels like summer skips politely past spring and shows up immediately after winter.)
Apple seeds grow apple trees.
Planets remain in their orbits.
The laws of physics don’t decide to take Tuesdays off.
This consistent order points toward intentional design rather than meaningless chaos.
John’s Gospel makes the connection unmistakable:
“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
The One who later walked the roads of Galilee is the very One who designed galaxies.
Creation Recognizes Its Creator
One fascinating pattern throughout the Gospels is that creation consistently obeys Jesus.
People often argued with Him.
Religious leaders rejected Him.
His own disciples occasionally misunderstood Him.
Nature never did.
When Jesus spoke to a raging storm, the wind stopped.
When He walked across the Sea of Galilee, the water supported Him.
When He multiplied bread and fish, scarcity gave way to abundance.
When He turned water into wine, the elements themselves responded to His command.
These miracles weren’t random displays of power.
They were reminders.
Creation recognizes its Creator.
The disciples asked the same question many of us still ask:
“Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
The answer was standing right in front of them.
The One who created the world was now walking within it.
Why This Matters
Perhaps the most important truth about creation isn’t found in geology or astronomy.
It’s found in identity.
If Jesus created you, then your life isn’t accidental.
You aren’t a cosmic coincidence.
You have value because you bear the fingerprints of your Creator.
Our culture often tells us that meaning is something we must invent for ourselves.
Scripture offers something much more hopeful.
Meaning has already been given.
We were created through Christ and for Christ.
That changes how we view ourselves.
It changes how we treat other people.
And it changes how we understand our purpose.
Every person you meet carries immeasurable worth because every person has been fashioned by the same Creator.
Keeping Jesus at the Center
Every Christian belief eventually points back to Jesus.
Creation is no exception.
When Jesus remains at the center of the creation story, we see more than the beginning of the universe—we see the heart of the Creator.
We discover that creation wasn’t an accident.
Humanity isn’t meaningless.
Life has purpose.
And our value doesn’t fluctuate based on culture, success, intelligence, or achievement.
It rests securely in the hands of the One who made us.
Just as that forgotten painting in Goodwill was transformed once people recognized its artist, our understanding of ourselves changes when we recognize our Creator.
Jesus isn’t simply part of the creation story.
He is the center of it.
And when He remains at the center, everything else finally begins to make sense.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert Cooke is a member of the Danville church and serves as an elder. He is retired from the United States Department of Agriculture. He has an incredible ability to turn sermons into stories. This blog post is from his sermon of July 2026.