Where Are You?

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:1-9 ESV).

 

There have been many reports over the years as spring storms spurn tornados and flash floods detailing the destruction of homes. This is not an uncommon news report in our area. In fact, just two weeks ago we had a tornado touch down two miles from our home. Mary and I were anxiously watching the news as they tracked the storm just northwest of us. I grew up in Galveston and hurricanes were the common weather of our area. In 1963, Carla blew in and devastated the island with twelve feet (not a typo) of water covering our part of the island. We lived above our grocery store/meat market and I watched the storm from the bedroom window. It was quite terrifying. Many people lost their homes and businesses. In addition to their destructive impacts on nature, disasters like these have long-term effects on the many people whose homes and towns they destroy. If we lose our home, we lose not only a place to live but also a sense of security and belonging.

 

Our reading today is the story of the first humans who lost their home because of the fall into sin. The devil tempted Adam and Eve with the false promise that they could decide better for themselves and did not need to listen to God. But that was a lie, and their fall into sin brought judgment and death for us all. As a result, humanity is now homeless, and we cannot make our own way back to the security of God’s presence. However, just as in the first sin, God comes looking for His children, even when they are hiding from Him.

 

We still struggle under the effects of sin today. In this world we are cut off from God, and even our best human efforts fall short of repairing broken relationships or creating the paradise we long for. But God is not finished with us. God graciously provides for us so that we can survive away from home. And he asks still, “Where are you?” giving us an opportunity to recognize our homelessness and to follow the path to return home through his Son, Jesus Christ. Are you ready to come home?