i want to start again

sunsets, new babbling man

A sermon on The Fall:

It may have been the first time, but it certainly wasn't the last. And you know what I mean…

We start here, at “The Fall.” And where else? After all, this is as far back as we can go. Our eyes have been opened, we can’t see how things were before…

This account of God carefully creating everything, zooms onto this day. We watch as the first article of the creed, happens. God, the caring Father creates heaven, earth and all that’s in-between. 

The verdant creation. All the animals of the field and birds of the air. God’s search for a suitable companion for the Adam. Finally forming another human. The barely contained joy over all that God has done; “This at last is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh,” cried Adam. 

But of course we all know what happens. 

And not because we’re biblical scholars. No. We know this story because it’s our story. 

The fall is tragic. But not only in and of itself. It’s tragic in its all reoccurrences, its many manifestations… 

This is the story that proves the old saying, “It may have been the first time, but it certainly wasn’t the last.”

After all these years, we’re still no different than the first two humans. Surrounded by all God’s goodness, we too doubt God’s good intentions…

And that’s what’s happening in this story, you know.

This isn’t a story of rebellion or Sin’s coercion. Adam and Eve don’t storm heaven. The serpent has no real power. The only power the serpent has is that of suggestion, which is the merely the lack of faith’s power…

It all starts with the serpent coming up to Adam’s companion, Even…

And before we go any further, none of this “it’s was all Eve’s fault” nonsense, guys. First, Adam already tried to throw the poor woman under the bus once, and God wasn’t convinced then. Second, the Bible is clear. Adam is there the whole dang time. He never speaks up. When he’s handed the fruit, all he does is shrug and take a bite! And another thing, Eve is described as Adam’s “helper.” You know who else the Bible describes as a helper? God. Yeah…

Now that, that’s clear up, let’s go on.
The serpent comes up. “God didn’t say…,” the snake ventures.
“That’s right,” Eve replies. “God didn’t. There’s just the one tree we can’t eat of,” or, she adds, “touch it. If we do, we’ll die.”

The serpent sees his chance, and strikes. “You will not die. God’s only trying to scare you,” the serpent lies. “Take this and you will see good and evil for yourself, God knows. You too can be like God.”

Then, Eve looks at the tree in a different way. Not as God’s, but as something to take.

Notice her evaluation, though. That the fruit is good for food, a delight to the eyes, and desired to make one wise. 

Did you catch that??? Eve already knows good!
All there is to gain from eating the fruit, is to know evil too.
Surrounded by all the goodness of God, Eve imagines in her heart of hearts that God is still holding back! After all, there’s evil to know too…

Well, it may have been the first time one of us doubted God, but it certainly wasn’t the last. Was it?

We are no different. Surrounded by all God has given us, we still doubt. Maybe God is holding back something great. After all, we think, there’s evil to know.

And just as Adam and Eve couldn’t predict, let alone bear, the consequences of their action - neither can we. 

Now they know evil. And their vision is forever changed. Now everything looks different. Had God not expelled these two from Eden, they would have destroyed it themselves with their newly tinged sight. 

It may have been the first time, but it certainly wasn’t the last, was it? After all, we know what that’s like, don’t we? 

To take something we shouldn’t, only to have our vision forever mutilated. Like the first time we lied, and then lived doomed to always look at others and wonder if they weren’t lying right back to us…

There’s more to sin’s consequences than just that, though.

These two learn to take for themselves, but now their harmony is broken. Now the two look at each other, and there is shame. Taking fig leaves and try to hide from each other, in plain sight. 

Yes, it may have been the first time, but it certainly wasn’t the last, was it? After all, we know what that’s like too, don’t we?

We also look at one another with sight tinged by self-interest. We try and hide our true selves from one other. So many people living under the weight of constantly living under the scrutinizing gaze of other’s interest. 

