Top Ten Reasons God Created Eve

If you missed church on Sunday, or just wanted to remember the opening joke, here it is:

Top Ten Reasons Eve Was Created

10. God was worried that Adam would frequently become lost in the
    garden because he would not ask for directions.

 9. God knew that one day Adam would require someone to locate
    and hand him the remote.

 8. God knew Adam would never go out and buy himself a new fig leaf
    when his wore out and would therefore need Eve to buy one for him.

 7. God knew Adam would never be able to make a doctor's, dentist, or
    haircut appointment for himself.

 6. God knew Adam would never remember which night to put the garbage
    on the curb.

 5. God knew if the world was to be populated, men would never be 
    able to handle the pain and discomfort of childbearing.

 4. As the Keeper of the Garden, Adam would never remember where he
    left his tools.

 3. Apparently, Adam needed someone to blame his troubles on when 
    God caught him hiding in the garden.

 2. As the Bible says, It is not good for man to be alone!

 1.  When God finished the creation of Adam, He stepped back, 
     scratched his head, and said, "I can do better than that!"

From http://www.yuksrus.com/religion_adam_and_eve.html

Snake in the Garden

Genesis 3:1-7New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The First Sin and Its Punishment

3 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’?” 2 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 middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,[a] 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 loincloths for themselves.

The grace of God is central to my theology.  Without grace, we have no hope for a right relationship with God.  Some Christians tend to equate God's grace as a New Testament concept, with the God of the Old Testament being the God of wrath.  For these, it is as if God was angry and jealous until he became a parent, at which point God became loving and merciful.  Yet, the first act of grace in Scripture appears to come from the first book of the Bible, and involved the first 2 humans.

The story tells us that Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, where they did not have to worry about what they would eat or how they would live.  Food grew in abundance in the Garden, and while they were naked, they were not aware of their nakedness, and were, therefore, not ashamed.  In the garden was a tree, whose fruit was forbidden to Adam and Eve.  They had been informed by God that if they ate of the fruit, or if they simply touch it, or they would die.

One day, the serpent, which walked upright and talked at the time of Adam and Eve, spoke to Eve and asked her, "Did God really say you cannot eat of the fruit in the garden?"  Eve replied that they could eat of all the fruit except for the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, telling the serpent that it would kill the humans.  The serpent informed Eve that she would not die, but that her eyes would be open, and she would know right from wrong and become like God.  The fruit looked desirable, and the the serpent's arguments made sense.  Who wouldn't want to be like God, after all.  She took a bite of the fruit, and it was good!  Meanwhile, Adam appeared and questioned his wife about what she was doing.  Eve shared the serpent's information with her husband, and being the dutiful spouse, Adam also ate of the fruit.  Immediately they knew they were naked, and they were afraid.  The Scripture tells us that they sewed fig leaves together to make loin clothes, which is humorous, as fig leaves are poisonous to people, causing a rash which can last for weeks!

Then it happened.  They heard the voice of God in the garden, and they were afraid, so they hid in the bushes.  The Lord called out and asked where they were, and Adam responded that they heard God coming, they knew they were naked, and they hid.  God asked Adam how they knew they were naked, questioning whether they had eaten of the tree with the forbidden fruit.  Adam's response to God is that of many men today who find themselves in trouble--"The woman YOU put at my side, she gave me the fruit!"  The interrogation now turns to Eve, while Adam breathed a sigh of relief, believing he was off the hook.  The woman quickly pointed out that the serpent had tricked her.  At this, God begins to explain the consequences of their actions, starting with the serpent.  The serpent would no longer walk upright, but would slither on its belly, instead.  The woman and her offspring would hate snakes, and snakes would hate people.  Humans would strike at the heads of the snakes, and snakes would strike at the heels of the humans.

Next, God turned attention to the humans.  Eve was told that her desire would be for her husband, and that she would bare children as a response.  She was also told that having children would be painful.  Finally, God tells Adam that the ground will now be filled with weeds and thistles, and that Adam would have to work the land in order to eat.  Life would no longer be a picnic for the humans.

This is where the punishment ends, and I believe many loose sight of the act of grace present here.  God makes clothes out of animal skins for the man and the woman, presenting them something less irritable and more lasting than fig leaves.  God then sends them out of the garden to keep them from eating from another tree, the Tree of Life.  This tree offered immortality, something that may seem appealing in a perfect world with no suffering and no work, but something that would be dreaded by people who suffer.  By sending the two away from the Garden, he gave them an end to their suffering.  This is truly Good News!

You see, we are like God, in that we know the difference between good and evil.  We are like God in that we have free will.  We are not like God in that we do not always to do the good.  There is suffering in the world.  We have to work to succeed.  Yet there is an end to our earthly suffering through death.  This is a gift from God, and the first act of grace in Scripture.

