Adam's Story

Begin sermon with Adam in the midst of grieving, humming a lament.

Hello My name is Adam. I Was summoned by the request of Winfred or as you call him Dr. Neely, by the grace of our Father, His named praised. I was summoned to share my story. It is a sad story, it is a story of hopelessness. But it is a story of redemption through one promise.

When I opened my eyes I remember the first thing I saw was the face of my father. I remember the first thing I touch with his hand wrapping over mine and lifting me up. I remember his embrace. It was warm, strong. The next thing I remember was the colors. I remember a blue sky, green grass. Colors of which are rare as I am told in the city of Chicago.

*insert Chick-Fil-A joke?*

One of my favorite memories is when I saw my wife for the very first time. I thought I had strayed into a dream. The world was a perfect place back then.

So what happened? It’s a fair question.

My wife and I were walking in the garden of Eden. It was a beautiful home. We would always find new things to do, new foods to try, animals to tend to. The day our joy died was the day we walked in the garden of the trees. We were hungry and so I sought to climb a tree and grab us some fruit.

That was when I heard his voice.

It was one of the high creatures of God, a beautiful and clever creature.

He was speaking to my wife, asking if it were true that we could not eat from the trees in the garden. I thought it was a strange question to come from him. I was curious to see how my wife would respond and she did not disappoint.

My wife was zealous woman; she was eager to know and discover new things and she held to the truth with such passion. She put her hands on her hips and told the high one that of course we could from the trees in the garden. It was just the one in the middle that we were not to eat from, not even touch, or else we would die.

That was my woman.

I thought that the conversation would end there, but it did not. The creature spoke to my wife with an eagerness that made me shudder.

“You two surely will not die! God knows that in the day you eat from the tree your eyes will be opened. You will become like God, knowing good and evil.”

We would become like God.

His words were frightening. He called my Father a liar, but he spoke to something within us that made his words not so easy to dismiss.

We would become like God.

My wife was without words. I saw that her eyes were upon that forbidden tree. I admit, my eyes too looked it over with a new desire.

My wife began to walk and I followed after. The fruit on this tree were beautiful. They hung just low enough for you to reach and grab. In my heart, I knew I should have stopped her, but I thought perhaps it would not be so bad if she first took a little bite.

Our eyes stared at the fruit for a long time, it was a strange fruit. One bite and you would have all the wisdom needed to become like God. We could’ve been better children to our Father, better companions to share amongst each other the depths of all understanding and prosperity.

My wife reached, eager to know and discover new things.

She bit into the fruit. She chewed and swallowed. I remember feeling envious of her; she who took the first step into Godhood. I felt overwhelmed by her courage and strength; she was now a god worthy of worship. Yet she was a kind god, because she did not withhold this fruit from me. She offered it to me freely. I remember there was a tender exhilaration in this offering. It was the way she looked at me.

My woman was a god and my god now offered me an invitation to participate into godhood. I was there with her and I too ate of the fruit. The most terrible thing about this is, it was the most delicious fruit I had ever eaten. I remember we stood together and tore the fruit apart greedily, we smiled each other as we ate; we had become like God.

It was not until the fruit was gone, when the deed was done, that we began to feel strange. It was not like stomach ache. This ache was in our souls. I remember feeling cold, a coldness I had never before felt. I looked at my wife and found that she was staring at me in a way she had never stared before. I too found myself staring at her in the same manner.

We had realized that we were naked. We had never considered it before, but now we saw each other exposed.

Describe clothing ourselves

Immediately we ran to cover ourselves with fig leaves nearest to us. It was an experience we had never before encountered. We were filled with shame. If things could not get worse, we began to hear our Father walking in our direction.

Describe God calling out to us and our response

Immediately we began to climb one of the trees in order to hide from God. You would think after eating a fruit that is supposed to make you wise like God, you’d have a better plan than trying to hide from someone who is all-seeing and all-knowing in a tree.

Describe the blame

Describe the judgment

I remember thinking to myself, “How did it come to this?” We were so lost in despair.

What can you do when the brokenness is so severe, that life will never be the same again? Where is hope to be found in the midst

I looked to my wife, “Life. Your name is Life. For in the judgments of God, there was a promise.”

You are Life for there is life after shame, life after sorrows, life after death, life in the life giving promises of God.

Note, pain and suffering ongoing for thousands of years before promise is fulfilled. The healing of a deep pain is not a quick fix.

Hope on the promises of God