Returning To God And Becoming Human Lent 1 February 10, 2008

(First read the text for this sermon: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-17)

You may know that there are two creation stories in Genesis. The stories are so different in all of their details that only thing they share in common is the Truth they tell: that God has created everything; and that God is in control.

The first creation story is in chapter one of Genesis. In this story, water is so plentiful that it’s a danger! The first thing God does is to bring order to the water. This first story is organized by a seven day structure. That’s very famous. But in this first story, there is no serpent. There is no Adam and no Eve. In the first creation story, after everything else is created, God creates all human beings at the same time as the crown of creation; God’s final creative act.

We read from the second story this morning. That’s the story which begins with chapter two, verse four. There are no seven days in this story, which was obviously produced by a desert culture, because there is very little water. The earth is dust. The very first thing God creates is one single man. Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God gives the man his work: to take care of the garden and to cultivate the plantings so that the garden will become fruitful. It is work that is integrated into the rest of creation, in harmony with the natural world. And God gives the man only one rule: “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die."

What a wonderful privilege is given to the man! He is given the work of caring for creation! God gives him only one instruction: to be a human being. That thing about not eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? That’s simply an instruction not to try to be God, but to be the human being that God created him to be.

This morning’s reading picks up the passage later in the story. By now, one single woman has been created, because the man was lonely. Sexist interpretation aside, according to the story itself, the woman is not created to be subservient to the man! She is created to be a helper as his partner. Now, think about that. A partner, of course, is an equal! “A helper as [a] partner” is a divine model of interdependence and mutuality and equality! That is how God created us human beings to live with each other.

One more thing. We read, And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed. There is complete openness and honesty and trust.

So, now, look at how God has created life to be lived. God is God. The human beings have been given to each other, in community. And they have been given the most fulfilling work there is: nothing less than taking care of all that exists!

And now the story really gets interesting. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.' "

So far, so good, huh? The woman has deflected the serprent's misleading question. She is repeating from the catechism she learned in confirmation class. But watch out now! Here comes trouble. But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Do you see how the serpent portrays God to be a manipulative Being? How interesting!

And do you see what the primal temptation is, the temptation at the root of all sin? It is to be dissatisfied with being human, as we are created to be. It is to want to be like God. When human beings try to be like God, we really screw things up. We think the whole enterprise depends upon us, and so we are incredibly hard on ourselves. We are unable to open up to grace, and to be forgiving towards ourselves and others. This sinfulness shows itself in its worst ugliness when we give in to the temptation that we know what’s best for individuals, and even nations. We become domineering over others. Sometimes we even start wars! What emotional and physical death and destruction results when we try to be like God.

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Do you notice that the story says nothing about what kind of fruit this is? The fact that most people think it’s an apple? We’ve made that up! But here’s the result. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

Alas. Remember that openness and honesty and trust? It’s been destroyed now. Now the human beings are motivated by fear. Now they feel the need to protect themselves. “CYA,” y’all!

There’s a wonderful image of God, in the next verse? God is enjoying the garden God has made. God is taking a stroll as the sun is going down, as the heat of the day is letting up. Watch what happens. They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" He said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"

Now. Remember that I said the human beings feel the need to protect themselves? “It’s not my fault!” right? God asks, “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" And what does the weasily man say? "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate."

Way to go, big guy. Way to take personal responsibility for your actions. But then, the woman doesn’t do any better. She’s just as good at passing the buck. We read, Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent tricked me, and I ate."

The rest of the passage offers explanations for common human experiences, in story form. Why do snakes slither rather than walk? Why are many women afraid of snakes? Why is it painful for a woman to give birth to a child? Why do so many men hate their jobs? All of that is in the next verses of this marvelous story.

But I want to center on this: everything would have been fine, if the human beings had been content with being human, as God created them to be.

It’s a story, of course, that plays out every day, among human beings. Why do you and I so often become angry, and impatient, and anxious, and defensive? It’s because of sin.

Sin is not, in its most important sense, anything that we do. Sin is the condition of brokenness – of being broken apart from God, and from other human beings, and from the awareness of what is fulfilling in our work. In our brokenness, we are prevented from receiving the grace and mercy that God our creator longs to give. We are blinded to the fact that eternal life has begun. We are less than human.

Repentance means turning away from all that. It means re-turning to the God of grace who created us.

And so, I invite you into this holy season of Lent, which is filled with grace! God uses the themes of this season to invite us to repent; to return to God; to become the human beings God created to be. The result of such repentance is deep joy!

In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Pastor Andy Ballentine
St. Stephen Lutheran Church
Williamsburg, Virginia