Holy Thursday and the Forgiveness of Sins

In recent years I have had a shift in my theology.  It is a shift which has to do with the forgiveness of sins, and it centers on the so-called Last Supper.  Further, the shift is a result of Jesus' revealing who would betray him.  You see, at the Passover meal, Jesus broke bread for all the disciples, and likewise shared the cup with all of the disciples.  As he passed the cup, he said that it was his blood poured out for the New Covenant and for the forgiveness of sins.  Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus, was present at that meal.  As I understand it, then, Judas, who had already been paid to betray Jesus, received forgiveness of his sin!  If Judas could be forgiven, how much more can we receive forgiveness of our sins?

Now, some have told me in response to this idea that Judas was forgiven of his sins prior to actually turning Jesus over to be crucified, and I see that is a valid interpretation of the Scripture.  Those who disagree will point out that Jesus said of Judas that it would have been better for him to have never been born.  I respect this interpretation, as I said, but offer a few thoughts in response.  First, in the Passion of Christ we see the humanity of Jesus for the first time.  For example, in the garden he prays, "If it is possible, Lord, take this cup away from me."  He asks his Father if he can take the earthly way out.  It is significant for us to see this humanity.  It is critical that we see Jesus, though wanting to escape the pain and humiliation of the arrest, trial and execution, turns to the divine, fulfilling the plan of the Great I Am.  We receive the grace of God through Jesus Christ through his ability to let the Divine overcome the human.  But the human aspect still struggles within him.  I argue that when Jesus told Judas it would have been better for him to never have been born, that this was the humanity of Jesus speaking out.

However, the greater reason I believe in the forgiveness of Judas' sin has to do with an argument I once heard.  A very anti-Semitic Christian was arguing with a Jewish-Christian in a Bible Study.  The Anti-Semite referred to the Jewish-Christian woman as a Christ Killer, to which she retorted that it was the Romans who crucified Jesus.  Back and forth they went, trying to decide who really killed Jesus.  As they argued more and more passionately, I found myself intrigued.  Finally, I burst out a response to the 2 of them which I would like to say was my own profound utterance.  However, the response actually came from God!  My response was that they were both right, but that they also both were guilty of crucifying Jesus Christ.  You see, in order to participate in the Forgiveness of Sins, we need to first realize that we all sin.  Anytime we have turned our backs of Jesus Christ, we have, in essence, participated in driving the nails into his hands.  When we turn the backs on those whom Jesus calls the least of his brothers and sisters, we turn our backs on Jesus, himself.  And When we turn our backs on Jesus, it is our own betrayal of our Lord!  Unless we realize our sins, we cannot participate in the forgiveness of those sins!

So today, as we remember the Last Supper and the betrayal of Jesus, let us also remember our own role in that betrayal.  Let us reflect on the times we have turned our back on the Least of Jesus' brothers and sisters.Let us repent of that sin, and recognize that it is our action our failure to act that makes us like Judas.  Let us receive that life-giving cup of forgiveness, that we may truly understand what forgiveness of sins means.

In grace and peace,

Michael

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

29:1 These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

29:4 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:

29:5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce.

29:6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.

29:7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.


Growing up on the Delaware River in Titusville, New Jersey, I remember hearing the story of the Presbyterian minister who lived in the manse on River Drive.  Once, the rains came hard and the river swelled, filling, then overfilling its banks.  The waters came to the porch of the manse, and the fire department drove by, telling the old minister that he needed to evacuate.  However, the man would not leave, saying, "The Lord will provide, the Lord will provide."  Hours later, a rescue boat greeted the man at his second story window as the flood waters continued to rise rapidly.  "Come with us to safety, reverend."  Yet again he replied, "The Lord will provide.  The Lord will provide."  The last the man was seen, he was on the roof of the house, ankle deep in water, holding on to the chimney for dear life.  This time the rescuers came via helicopter, but he refused to go, saying "The Lord will provide.  The Lord will provide."


Now the man found himself at the entrance to the pearly gates, much to his surprise.  He was met by the Lord, himself.  Indignant, the preacher rebuked God, saying, "Where were you?  I had faith you would save me?  How could you turn your back on me?  Why didn't you help me?"  God looked at the old man and said, "I tried!  I sent a fire truck, a boat and a helicopter!"


Sometimes we are so focused on the idea of God that we miss the truth of God.  The people in Jeremiah's time had been warned that their lack of sincerity in worship would lead to the fall of their nation, that they would become exiles in a foreign land.  Yet they continued on through their selfish ways, continuing to have the form of religion without the function of faith.  Babylon was knocking at their door, and had destroyed everything in her path.  As this fierce nation began its siege on Judah, only part of the city fell.  Some of the people were hopeful, believing that God had caused the aggressor to stumble.  Those who were not displaced by the attack felt that God was pleased with them and had delivered them. 


Yet Jeremiah knew better.  He knew the stopped attack was only temporary.  God had been speaking through him for some time, warning Judah to turn from her ways, warning that a foreign power would destroy her.  So he spoke again, hoping the people would understand the veracity of their situation.  He told them to build gardens in this foreign land, to marry and have children here, then to marry off their children in the land of Babylon.  In other words, he told the people they were going to be there for a long time.


