Lent
February 27, 2023
Scripture Reading:
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.” ’ 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.’ 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. 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.
Have you ever wondered why we are so hung up on our sexuality? Are our attitudes toward sex the heredity left to us by our Puritan ancestors? Or does it go all the way back to the scripture that says Adam and Eve were tempted to eat the fruit of Good and Evil? They were awakened to their nakedness. Indeed, knowing the difference between good and evil sets humans apart from other animals. As the creation story begins, humans were made in the image of God, indicating that we were set apart as sentient beings—marked by the stimulation or exercise of the senses or of conscious perception*. The challenge of the Genesis story is that procreation with conscious perception is necessary if the world God created is to thrive. It was the first instance of God calling humans to partner in God’s work to care for the earth and everything in it. Taking that step may have created the necessity for humans to discern good from evil, but its success also requires us humans to comprehend good from evil and practice the good in all aspects of our being. Sex in and of itself is not evil or shameful. It is like all parts of our lives are susceptible to the evils that confront us, like lust for power, greed, misogyny, etc.
Prayer: Lord, open our eyes to the evil that misguides us in completing our responsibilities of building your beloved community. Amen.
*https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/sentient
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.