But the final blow comes when they hear a rustle in the leaves behind them… 

Martin Luther, commenting on this story, said it was probably only the breeze. When you’re guilty, though, you constantly expect the other shoe to drop. Adam and Eve are no different. 

They hear the trees rustling, and they bolt. Trying to hide from the one who had made everything with their care in mind. It’s sad, isn’t it?

Well, it may have been the first time, but it certainly wasn’t the last, was it? After all, we know what that’s like, don’t we?

You don’t need me to climb up here in the pulpit and convict you with your sins. Your own consciousness is doing a fine job, I’ll bet. Those times you were driving down the highway and you spotted a cop car. You foot went instinctively to the break, even if you we’re going the speed limit. We cannot escape your consciouses. 

Sin is its own punishment, isn’t it?

This story, the fall, it’s tragic. But I submit to you, this is no mere tragedy. This is something else. Something more. Don’t forget, the story doesn’t end here. It doesn’t end with Adam and Eve pathetically running.

Something happens.
God shows up. God shows up, walking. In human form…

Right when Sin threatens to ruin everything, God shows up. God doesn’t sit back to wait and see what will happen. God doesn’t leave the two to their own consequences. God shows up. Shows up walking, embodied, in human form. 

This thing God does, reverses the whole story. And I mean all of it. From Adam and Eve, all the way to you. In fact, this thing God does even transforms the old saying from a cynical observation to a Gospel shout!

It may have been the first time, but it certainly wasn’t the last.

Folks, from the very beginning God has determined to be gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 

God won’t let what we’ve unleashed, overtake us. God shows up. God shows up, walking around, in human form, calling out. Searching for terrified sinners. 

Sin may be its own punishment, but God refuses to leave you to its power. 

Even here, at the beginning. As far back as we can go. Our plight may be exposed. But so it our hope. Our salvation.

As soon as Sin and all its consequences rear their ugly head, God doesn’t lose a moment. God shows up. Shows up in human form, walking.

And that may have been the first time God showed up, but it most certainly won’t be the last. 

Two-thousand years ago, God showed up too. Walking. In human form. Searching out lost and terrified sinners. It surprised everyone. But given the first thing God did once Sin showed up, it shouldn’t have. 

And today. God is shows up today too, you know.
You may not have been expecting it. Perhaps you thought you were just going to church. You had consigned yourself to evil and all its consequences. Given the first thing God did once Sin showed up, though, you should have expected more. 

It’s the old saying all over again. Only now God has transformed it. 

It may have been the first time God showed up, but it isn’t the last.

God heals the rift. God does this by reversing the whole thing. Sending the Son to walk amongst us, to reconcile us first to God. Then, having peace with God, we finally have true peace with one another. We finally have eyes that can see good. 

We’ve seen enough evil, haven’t we? We could use seeing some good. 

God does this, right now. The reversal of the Fall happens to you, today. Do like Eve, only backward. Take the fruit! Only the fruit from the tree of life, instead; Jesus himself. 

The Holy Spirit already offered you this fruit as your sins were forgiven. 

Here’s the thing, the serpent may be crafty, but the Holy Spirit is relentless. Even now as you dare to believe that simply by taking Jesus for yourself, you could be healed of your Sin, the fruit of life is offered to you again. And that’s not all, in the holy meal, around the table, the fruit of the tree of life will be offered to you again, Jesus’ very body and blood. 

This account of the first and only sin, may be the first time God showed up, but it isn’t the last. 

This God who shows up, walking; comes for you. Just as it was for Adam and Eve, so it is for you. You can’t escape this God. This God who creates everything with care, this God who takes human flesh, hasn’t given up since the beginning, and this God isn’t about to give up now. 

Yes, you know the story of the beginning, the fall. But in Jesus Christ you also know the end. 

The God who shows up, walking, will not let Sin ruin the whole thing. This God is determined to rescue us from our sin. 

The fall may have been the first time God showed up walking around searing for terrified sinners, but it wasn’t the last. Not by a long shot. Believe me.