THIS IS US

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The couple made a feeble attempt, by the works of their hands, to patch a few leaves together to cover the magnitude of the moral shame they felt.

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Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. – Genesis 3:20-21

An oncologist knows all about cancer and how to treat the disease without experiencing it himself. This third chapter of Genesis tells us God knew all about sin and how to deal with it, yet sin remains outside of him. God never experienced sin. Why do you think God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Well, Adam and Eve had a perfect relationship with God in a perfect paradise, and sin was outside of them. When Adam and Eve were tempted, and ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, sin became internal, experiential, and brought on unfortunate consequences. In these verses, God just finished pronouncing consequential curses; one on the serpent, one on the deceived Eve, and one on the rebellious Adam when he made clothes to cover both of them.

Beauty and bliss filled the garden. Adam and Eve were rightly related to the creator of the universe. God was the center of their glorious world. But, as a result of the fall, Adam and Eve decided they should become the center, be the judge of good and evil, and take charge of their lives. After that point, there was no way back – no way to restore the innocence and fellowship they once had. The couple made a feeble attempt, by the works of their hands, to patch a few leaves together to cover the magnitude of the moral shame they felt. Yet, it is impossible for them by their own efforts to make themselves righteous enough to stand before a holy God.

God knew Adam and Eve needed restoration and healing from outside themselves, and God reveals his heart in this chapter. God compassionately comes to the garden to find Adam and Eve. He comes to gently restore broken relationships, and tenderly cover them with animal skins. He gives them hope. He never says “get over it and let’s move on.” He comes to reconcile the sin even after he’s been the one supremely offended by their repulsive act. The pronouncement of these curses and the making of the coverings is called the protoevangelium. It’s the very first promise of the coming of redemption. Hope comes when the Creator himself provides clothing. This is a foreshadowing of the provision of a Savior who would take the curse, upon himself, for sin. The death of the animal eludes to the death of the God-man, Jesus, who will forgive sin and his blood will cover shame and guilt. Use this prayer to ask God to forgive you for putting anything in the place that is rightfully his alone and praise Jesus for being the sacrifice bringing you back into right relationship with God and others.

 

Gracious God, our sins are too heavy to carry,
too real to hide, and too deep to undo.
Forgive what our lips tremble to name,
what our hearts can no longer bear,
and what has become for us a consuming fire of judgment.
Set us free from a past that we cannot change;
open to us a future in which we can be changed;
and grant us grace to grow more
and more in your likeness and image,
through Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Amen.

 From the PCUSA Book of Common Worship
Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1993; p. 88

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By Donna Burns

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Let’s be proactive about battling our natural quest of dominance

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¹⁶ To the woman he said,
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be contrary to your husband,
but he shall rule over you.”

 

Power. Influence. Control. We might not admit the desire for these within our hearts right away, but they’re there. Unfortunately, they’ve been there since this little incident in the Garden of Eden. We all want our voice to be heard. We want our influence to count for something. We want control over big and small things in our lives. And they often rear their ugly head in a quest for dominance.

Just look around during a heightened political season. The very word ‘politics’ entails a quest for dominance, whether it’s governing politics, work politics, church politics or marriage politics. Whether you’re in a position of leadership or being lead, you certainly have opinions, principles and beliefs you wish to live by. Whether you’re prone to persuade others or prone to avoid conflict, your heart is bound to feel this battle inside.

So, it’s no surprise when this quest of dominance comes out in our closest relationships. It’s no surprise when we read, “Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you” (Genesis 3:16). No matter what relationships we find ourselves in, we experience this to one extent or another. Our sin brings out the battle raging inside. Instead of fighting together for a shared mission, Adam and Eve begin to turn against one another focusing on their contrary and competing desires. Instead of working toward a common purpose, they both desire to ‘rule’ or gain a sense of control. Instead of uniting hand-in-hand, they turn to stand fist-to-fist. Let’s be proactive about battling our natural quest of dominance and jump in to serve hand-in-hand at South Fellowship Church so that our kingdom mission becomes greater than any individual one. Log onto South’s website to see the opportunities to serve together.[/vc_column_text][us_separator height=”25px” size=”custom”][vc_column_text]

