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Roland Hearn
Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, "Where are you?" 10 And he said, "I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."
Afraid, naked, ashamed - the “post-sin” emotional and mental state of our first parents. Original, for certain, but not unique. Our sin exposes us to such a deep sense of shame that we live our lives trying to mask our fear. Our nudity is not physical so much as it is emotional. We consider ourselves as truly worthless in our natural state. Human existence amounts to little more than an attempt to hide our perception of who we truly are from those with whom we associate. There is such joy in finding a comrade with whom we can truly be ourselves. These relationships, however, involve a degree of risk and, often times, pain. We rarely find them. Some are able to come to grips with the fortress they are able to build around their understanding of themselves. Generally wrapped up in a sense of success in some field of endeavor, any field, the fortress provides an understanding of personal validity. In that place they feel they have arrived and “made the most” of life. But, how the walls will crash if tragedy strikes them. Into the scene played out with our first parents, steps God. He calls. Love reaches to bring healing and protection. A pre-cursor for God stepping into human history in the form of Jesus Christ. He alone, because of His love, has resolution for the tyranny of our self understanding. His love and life brings value for He is the only external source of value. As long as we build our fortresses, we live with the possibility of the walls collapsing and our condition being revealed. When He leads through life, clothing us with His love, we have discovered true life. ~ Roland Hearn
Daily Scripture Readings*
Ah, Father, Today, again we see part of Your reason for doing all of this. While our sin separated us from You, You could not bear the separation. You paid the greatest price that has ever been paid for people. In Your love all that is wrong has been over powered by divine intervention. You have taken what was unlovable and have made us "vessels of honor" to your glory, and our benefit. I say thank You. It's not nearly enough. But, it's the best I can do. Amen
*These readings are adapted from the Daily Office of the Book of Common Prayer, Year 2. For Year 1 readings, see Daily Readings, Advent 1. |
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