This week in our online reflections, we think about the story of Adam and Eve. (Genesis 2:4 & chapter 3)
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+2%2C+3&version=GNT
We thought about the garden and all that we need is close at hand for us. Water, companionship, food, air and space to live, work and play.
We thought about the snake and the temptations we have in life.
We thought about how God has created all that is good in the world and that no matter what, God never leaves us.
So today, let’s think about Adam and Eve. Considering these two starring roles is even more crucial as we live out our days in this pandemic. Here we have Adam. A person created by God. Here we have Eve. A person created by God. They could easily be you and I.
Now, we have a script. In the link above, the version has this section titled “Human Disobedience” but what if we removed that title and simply read the text.
There’s a talking snake… who basically has Eve re-stating the rules to him. “We may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree in the middle of it. God told us not to eat the fruit of that tree or even touch it; if we do, we will die.”
Then the snake replies, “That’s not true; you will not die. God said that because he knows that when you eat it, you will be like God and know what is good and what is bad.”
And in the next sentence, it says “she thought how wonderful it would be to become wise.”
What if this section was titled “Humans choose wisdom”? With any choice we make, there’s always a consequence. The consequence of wisdom is the revelation of good and evil. The consequence of listening to a snake over God, from what is written here, is pain and suffering. No wonder people think they have done something wrong when their life gets harder. It all comes back to this. And yet we should realize it’s not what God gives us. It’s not what God wants. In the story of Adam and Eve, it’s merely the beginning of humanity. In our own stories, including the pandemic, it’s merely a part of living in this universe. There will always be natural disasters, illness and disease, pain and suffering, good and evil. Our earth, bodies, minds and souls have to fight off things in the world that come at us.
So what can we do with it all? Well Adam and Eve didn’t just go off sobbing into a new world, deeply regretting what they had done and wishing they could go back. They lived. They moved forward. They accepted what was and I hope they knew God was still with them.
The question I pose today, regardless of the consequences that are laid out in our reading, would you choose wisdom and eat from the tree? Would you have resisted? What would be your choice? Why?
A song for you today “God is Love” posted by Ali Auburn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWhrzbcHcnI
A prayer for your day:
God, I give thanks that you give us choices in this life. Help us to always be mindful that each choice we make, good and bad, has consequences. But we ask that the choices we make in life help us to strengthen our relationship with you in some way. Be it in learning from mistakes or being reassured that we did the right thing. Help us to pause and come to you before we make a decision, so that we can hear your calling within it. Be with us, O God, in our world today, tomorrow, and always. Amen.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+2%2C+3&version=GNT
We thought about the garden and all that we need is close at hand for us. Water, companionship, food, air and space to live, work and play.
We thought about the snake and the temptations we have in life.
We thought about how God has created all that is good in the world and that no matter what, God never leaves us.
So today, let’s think about Adam and Eve. Considering these two starring roles is even more crucial as we live out our days in this pandemic. Here we have Adam. A person created by God. Here we have Eve. A person created by God. They could easily be you and I.
Now, we have a script. In the link above, the version has this section titled “Human Disobedience” but what if we removed that title and simply read the text.
There’s a talking snake… who basically has Eve re-stating the rules to him. “We may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree in the middle of it. God told us not to eat the fruit of that tree or even touch it; if we do, we will die.”
Then the snake replies, “That’s not true; you will not die. God said that because he knows that when you eat it, you will be like God and know what is good and what is bad.”
And in the next sentence, it says “she thought how wonderful it would be to become wise.”
What if this section was titled “Humans choose wisdom”? With any choice we make, there’s always a consequence. The consequence of wisdom is the revelation of good and evil. The consequence of listening to a snake over God, from what is written here, is pain and suffering. No wonder people think they have done something wrong when their life gets harder. It all comes back to this. And yet we should realize it’s not what God gives us. It’s not what God wants. In the story of Adam and Eve, it’s merely the beginning of humanity. In our own stories, including the pandemic, it’s merely a part of living in this universe. There will always be natural disasters, illness and disease, pain and suffering, good and evil. Our earth, bodies, minds and souls have to fight off things in the world that come at us.
So what can we do with it all? Well Adam and Eve didn’t just go off sobbing into a new world, deeply regretting what they had done and wishing they could go back. They lived. They moved forward. They accepted what was and I hope they knew God was still with them.
The question I pose today, regardless of the consequences that are laid out in our reading, would you choose wisdom and eat from the tree? Would you have resisted? What would be your choice? Why?
A song for you today “God is Love” posted by Ali Auburn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWhrzbcHcnI
A prayer for your day:
God, I give thanks that you give us choices in this life. Help us to always be mindful that each choice we make, good and bad, has consequences. But we ask that the choices we make in life help us to strengthen our relationship with you in some way. Be it in learning from mistakes or being reassured that we did the right thing. Help us to pause and come to you before we make a decision, so that we can hear your calling within it. Be with us, O God, in our world today, tomorrow, and always. Amen.
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