By Yvonne Biel 

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in our mistakes and errors, we look for others who we can blame for our bad choices

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⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” ¹¹ He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ¹² The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” – Genesis 3:8-12

 

Because of my dad’s job, we moved around a good bit. This helped me learn how to make friends quickly. There were times where friend-making worked splendidly, and there were times when it didn’t. I can remember one friendship in particular. We were playing heartily as boys do when bugs and frogs are involved, and the vigorous playing led to really muddy clothes. We were going to his house, laughing at each others’ appearance and amazed at how much of the terrain stuck to us and our clothes. When we arrived, we were met by his mother at the porch and she started to get after my friend, who immediately turned, extended his arm and index finger at me, and declared that it was my fault and that he didn’t want to play in the mud in the first place – a total fabrication. His mother looked at me, told me to go home, and said she would reconsider my being friends with her son. People sometimes say the meanest things.

Genesis 3:12 seems to carry that same tone. Adam looks at God, realizing what he’d done, and gesturing towards Eve in the same manner as my friend did to me. And, this from the man who, just a few verses before, voiced the first love poem by humankind for the very woman he was pointing at in disdain. The woman he loved so dearly, the gift from God’s hands, made from his side, was now the person receiving his anger and blame. All because he made a choice to take the fruit and eat it too. He couldn’t ‘own’ his choice. Just as my friend’s mother could have known her son was playing at his own choice, God knew the truth. Both were guilty and at fault.

How true this is with us, today. Often, in our mistakes and errors, we look for others who we can blame for our bad choices. Just like the young boy, when someone directs the focus of a wrongdoing towards us, our first reaction can be that of directing the blame onto others. We have to wonder how often this comes back on us after blaming others. This isn’t right. We need to take ownership of the things we do wrong, confess them, and refuse to blame others for our mistakes and transgressions. Consider those times where you’ve wrongly blamed others and confess them to your Heavenly Father, seeking the forgiveness he freely gives.[/vc_column_text][us_separator height=”25px” size=”custom”][vc_column_text]

By Rich Obrecht

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All too often we run from relationships of intentional vulnerability because we’re afraid – afraid of being fully known, fully exposed

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Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” ² And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, ³ but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” ⁴ But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ⁶ 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. ⁷ Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” – Genesis 3:1-9

 

Imagine reading Genesis 1-3 for the very first time. This may be difficult if you’re familiar with the narrative. But, this is one of the most dramatic and poetic texts in all of Genesis. You’ve read about the beauty, perfection, stillness, and goodness of God and his creation. You’ve just read about God’s intentionality, his loving and intimate interactions with his new creatures, and his magnificent gift of human peace and pleasure. You’ve reached the pinnacle of relational intimacy in the last line of chapter 2, “the man and his wife were naked and not ashamed.” They’re fully known and fully loved.

But then, the story shifts. Suddenly a new character enters – a villain, a serpent, a devil. He begins by questioning God and probing into the fabric of goodness and pleasure and freedom God so perfectly designed. As the narrator continues, you might find yourself cringing inside as the suspense builds all the way up to the point where their eyes are opened. They look around and they see their nakedness. But this time, they feel shame.

Shame enters the picture. Adam and Eve go from the freedom of peaceful and pleasurable intimacy into the muck of shame. In fear, they run from the closeness they once shared. They hide from each other and God – those who truly love them. It’s incredibly poignant as they cover their vulnerable parts as an outward action of an inward reality. Instead of freely living in the ideal, they now experience the real – a life of covering, a life of hiding. This is the reality we live in as well. All too often we run from relationships of intentional vulnerability because we’re afraid – afraid of being fully known, fully exposed. Today, identify those relationships in your life where you are deeply known and still loved. If you have a few of them, write your friends a note of thanks for loving you in vulnerable times. If you cannot identify any, spend some time with Jesus asking him to help you identify where fear or timidity might be hindering you from experiencing authentic love.[/vc_column_text][us_separator height=”25px” size=”custom”][vc_column_text]

By Yvonne Biel 

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Every time we choose our own wisdom, we are severed from the tree of life

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 Read Genesis 3:1-21

To eat or not to eat? That was the question. At dinner, we always have two choices for our kids; take it or leave it. As one reads through the narrative in Genesis 1 and 2, the same question stirs within Adam and Eve. But, why did God offer the option to disobey? Why would God create a tree that Adam and Eve were never supposed to eat from and then place it in the center of the garden? Without choice, humanity would’ve been held captive by God. Adam and Eve wouldn’t have had to choose to follow him. They would have been something more like robots, created to do whatever the controlling designer manipulated them to do. God never wanted robots, he wanted love.