However, prophets also offer hope.  He told the people that despite the fact they would be foreigners in a foreign land, the time would come when they would be able to return home.  While their action brought them into this situation, God's act would deliver them at the right time.


I like this.  Too many times people think they can just pray away a situation.  We all have been where the people of Israel were at one time or another, whether it was self-induced or the result of actions beyond our control.  It might have been the death of a child or a spouse, or the destruction of a relationship.  It might have been the result of losing contact with God or turning to additions to fill our spiritual voids.  Whatever it is, though, this much is true:  when we keep our eyes on God, God brings us home.  It may not happen right away, but it does happen.  God's desire is for the creation to be good.  God does not want for us to suffer.  God wants us to have life, and to have it abundantly.


Now, in this world, sometimes we do not have that abundant life.  But in God, through faith in Jesus Christ, we know that there is a life to come where we cannot suffer, where we have that abundant life.  In that place, there are no more Babylons, no more sins, no more suffering.  Like the people of Israel who were in Babylon for the long haul, we are in this life for the long haul.  We need to make the most of it.  We need to live for the good that is here, and fight against the injustices that are around us.  We need to live life focused on God, rather then focused on the suffering that sometimes separates us from God.  We must do this because, like the people of Israel, we are going to be returned home.  We just need to live our faith.


Don't be like the people of Israel or the minister who fell victim to the flood waters.  Believe in God, believe in his Son, Jesus Christ.  Through this belief, you will find that God will bring you home.  Thanks be to God!

The Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-13)

I've been writing a blog about training for a marathon (http://austinmarathonman.blogspot.com) for the past several months, and have enjoyed this quite a bit.  I've made reference to sermons a few times, as I am also a minister, and have decided that I would start a preaching blog, as well.  While I hope readers get something out of my musings, I am doing this for me, as it helps me to process my thoughts during the sermon preparation process.  In a somewhat humorous twist, however, I am starting my sermon blog the week before taking a vacation, so the sermon will not be preached.  However, I have to start some time, so here it goes.


I tend to preach from the New Revised Common Lectionary, a 3-year, multi-denominational guide for ministers.  For each week, there is a reading from the Old Testament with a complimenting Psalm, a New Testament Reading, and a Gospel Reading.  There is somewhat of a theme most Sundays, and some ministers use multiple texts on a given Sunday.  I, however, tend to focus on just one, and it is usually not the Psalm.

For the week of September 19, 2010, the text I would have chosen is Luke 16:1-13, sometimes referred to as The Parable of the Shrewd Manager.  In this passage, Jesus tells the disciples about a dishonest man whose boss finds out that he has been squandering the boss' money.  So, as any good boss would do, he calls the manager in for an accounting.  The manager, believing himself to old for manual labor and too proud for welfare, decides he needs to do something, and do it quickly!  So, he calls in all those who hold accounts with him, asks what they owe, cuts that amount in half, and makes the debtors happy.  The boss, hearing of this, is impressed by the man's shrewdness and his attempt to get into the good graces of his debtors.  You see, even though the property owner was likely losing money in the process, he was impressed at the resourcefulness of the manager.  And in fact, he may not have been losing money, anyway.  As the manager, this employee had a right to charge extra for goods, similar to charging interest, as a way of making money through the deal, so he may have been doing nothing more then cutting his losses to get back in the good graces of the boss and the debtors.  Whatever his mindset, the man was working hard to secure his future, either with those who owed him money or with his boss.

Jesus ends the parable by making a strange comment:  "for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.  And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes."  Is Jesus saying, then, that we should be dishonest with our transactions?  Is he really telling us to make friends for ourselves with dishonest money?  I am not sure that this is the case.  In fact, I believe that what Jesus is saying is that not that we should be dishonest with money, but that we should learn from those who are.  They are looking to their future, trying to find ways to secure a safe haven for themselves, making friends through deals.  What do we, as "honest" Christians do to secure our future?

The simple answer has to do with how we live in the present, as well as how we prepare for the future.  It is, in a manner of speaking, a parable about asking for forgiveness.  The manager is asking the forgiveness of those whom he overcharged in the past by cutting their debts in half.  In so doing, he is securing his future with those whom he has sinned against.  Jesus' response is that if the dishonest manager is smart enough to ask for forgiveness to keep himself from digging ditches or going on welfare, how much more should we be willing to ask for forgiveness to secure our eternal glory?  Jesus is saying to the people that the children of the world, i.e. the non-followers of Jesus, are less proud and more willing to act rightly to secure their futures then are the children of the light, who are supposed to be humble!

Where are you?  Are you like the shrewd manager?  Are you looking to your future in this life by manipulating your earthly accounts?  Or are you like the so-called children of the light, who simply believe that Jesus will take care of it all?  Or are you perhaps somewhere in-between, realizing your sin and asking for God's forgiveness, securing your salvation in the future?  We do this not to earn our salvation, but in response to our salvation.  The difference between the shrewd manager and us is that it costs us nothing to secure our future, save belief in the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ.  What a small price to pay for an eternity of peace!