Choose Life All Age Worship, West Pinchbeck 110207

Gen 2.4-9, 15-end Revelation 4 Luke 8.22-25

Choices! Choices! Everywhere we have to make choices—about almost anything you care to mention. When it comes to making choices Michael and I, like every well-regulated household, tends to operate like this: Michael is the head of the household, so he makes all the important choices—like who to vote for at election time, what should be done about global warming, what the government needs to do about the health service, and so forth—and I decide about the trivial things like what colour to paint the living room, where to go on holiday, or what to see at the cinema! Perhaps some of you will recognise a similar picture from your own experience!

The book of Genesis tells us that when God made woman he took her not from Adam’s head to lord it over him, nor from Adam’s foot to be a doormat, but from his side to be his partner—and lots of men think that women have been a pain in the side ever since.

Adam and Eve had a choice to make—and they chose death.

It would be foolish to imagine that the account of the origin of things in the book of Genesis was intended to be a historical document or a scientific treatise. What we read this morning is an explanation, written in a way that we can all of us understand, of how things are between God and people and the world we live in. Most of us will find it easy to give our assent to the principles outlined there. For example:

· There is something about people that lifts us above the animal kingdom—we are not just the highest of the apes, but made in God’s image

· Each individual is special, their life originates from God; God in a sense breathes the breath of life into them

· Adam and Eve were made simply to Be (they are Be-ings), to Be in the presence of God. Their work of tending the garden was not the main purpose of their lives—their work was just something to occupy them and give them a sense of satisfaction—their purpose was to exist in God’s presence and please him

· People are made for a relationship with God, with one another, and with the natural world of animals and plants

· When Adam and Eve’s day’s work was done and they are relaxing, God seeks them out, “walking in the garden in the cool of the day”. God takes pleasure in people’s awareness of him, in their fellowship with him

It’s an idyllic picture, but one that has a long shadow over it because we know what happened next. Adam and Eve chose to dis-believe God, to dis-obey God; they chose death.

Consequently our daily reality is not this blissful picture from Genesis chapter 2, but one tainted by the human disease—SIN—which spoils everything, making daily work a grind; making our world not a garden of earthly delight but a vale of tears; and making loving human relationships more like a struggle for power.

Don’t imagine that Sin is just breaking the 10 Commandments: murder, theft, adultery, etc., and it you don’t do these things you’re quite a good person really. Sin is simply the human condition that we all experience: our fractured relationship with God, our unbelief and our disobedience. In our hearts, if we are honest with ourselves, we recognise both our capacity for the lovely relationships I outlined, and our inability to live up to them.

Shifting our focus for a moment to the Luke reading: “Who then is this; he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?” In last Sunday morning’s reading from 1 Corinthians, St Paul answers the question “Who is Jesus?”, by asserting that Jesus came to undo what Adam had done. “The first man Adam was a living being—the last Adam (Jesus) became a life-giving spirit…. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust, the second man is from heaven.” “Who then is this?” Jesus’ disciples asked each other. Jesus is the divine Son of God who came to reinstate the relationship between God and human beings that had been ruined by Sin. To cancel out by his death that act of disobedience. To restore our capacity for fellowship with God.

Like Adam and Eve, we have the freedom to choose. God could, but does not, force people into unthinking obedience like robots—he wants us to freely choose. To choose the way of life, to choose Christ. Jesus gives life (he is the “life-giving spirit”). Adam WAS alive, but Jesus GIVES life.

If you aren’t actually aware of ever having made a deliberate choice of saying Yes to God, to committing your life to Christ, then I encourage you to make that choice today, now even—choose life, choose Christ. You could do it like this: say in your heart to God, “Lord, it is my choice to go your way. I want to accept the way of life that you offer me through your Son. I want you to help me live for you from now on.”

I’ve been really struck, as I’ve been preparing this, of the simple but intense pleasure it is of just carrying on my daily life aware that God is overlooking what I’m doing in the loving paternal way that He must have watched Adam and Eve carrying out their chores in the garden. It is a pleasure to know God is there, and I think it is pleasure too to God to see a person’s intention of simply walking humbly before Him. And I’d like to suggest something we might all try and do each day this week:

* Firstly, (and this is NOT an easy thing, I know from bitter experience!), when we first wake up, instead of an inner moan: another day’s work, turning over and trying to ignore the clock—instead to think, I’m going to spend today doing my daily stuff (whatever it is) before God, aware of His presence, conscious of the pleasure He takes in my desire to live for Him.

* Secondly, when the day’s work is over and we’re ready to relax and put our feet up, to spend some time deliberately listening for God, as it were “listening for Him walking in the garden in the cool of the day”. I mean just being quiet, just aware of being in the presence of God. There’s no need to go anywhere special, just a comfy armchair with your feet up would do well—nor do I mean necessarily saying prayers or reading the Bible, though of course do so if that helps. But choose to deliberately spend some time, just a little time, each day this week, alone and personal with God.

I think you’ll love it. Who knows, it could become a habit for life!

Let’s finish with a prayer:

“Lord, we want to live for you, to live with you, but Sin so easily gets in the way. Forgive us and give us more of a desire for you. Thank you so much for sending your Son Jesus to restore our relationship with you. To him be the glory, now and for ever. Amen.”