The promise of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was wisdom. Even God told them, “It will make you wise.” Wisdom is praised as a good thing throughout the scriptures. So, why is the wisdom this tree offers a bad thing? The wisdom of this tree was wisdom independent from God. Adam and Eve were designed – hard wired – to be in relationship with God. He was to be the source of wisdom. They were designed to walk with him, talk with him, and learn from him. In a sense, God was both their mentor and their God. The choice to eat of the tree of wisdom was to forfeit a life connected to God. When they chose to chase their own wisdom, they were severed from the source of God through the tree of life.

Every time we choose our own wisdom, we are severed from the tree of life! We live with the same choice in front of us every single day; will we choose the tree of our own wisdom and reject the wisdom of God, or will we choose the tree of life? When we choose our own wisdom, we put ourselves above God. This happens subtly when we decide that our ways are higher than his ways and our thoughts are better than his thoughts. The ‘tree of life’ looks different now. The ‘tree of life’ now looks like a wooden cross. The ‘tree of life’ looks like dying to one’s self and living with Jesus (Mark 8:34-35). When we choose that tree, that cross, we find out what it means to truly live. However, choosing the wooden cross run contrary to the wisdom of the world. As Paul so poignantly wrote, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). Just like in the case of Adam and Eve, the choice is ours. We live between two trees.

Begin your day by offering this prayer of dependence to God:

 

I need Thee every hour, Most gracious Lord; No tender voice like Thine Can peace afford.
I need I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee; Oh, bless me now, my Savior! I come to Thee.
I need Thee every hour, Stay Thou nearby; Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.
I need Thee every hour, In joy or pain; Come quickly and abide, Or life is vain.
I need Thee every hour, Teach me Thy will; And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.
I need Thee every hour, Most Holy One; Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.
By: Annie S. Hawks 

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By Ryan Paulson

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Adam and Eve were completely known by each other, and they were not ashamed.

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 ²⁵ And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

 

Have you ever had one of those ‘underwear at school’ dreams? They’re so humiliating! In those hazy moments before your mind is awake, shame grips you, and you think, “I can never go back to school again.” Then, as your mind begins to wake, the realization that it was all a dream rushes in with a wave of relief. Nakedness is one of the most vulnerable situations a person can be in. Brené Brown, a shame researcher and outstanding voice on the subject, tries to help people understand the difference between humiliation, guilt, and shame. A humiliating moment is when one thinks, “I did something bad” whereas a shameful moment is when one think, “I am bad.” There is a huge difference.

This week, we’ve explored intimate relationships in the ideal. Today’s text shows us that God designed us to be “naked and not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:25). But, before we all move to one of those strange nudist colonies, let’s find out what is really going on here. I believe reducing this passage to a text about the appropriateness of physical nakedness between a husband and wife would be a mistake. When reading biblical narrative, especially Old Testament narratives, it helps us to remember the importance of every single word. In a time when parchment and ink was expensive, writers would only include the most important details. We must ask ourselves why the author of Genesis includes this sentence in this account of creation.

I believe this sentence is less about physical nakedness and more about vulnerability. Adam and Eve were completely known by each other, and they were not ashamed. Remember the context of this sentence. God just declared everything about creation as good or very good – all accept Adams alone-ness. The creation of Eve was God’s answer to Adam’s need for human relationship and this sentence is part of God’s answer as well. Evidently, Adam needed to be vulnerable, and so do we. Adam and Eve were vulnerable before God and each other which fulfilled something deep in their humanness. We also need to be fully known and loved in a place of vulnerability. One of the ways we can fight for God’s ideal in our lives is to seek healthy places to be vulnerable. For further contemplation on this, find some time to watch this Ted talk about the Power of Vulnerability.[/vc_column_text][us_separator height=”25px” size=”custom”][vc_column_text]

By Aaron Bjorklund

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There’s a deeper truth hidden beneath the chaos.

