October 3rd

Good Morning Meadowbrooke,

We are all part of a grand narrative—a true story—the story of redemption found in the Bible. In the beginning, the great serpent, the antagonist, entered the Garden where man and woman experienced genuine love with God and with each other. There, the serpent tempted them to rebel against God. Adam and Eve chose to eat the forbidden fruit, despite God’s clear command that if they did so, they would certainly die, resulting in a curse that affected all of creation. Their disobedience was made even more tragic by the presence of the tree of life that was also in the center of Eden next to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Life and death were before Adam and Eve nevertheless, they chose the path of rebellion, leading to judgment and death.

With the rebellion of Adam and Eve came death and the vandalization of Shalom (God’s peace).  From that point forward, every aspect of human existence would serve as a stark reminder of mortality. For Adam, he would labor by sweat and blood to bring life from the ground; for Eve, she would painfully labor with sweat and blood to bring forth life from her womb.  Yet, even amid the darkness of evil and death, God gave Adam and Eve a promise—a prophecy—that the great serpent would ultimately be defeated: “And I will make enemies Of you and the woman, And of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise Him on the heel.” (Gen. 3:15).

So, who or what is the serpent?  In The Lord of the Rings, he is the dark lord Sauron.  In The Wizard of Oz, he is the Wicked Witch of the West.  In The Chronicles of Narnia, he is the White Witch. The serpent is Lucifer, the devil, the father of lies, the accuser, and the great dragon.

Yet, in our story, there is also the Great Protagonist—the Descendant promised to Adam and Eve would be the Christ, God’s only Son, and the Lord over all life. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, He endured suffering under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. On the third day, He triumphantly rose from the dead. He then ascended into heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there, He will return to judge both the living and the dead.[1]  

After Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were expelled from the Garden of Eden and went on to have sons. However, Satan’s defeat was not sealed with Eve’s temptation; instead, he continued plotting to stop the arrival of the promised Descendant. This next chapter in the story is where we will focus our attention this Sunday. I look forward to gathering with you at our worship services at 9AM and 11AM.

Grace,

Pastor Keith