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Pentecost 3/B

Genesis 3:8-15

They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, 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?’

The man said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’

God said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’

The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.’

Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this that you have done?’

The woman said, ‘The serpent tricked me, and I ate.’

The Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.’

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.

Dear Friends,

Grace and peace to you.

Back in December of 1987, during my last year at Luther Seminary I enrolled in a short course on rural ministry. I had heard that 54% of Lutheran churches were in rural areas, and 77% of first-time pastors went to those rural churches. So, I figured this course just might help me have some idea of the challenges that could await.

It was a great course. We spent time at the Minneapolis Grain Exchange and the State Agriculture Department. We visited with officials from the Farm Credit Bureau and CENEX.

One week of this course included a field experience: being assigned to work with a pastor in a rural setting, and living on a farm. I was assigned to Elbow Lake, Minnesota and Pastor Paul Pederson. Paul did a great job of immersing me in the culture and color of rural life.

We spent time each morning in the local cafes, visiting with everyone who came through the door. I attended church meetings in the evenings which were always followed by “lunch” which consisted of sandwiches, green jello, homemade pickles, donuts and coffee.

There were two days in this rural ministry class that are still prominent in my memory, all these years later. One was the privilege of spending a day with the local veterinarian, Bob Hagen.

Having grown up with a dog and spent a few days each summer on a friend's farm, I did have some clue as to what a vet did, but I had never experienced any of it firsthand.

It wasn't long after Jim dropped me off at the clinic that we were in Bob’s pickup truck, heading to the Lindloff farm. They were one of only a few dairy farmers in this grain farming county.

It was time for a regular vaccination of the Lindloff's dairy herd and a "pregnancy" check of the cows. Coming out of the seminary in St. Paul, I had forgotten my coveralls and rubber boots, but Dr. Bob was kind enough to outfit me before I accompanied him into the barnyard. It was a bright, mild December day, warm enough so nothing was frozen. Bob introduced me to Farmer Lindloff and we were off to work.

The cows were ushered out of the barn and into a stanchion, where they would be secured for the vaccination and "pregnancy" test. My job was to operate the gate to release the cow after all necessary tasks had been performed.

You might imagine the determined haste with which the cow departed the stanchion after having the pregnancy test performed by the arm of a good sized man. Suffice it to say the coveralls were helpful - and a large hat with wide brim would have been appreciated.

Then there was the second memorable day of this class. During the week, I had the privilege of living on two different farms. My first host was James Carlson, a bachelor, who, as an only child had taken care of his parents until they died and now continued on the family farm.

With a penchant for electronics, post-it notes and toothpicks, his house was like nothing I had ever seen. James knew the back roads of the entire county, and every time we went somewhere he took me down another road.

That Sunday, I was to visit both churches that Pastor Paul served - the Norwegian one in the country and the Swedish one in Elbow Lake metro.

The Norwegians had their service first - at 9am. James was Swedish and went to the church in town. So he sent me off with hurried directions to the Norwegian church in the country. Now remember, he knew the country roads like the palm of his hand. I on the other hand, who had been confused every time we got in the car, managed to get completely lost.

Driving around with great haste, frantically trying to get my bearings and with a hollow feeling in my stomach, I never made it to the little Norwegian church where I was to assist with the worship service. By about 9:30 I managed to find my way to the Swedish church in town where I hid from everyone, waiting with great embarrassment for Pastor Paul to show up. Luckily, when Paul did arrive, he had humorously played up my absence with the Norwegians and was looking forward to letting the Swedes in on my trouble.

In trouble. Depending on who you are, being “in trouble” can mean a variety of things.

*If you're a kid, it can be the result of disobeying mom or dad.

*For a teenager, it can happen from staying out too late.

*If you're a teacher, it can mean having to deal with uncooperative students.

*If you're the accountant in your home, trouble can mean a shortfall in the checkbook at bill-paying time.

*For farmers, trouble comes in the form of breakdowns, infestations, frost, and drought.

I think it's safe to say, that no matter who we are - no matter what age we are - or what occupation we're in - or where we live, we all have times in our lives when we get in trouble. Times when our lives become disrupted. When we're faced with a crisis, or some kind of stress. Times when we have to adjust our lives. When we have to change and adapt to some new element that's been thrust, often unwillingly, into our lives.

*For the child or teenager, it often means accepting the discipline of parents.

*For the family bill-payer, it can mean sitting down with creditors to square away one's finances.