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²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Walking past the gallery, I saw numerous people standing and staring. I stopped to see what they were looking at. The pictures looked like chaos, they looked random, they didn’t seem like anything that should draw a crowd. It was a gallery filled with ‘Magic Eye’ pictures. Technically, they’re called autostereograms, which allow some people to see 3D images by focusing on 2D patterns. The viewer must un-focus their eyes to see a hidden three-dimensional image within the pattern. ‘Magic Eye’ compelled this group that day. Perhaps, because there’s more going on than meets the eye. There’s a deeper truth hidden beneath the chaos.

In the wedding ceremony in Eden, God says, “They become one flesh.” That word ‘one’ is translated from the Hebrew word ‘echad.’ It’s a graphic, weighty word. When you combine it with the word ‘flesh,’ it basically means “glued together at the deepest levels.” It’s God’s way of saying, when two bodies come together in the act of sex, there’s a fusion of both body and soul that takes place. It’s not just a physical act, it’s an emotion investment, a spiritual deposit, and a physical coming together. There is a oneness that sex creates that cannot be described or understood merely by looking at the physical. There’s more going on than meets the eye.

By God’s good design, sex is about so much more than sex. It’s about two people becoming one. It’s the reason Paul has such strong words about guarding our sexuality. Read what he says to the church in Corinth. “Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, ‘The two will become one flesh.’” (1 Corinthians 6:16) Paul is not down on sex, he’s fighting for the joy of the church in Corinth. He longs for them to drink deeply of the gift of union and intimacy – a gift they are called to express only in the confines of marriage covenant. He knows the power of sex and he’s calling them to preserve that beauty and power for the only relationship that will feed their joy. He knows there’s more going on than meets the eye.

When Paul makes the statement that marriage is a picture of the church, he invites us to picture the intimacy that takes place in a marriage as illustrative of the intimacy God wants with his church (Ephesians 5:31-32). He wants union. He wants oneness. We’re invited to imagine afresh what intimacy with the Father, Son, and Spirit is meant to be. We’re called to think through what it means to be part of the body of Christ. There’s more going on than meets the eye. Today, take some time and pray for greater intimacy. If you’re married, pray for intimacy that is more than skin deep. Married and unmarried, take some time to pray for greater intimacy with Jesus. Use this prayer of Saint Teresa of Avila as a guide.

 

A Love Song
Majestic sovereign, timeless wisdom,
your kindness melts my hard, cold soul.
Handsome lover, selfless giver,
your beauty fills my dull, sad eyes.
I am yours, you made me.
I am yours, you called me.
I am yours, you saved me.
I am yours, you loved me.
I will never leave your presence.
Give me death, give me life.
Give me sickness, give me health.
Give me honor, give me shame.
Give me weakness, give me strength.
I will have whatever you give.
Amen

 

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By Ryan Paulson

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In order for true union to occur, there must be a leaving and a cleaving.

²⁴ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

 

This past Sunday, Pastor Ryan spoke on marriage in the ideal. When we read Genesis 2, we get the picture perfect idea of marriage in the garden. We see the incredibly special union between Adam and Eve coming together side-by-side, arm-in-arm, body-to-body and heart-to-heart. In this poetic description of marriage, the author includes two note-worthy phrases, “man shall leave his father and his mother,” and “man shall hold fast to his wife.” Sometimes, people refer to this as the ‘leave and cleave principle.’

These phrases seem a little ironic seeing as neither Adam nor Eve would’ve had a father or mother to leave. But, that’s why this principle is so important to pay attention to. It was intentionally written to apply to the structure of covenantal union from that point on. In order for true union to occur, there must be a leaving and a cleaving. The creation of something new requires breaking off from the old, and committing to holding securely onto the new. This is frequently a stumbling block for new marriages. When one spouse is not willing to create a new family, because they’re still clinging to former ways (i.e. family of origin), it becomes difficult to reach complete unity.

