Epiphany
February 27, 2017
Scripture Reading: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘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.’ –Genesis 2:15-17
Is it human nature to want to do the only thing that you are prohibited from doing? I guess for me it depends on what the “thing” is. When I was told, I could never again wear spike heels after an ankle injury, I had no problems obeying the rule. I didn’t even consider it a loss. Trying to keep my salt intake under a heart-healthy level is a greater challenge. I love salt.
The stories of creation included in the Bible introduce us to God as Creator. Our scripture today suggests that God had to make the decision of whether to allow the ones made in God’s image to choose between good and evil and thus to face the consequences of their own actions. By introducing humans to discernment, our world became much less limited and much more dangerous. By instilling in each of us the essence of God’s love, we were given the tools for being successful discerners.
God wants the very best for each of us. God’s guidance is not arbitrary. The story of Job notwithstanding, I do not think God creates obstacle courses for us to see if we have the discipline to run them well. Just living in relationship with others provides stumbling blocks enough. My discernment about eating healthy foods is connected to my imitating God’s wanting the very best for me. Just as my concern for feeding the hungry emulates God’s loving all God’s children. It is not complicated unless something obstructs our decision making by convincing us it is more important than loving God, loving ourselves, or loving all of God’s children. Ever tasted anything seasoned with too much salt? Evil is crafty. It is most successful one salty potato chip at a time.
Prayer: Lord, guide us to live into your love as we care for ourselves and one another. Amen.