*For the farmer it may mean having to use sprays, losing a crop, or worse.

Regardless, trouble disrupts. Trouble interrupts. Trouble challenges us to rethink and change.

And the common denominator of all trouble, is that not one of us is immune to it. All of us, sooner or later get into it. At some point in our lives, most of us daily, and I include myself in that group, have to deal with trouble. It's a fact of life. Things fail. Relationships break up. We break down.

The Bible reading from Genesis, the third chapter, offers us some guidance in dealing with trouble. Specifically, Genesis shows us how God responds when we get in trouble.

This bible story from Genesis has gotten into its own trouble from time to time. Attempts to use these verses to understand the origin of evil, or to place blame on God, or each other, for the origins of sin have been unhelpful.

Some of you have heard sermons on these verses or received instruction that stresses the shame of the first humans, and therefore the shame of all of us before God.

Other people look to this Bible story and want to focus on the serpent's curse and ask questions which are impossible to answer. Just the other night, I watched a television preacher equating Adam's hiding from God in the Garden to the way the alcoholic hides behind the bottle.

Suffice it to say that the greater learning in this story is how God responds when we get in trouble.

This is precisely the claim of Scripture today: That God - the One who created us, knows us and watches over us responds in times of trouble and uncertainty.

In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve have just eaten from the tree of the forbidden fruit - eaten what they weren't supposed to.

God had given very specific instructions to leave that tree alone, and if they did eat from it, they would immediately die. So after eating, they withdrew and hid in the trees. They knew they did wrong. They feared big trouble was headed their way. So they hid.

God, in the meantime the Bible tells us, is out in the garden taking a walk and enjoying the trees in the evening breeze. God created the trees specifically to enjoy their beauty, we learn in a previous verse. I like to picture God enjoying this evening stroll and to make the evening even more pleasant, God looks for that man and woman who had been created to enjoy the garden too. But on this evening, the pair isn't out enjoying the creation. They've gotten into to trouble, big time, and now they're hiding from God who told them not to eat of that tree.

God calls out to Adam, "Where are you?" That's it, "Where are you?"

Of course, God knew where they were. Of course, God knew exactly what tree they were hiding behind. God had created these two humans with God's own hands. They were God's children. It bothered God that Adam and Eve had been disobedient, and so God went looking for them.

Now, I don't know about you, but whenever I was in trouble as a kid, my mother never just said, "Where are you?"

But with Adam and Eve, God simply calls, "Where are you?"

There's no threat, no demands, no anger expressed. Nothing more forthcoming but the simple question, "Where are you?"

God doesn't step into Adam's trouble and berate, accuse or sentence. But God also doesn't come in with some big miracle and instantaneously right a wrong situation, either.

All God did was to help them know where they were. God said, "Where are you? Stop for a minute and look at where you are, Adam, and what has just happened."

God gently gave them a place to start, in their going from a position of trouble and helplessness, to one of wholeness.

What marvelous examples today for us, this Adam and Eve - for those times when we get in trouble. During those times when we get confused and mixed up. When we withdraw into hiding like Adam. Times when we don't know what to do. During those times when we are at a loss to figure out what the problem is that got us into such dire straits.

Remember God's words to Adam, "Where are you?"

We are God's children. God made each one of us. God cares when we get ourselves into messes. Like a good and loving parent, God wants to help us in such a way so we can figure out how we got into trouble. God wants to help us in such a way that we don't make the same mistake again and again. That's how God helps us.

Finally, what is the outcome of God's assistance? It's getting on with business. Simply that. In the case of Adam and Eve, nothing miraculous came of God's help. God provided them clothes so they wouldn't have to be embarrassed in their nakedness. God enabled them to get back to the business of living.

Of course, they had to move to another neighborhood. God helped them even in that, and they continued on. In the same way God wants to help us, only insomuch as it will help us to get on with our lives.

God knows we have families, duties, jobs and dreams. God knows we don't like to spend our entire life wallowing in a state of confusion or despair or trouble.

That's why when God sees us in trouble, God says, "Where are you, Kurt?" "Where are you, Chris, Tom, Nancy?" "Where are you my child?"

Friends, God knows we get in trouble. It's part of life. But even better, God wants to help us see our way out of our trouble.

Remember that. And may God give to each of us, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, to see us through our difficulties and towards peace and wholeness with God and each other.

Amen.

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