Loving God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are not at peace until we find our home in you.  Teach us the truth by the power of your Spirit, that we might be able to see not only the reality of sin, but also the reality of your forgiveness and mercy, through Jesus Christ our Saviour.  Amen.

            Today – as you may have noticed – we only heard part of the story.  You would want to read all of Genesis 2 and 3 in order to hear the whole thing.  It is a story that reminds us who we are and how we relate to God, and to one another, and to the rest of creation.  It is a story that invites us to breathe deeply and to be aware of the breath of life that is within us that has its source in God.

         Some have called this the “earthy” creation story – where all living beings are formed out of the ground.  The plants and the trees come forth from the ground.  The man is formed “from the dust of the ground” – adam from adamah (Gen. 2:7).  The animals are formed “out of the ground” (Gen. 2:19), and the woman is formed from the same stuff as the man – “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:23).  There is God, and then there are all living beings – formed from the earth in order to serve (or work for) the earth and God.

         Yet, these same living beings – especially the humans – are formed in order to have a relationship with God.  God, it seems, would come to the garden, seeking out the humans in order to have conversations with them.  And what kind of a relationship did God want with the humans?...  God was not looking for unthinking obedience, or for beings that could be controlled or forced to do what is right.  Instead, it seems, God created us with the ability to make choices, and to make decisions, for good or for ill.

         Of course, sometimes when we are making decisions, we need to determine what is true and what is not.  The humans had been told by God that they were not to eat anything from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for if they did, they would die (Gen. 2:17).  The serpent, however, tells a different story.  “You won’t die,” says the serpent.  God knows that when you eat from this tree “your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5).  So, who is telling the truth?

         The serpent, who is apparently quite crafty, tells maybe a half-truth.  Yes, their eyes will be opened.  No, they won’t die right away.  However, they will die, and perhaps something will even die within them.  No, they won’t be exactly like God.  They will, however, realize that they are naked.  And, of course, what the serpent doesn’t tell them, is that their relationships with God and with one another and with the earth will be forever changed.  Thus, we have the first recorded campaign of dis-information.

         The problem, in this story, was not eating the fruit – which apparently was delicious.  The problem was also not the thirst for knowledge, which can be a good thing.  The problem was possibly not even their disobedience (although that is part of the problem) – as you’ve got to expect that they’re going to want to do the one thing that they’ve been told not to do.  No.  The problem, it seems, is that they wanted to be gods.  They were not content to be the creatures rather than the Creator.  They were not content to let God direct their lives.  They were like toddlers in some ways – I want to do it by myself!  Sometimes that works out okay, and sometimes, not so much.

         What seems like a simple decision – eating some fruit off a tree – turns out to be the thing that drives a wedge into all of their relationships.  Now, they are ashamed of themselves and try to hide from God.  The man blames the woman, and the idea that men should rule over women is born as a result.  The woman blames the serpent, and most women don’t like snakes much after that.  Even the earth, it seems, is cursed as a result of their actions, and people will now need to work much harder in order to be able to grow food.

         Just as often happens today, there are unforeseen consequences to their decisions.  A couple decides to use a smoke machine at a gender reveal party, and they end up starting a huge wildfire.  A family decides to have a large gathering at their home, and a whole bunch of people end up with Covid-19 as a result.  A few people decide that they don’t need to vote, and they are shocked when they hear the results the next day.

         A pastor at a United Church in Calgary said that she wished they could have had a “do over” after a number of people contracted Covid-19 at a service in March, and a couple of members died as a result.  Most of us, I think, would wish for a do over whenever we make a decision that turns out badly.  However, in most cases we don’t get a mulligan like in golf.

         Instead, we get a God who refuses to give up on us.  No matter how many times we mess up, our God longs for us to turn around, turn back to God, and receive God’s forgiveness and grace.  Even though there are consequences for sin, God continues to provide for us and to care for us, just like with Adam and Eve.

         Certainly, our relationships have been broken – with God and with one another and with the earth.  However, that is exactly why Jesus came, opening the way for those relationships to be healed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life (Jn. 3:16).

Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Pentecost 15 (NL 3)                        Genesis 2:4b-7, 15-17; 3:1-8

September 13, 2020

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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