On this Welcome Back Sunday, we are turning to the beginning of our Bibles for our Scripture. Over the next few weeks, we will reflect on the several of the best-known stories from the Old Testament. These stories are part of the framework that make up the Christian faith.
This morning, we turn to the second Creation story found in the Book of Genesis. Please listen to the word of God as we read a selection of verses from Genesis chapters 2 and 3....
Scripture Genesis 2:4b-7, 15-17; 3:1-8
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground,
but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.
Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh.
Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,
but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.
“For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Here ends this reading of the Word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Let us pray.....
Sermon Creation and Fall
This morning, we turn to one of the most familiar stories in our Bible. Even if you only know a tiny bit about Christianity, you have probably heard of Adam, Eve, and the tempting serpent. We hear this story as the justification for why “man is fallen” and as the birth of our relationship with sin. This story is also used against women to justify patriarchal claims –- Eve supposedly tricked Adam, and therefore women will be eternally punished for her deception. This story is even used to justify why vegetarians believe you should not eat meat – before the fall, God gave the people vegetables and fruit to eat, but not animals – so, to get back to how we were first created, we should theoretically become vegetarians.
This story is used to cover a lot of different theological ground. A most basic understanding of this story has to do with trust – God wanted Adam and Eve to trust God – to trust God’s words and desires for them...to trust God’s teaching and instructions. God told the couple not to eat something, and the couple failed to trust God’s instructions. The serpent asked manipulative questions that caused Adam and Eve to question God. The couple ate the fruit of the tree forbidden to them and were expelled from the Garden for disobeying God’s instructions. Their trust of God fell apart when the serpent got into their “heads.” Unfortunately for Adam and Eve, their disobedience led to a much more difficult life for them.
Many of our teachings about God are focused on trust.... Do we trust God enough to follow God’s laws? Do we trust God enough to live according to God’s teachings? Do we trust God enough to believe in the future God promises us? Do we trust God enough to have faith in God?
Adam and Eve did not trust God enough. Everything fell apart because of that lack of trust. Eve and Adam were naïve in how they looked at the world. Before they ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they had a childlike world view. After they ate from the Tree, they suddenly had a mature world view. They took their bites of the fruit, and they instantly became adults. Once Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden, they had to take care of themselves – they had to grow and procure their own food. They had to build their own homes and sew their own clothing. They had to give birth to children and care for them – in the garden, God created the animals and people – no childbirth was required. Adam and Eve did not trust God enough, and consequently, they needed to fend for themselves.
Jesus came to earth to invite us to trust in God again. If we look at the mistakes Adam and Eve made as the beginning of the “fall of man” or our slippery slide into sinfulness, we can receive the give of hope and trust that Jesus brought to earth with a sigh of relief. Jesus came to tell us we are forgiven. Jesus came to give of himself on our behalf. Jesus died so that we can live knowing that God loves us and that God forgives us when we mess up...when we sin.
As mature Christians, we must work on trusting God. The downfall of Adam and Eve came when they questioned God teachings and instructions to them. We must work on deepening our faith in God. We must study the word of God by reading the Bible and working to integrate Jesus’ teachings into our lives. We must remember to pray – to have conversations with God, to turn to God and talk about our troubles and our joys. We must work to see signs and messages from God – in the natural world, in the weird coincidences that occur in our lives, in the words of trusted Christian advisors, and perhaps even in our dreams. We must work to trust God, to follow God’s guidance and instructions, and to embody God’s teachings.
Even though Adam and Eve messed up, God still loved them. God didn’t decide to end the human experiment after the first two humans sinned. God removed the couple from the garden, and then made clothing for them and told them how to grow food. God still encouraged the couple and their children and all people to make good choices, to take care of each other, to protect the vulnerable and the stranger from harm, and to be kind and compassionate. We don’t always get it right, but Jesus came to teach us we are loved and forgiven no matter what. We must just keep working towards being better, doing better, and trusting God more and more.
Amen.
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