Sin is a loaded word. For those outside the faith, it’s a funny and dated religious term. For Christians, we repeat it so often that it loses its bite. Scripture reveals that sin is worse than we know. Jesus is so serious about it that he says, “If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out.” What is it about sin that’s so fatal it would require Jesus to go to the cross?
This Lent we do a soul examination, studying all the ways God describes the complex of sin. Lawlessness, adultery, rebellion . . . The cancerous nature of sin means that we need to go deeper than surface confession. The problem is worse than we know, which makes our Savior greater than we can imagine.
Invocation
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, who delivers us from all evil.
Invitation Prayer
Lord, you know the power of the evil foe. You endured his temptation in the wilderness for 40 days. Answer our prayer to “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Keep us from the devil and his schemes. Guard us from the fiery arrows of satan. Grant us life by the power of our victorious King, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Word
Genesis 3:14
“The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.”
Meditation: Watch Out! by Anna Jacob
If you have ever visited the River’s Edge section in the Saint Louis Zoo, you may have spotted a large, fake snake hanging just above one of the archways near the last area of the elephant enclosures. I keenly remembered this fact (and the fact that my oldest brother is extremely terrified and uncomfortable around snakes) during a trip to the zoo with his family a few years ago.
Right as we were approaching the area, I shouted out to him and said, “Watch out!” My brother glanced up and quickly freaked out at the sight of the snake. Needless to say he was not very pleased with me. Whereas his wife and I were pretty amused. None of us have forgotten that moment.
I asked my brother recently what it is specifically about snakes that he does not like. His response, “Their very essence.” After a little more prodding, I got him to give me a little more detail. “Their look, the way they move, how they eat, you name it.”
In this week’s reading, we see the first act of rebellion. At the center of the story is Adam and Eve who are tempted and deceived by Satan. He takes the form of a serpent and gets Eve to doubt God’s word. By this simple act of rebellion, Satan sets in motion the evil that comes into the world. Sin that would separate man from God.
It’s not until verse 14 that God curses the serpent for its action. I have often wondered what it may have looked like before this moment. Unlike my brother, Eve does not show any signs of being uncomfortable when approached by the serpent.
What things do you come across in your life that lead you to question God? Are they uncomfortable things? Does it become harder to trust God when confronted with these uncomfortable things?
Unlike the serpent who was cursed, we may face God’s judgment, but we are forgiven and freed from sin. Through Christ, we are not kept separate from him. The essence of God is that he cares and loves us despite our doubts and despite our rebellions.
Dear Lord, thank you for your daily forgiveness. Let me find comfort in you. When I doubt, help me to trust you and your word. In your name I pray, Amen.
Sending
In the face of evil, may the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.