Genesis 3.1-7 John 1.1-14
Over the summer we are going to be looking at the Bible, not as a series of disconnected stories as it can often seem, but as one big narrative. A couple of weeks ago Freddie introduced the theme, and today I am starting right at the beginning, with Genesis. Here’s a timeline to help us see how it all connects up, taking us from Genesis all the way to the book of Revelation which we will reach in September. Each week we will check what point in the story we have got to, but we will also see how Jesus stands at the centre of all the stories. The material for our sermons comes from the Bible Society.
Mark Twain said “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you found out why”. Humans come with a longing for purpose and meaning. We want to know where we have come from – and maybe that’s why there’s so much interest in looking up our ancestors and finding out what our DNA says about us.
The Bible gives us our origin story in Genesis, which means beginnings. It’s probably helpful to read Genesis, not as a textbook but as an artist’s impression. It doesn’t set out to tell us exactly how the world came into being, but why. Scientific origin stories on their own imply that the world is accidental, and that we are just random material that has gained consciousness as a by-product of evolution. Genesis tells us that we matter!
Genesis says that God called order out of chaos, and if we think about the beauty of the natural world, its order and symmetry and interconnectedness, we do not see random chance! If you come across a beautiful garden, you look for the gardener. If you are served a delicious meal, you expect a talented chef, not a random explosion in the kitchen! This is not a random world. And none of us are accidents.
The Bible introduces us to the artist of all the beauty we see, and affirms that we are here on purpose and for a purpose. Each one of us is made in the image and likeness of God – each one of regardless of gender and nationality and aptitude is precious and uniquely valuable. The story of Adam and Eve tells us that we are made for God. He breathed his life into us, and made us for relationship with him and with each other. It is not his purpose that we should be alone – he gives us family and community to share and reflect his love.
Because God did not make us simply to enjoy his world – he gave us a mission, to be stewards of creation, and to be creative ourselves in his pattern. Art, science, agriculture, even industry, should be an outpouring of God’s creation through us. We are called to reflect God’s goodness into the world.
In Ely cathedral, there is a mirror on a trolley, so that tourists can admire the wonderful ceiling, which has detailed paintings on it, without getting a crick in their necks! This is our job – to reflect the beauty above in our world below. But what happens when the mirrors turn away? What happens when we look instead at ourselves instead of God? Adam and Eve stopped trusting in God’s goodness. They interpreted his commands as restrictions and they rebelled against what they saw as control not love. In a desperately sad moment they took matters into their own hands.
Now our son Matthew , who many of you have met, likes to claim that if he had been Eve, he would never have taken that apple. Well, maybe you think you would have done better than Adam and Eve too! But can any of us say that we have never been tempted to do the wrong thing? Do we always stand firm in the face of temptation? Of course not! The story of Adam and Eve is our story! Each one of us gets fed up with being good, and kind and nice on a regular basis – each one of us is disobedient. But it’s not just about being good. Adam and Eve thought they knew better than God. They thought they could manage without him. We all do the same – we cut ourselves off from God’s love.
But God is the source of all love – so what happens when a whole world of people turn away? Love can no longer flow freely. People get hurt, and there is no forgiveness. People get angry and there is no reason to stop behaving badly. People are selfish and only rules can restrict them. When we turn away, we don’t have access to God’s generous overflowing love. Only he can heal and restore, only he can fill up our empty hearts and equip us to love like he does.
God has not given up though – right from the beginning of creation Jesus was involved in our world, as we heard in the gospel reading. Even in the story of Adam and Eve, there is a hint of God’s purposes in Jesus. As God throws Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden, he says that Eve’s offspring will crush the head of the serpent, who will bite his heel. So Jesus is wounded, taking into himself the poison of our sin, and redeeming it on the cross. From the start of the story, God intends to rescue us, to turn us back into the light of his love.
We begin our adventure into the story of the Bible knowing that we are created on purpose, for the purpose of reflecting God’s love into the world.
In Psalm 139 God tells each of us:
I have examined your heart
And know everything about you.
I know when you sit down or stand up.
I know your thoughts even when you are far away.
I am with you when you travel
And when you rest at home.
I know everything you do.
I know what you are going to say
Even before you say it.
I go before you and follow you.
I place my hand of blessing on your head.
That is awesome!
Let us pray:
Father God, we thank you for your awesome creation, the wonderful world you have set us in. Thank you that you love each one of us to overflowing. Thank you that you invite us all to reflect that love wherever you take us. Please forgive us when we turn away from you and help us to learn to trust in your love, whatever we are going through.
We pray in the name of Jesus, who came to show us that we are forgiven and made new. Amen