We hear similar language in the covenantal union between God and us. In order to fully enter something new with God, the old must be abandoned. New Testament writers say, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (1 Corinthians 5:17). In order to become new, we’re instructed, “to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,” (Titus 2:11-12) and “to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, run with perseverance the race marked out for us “(Hebrews 12:1 NIV). Whether married or single, we’re all invited into the leave and cleave principle. As you think about your union with God, what might you need to let go of in order to enter his grace even more fully?

By Yvonne Biel 

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Strength was lost only to be regained and extended by the creation of Eve. 

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¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” ¹⁹ Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. ²¹ So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. ²² And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

²³ Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”

 

After God sees that it isn’t good for Adam to be alone, he sets Adam to the task of naming all the creatures in the creation.  Imagine the immensity of that task!  While we’re not privy to the actual names he gave, it’s nevertheless something that would overwhelm most of us. Then, in all that naming and looking at the animals, and perhaps even watching them interact, none could end the loneliness of Adam. No animal could to make relationship complete.  There was no right match.  The level of personal relationship necessary for Adam to avoid loneliness, in God’s eyes, couldn’t be found in any of the animals that went before him.

Many translations speak of this search and use the word ‘helper.’  No ‘helper’ could being found.  Perhaps we can discover the truest meaning of this word ‘helper’ in light of what God does to resolve Adam’s loneliness as well as in Adam’s response.  While Adam was in the deep sleep, brought on by God, God removes a rib from his side, and fills in the space with flesh.  It is important to realize the significance of the rib and where it was taken from.  Our rib cage, in the everyday life of humans, provide protection.  They ‘guard’ the organs that reside in the chest.  The lungs and heart are protected from injury by the ribs, and the lower ribs protect other organs from damage that might come from the side.  Notice how the rib is taken from the side of Adam, not his front or his back. From these, we see two things Eve provided Adam. Eve was his companion. She was at his side – not in front or behind him. Eve was also his protection. She provided a mutual protection so together they might fulfill what God intended.  We might also consider the vulnerability in Adam given the ‘surgery.’  His side was weakened by the removal of the rib.  Strength was lost only to be regained and extended by the creation of Eve.

Now, notice Adam’s response to his new-found ‘helper.’ He communicates the precious nature of Eve, captured in the words, “bone of my bone” and “flesh of my flesh.” He recognizes the deep bond forged with Eve. She is part of him and he is a part of her. They exist with an intimacy only observed within the triune God before this moment.  Marriage can be the most beautiful experience a man and a woman can share, providing strength for each other.  As you go through your day, think of a married couple who provides you with an excellent example of this story. Write them a quick message to encourage their marriage.[/vc_column_text][us_separator height=”25px” size=”custom”][vc_column_text]

By Rich Obrecht

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 We were made for one another

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Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” – Genesis 2:18

Loneliness is epidemic. According to Stephen Marche, in the May 2012 Atlantic, loneliness is the result of the breakdown of American society. He wonders how this can be when the “web of connections” has grown broader while somehow remaining shallower, and he concludes individuals are now more isolated than ever before while being more accessible than ever imagined.

As we look into the creation of man, we see that humans are made in the image of the triune Godhead and made as social beings. All of creation was declared good and very good until God saw Adam’s loneliness. When God sees that Adam is in need of human fellowship, he declares being alone, “not good.” It seems loneliness is a natural human experience before the fall, but our human condition is social. So, alone-ness is a reality. It is possible to be alone even with others, or in marriage, but we were made for one another. God acted out of his love and compassion, meeting this need by creating a woman for companionship. She not only shared Adam’s life in marriage, but in communication, in his work, and in responsibility as well!

We all experience loneliness at one point or another. But, what do we do when we feel lonely? Well, you can start by acknowledging your creation as a social being. You’re designed for a vertical relationship with God, and he is always with you. He doesn’t want you to be alone. God can be your friend when you find yourself alone. But, you’re also designed for horizontal relationships. You can ask God to help you reach out to another human being. It might feel difficult, but it will be worth the push that’s needed to contact someone. Remember, God made the first move and you can too. Reaching out to someone else could become a special connection between you both. Trust God to satisfy your social needs just as God did Adam’s. South Fellowship is starting new LifeGroups called Rooted. Give yourself the gift of fellowship by signing up for one today.[/vc_column_text][us_separator height=”25px” size=”custom”][vc_column_text]

By Donna Burns

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