The long road from dust to glory

Weekend after Ash Wednesday

Reading

Genesis 3.20-24

The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all who live. And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife, and clothed them.

Then the Lord God said, ‘See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever’— therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life.

 

 

Reflection

We begin Lent by looking back at the first failure in the Bible. But the story doesn’t end there. From Adam and Eve – two “failures” – spring countless more stories of failure and hope, relationships and life: stories that are made possible through the lives and legacies of other imperfect, flawed and fractured people.

 

Failure is inevitable, but isn’t the end of the story.

 

All of us descendants of Eve live with failure. But throughout the Bible there is a persistent understanding that failure doesn’t have the final word. From Noah to Moses, to Jacob, to David, God’s grace means human failure doesn’t prevent us from being part of God’s people and doing God’s work.

 

All of these characters in our Bibles we look up to and learn from today have their failures, yes. But they also become part of a much larger and longer story of God’s people.

 

Challenge

Think back to the area of failure you focused on yesterday. Try thinking of it in a wider context. How has – or might – it become part of the story of God and God’s people?

Today’s family challenge

Remember any times in your life when you have felt particularly close to God

 

Have you ever felt close to God at a special or happy time? Have there been any times when life has been difficult or sad when you felt God was with you, too.