Loving God, you created us for relationships: with you, with one another and with all creation.  Renew us in your love as we gather together today, and speak to us by the power of your Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

           Let’s begin today by being honest about what we are reading and hearing from the book of Genesis.  Many people these days consider the story of the Garden of Eden to be somewhat of a myth – an ancient story that might have once been sufficient to explain things, but that has very little relevance to the modern world.  In fact, it is a myth, but not in the modern sense of the word.  It is a story that is told to communicate some deep truths about who God is and the relationships we have on this earth.

It might also be good to acknowledge that many people today believe that science has disproved the Bible when it comes to creation.  However, this is not a claim that I personally believe to be true, and many scientists will tell you that the things they have discovered have actually strengthened their faith rather than destroying it.

         If Genesis were being written today, God might well use a “big bang” in order to get the creative process started, as well as long periods of time where things evolve along the way.  In fact, these things are entirely possible along with these ancient stories of creation. However, the point of the stories that we have in Genesis is not to give us a step by step account of how creation happened, but to introduce us to the Creator.  And the Creator that we meet in today’s reading is very “hands on,” and is all about relationships.

         The man who is formed in Genesis 2 has an obvious relationship with God, as God provides all that is needed for life and even breathes the breath of life into the man. The man (Adam) is also related to the earth (adamah), as he is formed “from the dust of the ground” (Gen. 2:7).  He also tills the ground and keeps the garden.  However, it is not good for the man to be alone.

         All living creatures are brought to Adam in order that he might name them – a task that was considered a great honour in the ancient world.  However, none of these creatures are deemed to be suitable partners for the man. And so, God puts the man to sleep, takes one of his ribs, and builds a woman from it.  Thus begins another type of relationship between Man and Wo-man – ish and ishshah (Gen. 2:23).

         I’m curious as you have heard this story today what you thought it was saying about what it means to be male or female.  So, a brief survey for you:  How many of you hear the story and assume that men are obviously more important, because Adam was made first?...  And how many of you assume that women are obviously better because Eve was a later model?...  And how many of you hear the story and believe that it presents men and women as equal and complimentary partners?...  However you may have answered this question, it is okay, because people have understood all three of these things for centuries.

         A closer examination of the story, however, reveals at least three things that point to an equal partnership.  One of these things is simply the structure of the story.  The creation of the man at the beginning and the woman at the end are like bookends in the story of the beginnings of human community.

         A second thing is the word ezer, or helper.  Ezer keneg’do is the phrase that is used in Hebrew – a helper that corresponds to him or a helper who is like him.  And, lest we should think that a helper implies a lesser role, this same word ezer is used in one of the Psalms to refer to God (Ps. 54:4), as in, “God is my helper.”

         The use of a rib also reinforces this complementary role.  There is a well-known quote from Matthew Henry that goes like this:

 The woman came out of a man’s ribs. Not from his feet to be walked on, not from his head to be superior, but from his side to be equal, under the arm to be protected, and next to the heart to be loved. (Source: goodread.com)

Martin Luther also picked up on this in the letters he wrote to his wife.  He often addressed them to “Kitty, my rib,” and even jokingly referred to her as “Herr Katerina” (my lord Katie).  He knew who was in charge when it came to running the household!

         A third thing that points to God’s original intent as an equal partnership is the placement in the story of the naming of Eve and the first mention of a man ruling over a woman.  Both of these things occur after sin has entered into the world – after the Fall, if you will.  It is Adam who names Eve (Gen. 3:20), something that indicates predominance, and the husband ruling over the wife is also mentioned after relationships have started to break down (Gen. 3:16).

         God’s original intent, however, is communicated in Genesis 1 and 2 – men and women as complementary partners who are both created in the image of God and who are not ashamed to be “open, vulnerable and naked to one another” (Spill the Beans).  In fact, isn’t that what we still long for? – not the naked part, but a lasting, trusting relationship with another human being without the need for shame?  This, too, is God’s intent for us.

         Yet, as most of us know so well, sin gets in the way.  It destroys trust and creates shame and destroys our ability to have life-giving relationships with God and with one another.  This is why Jesus came along and formed a new community that would “fish for people” (Mk. 1:17; Jer. 16:16).  He came to destroy the power of sin with love and to restore our relationships with God and with one another.  He did this by becoming a link between heaven and earth, that all those who put their trust in him might have life in all its fulness.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Pentecost 13 (NL 2)                                    Genesis 2:4b-25

September 7, 2019

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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