“Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave me, she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it.” So the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman replied, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”
God, Adam and Eve, Genesis 3:11-13
The original family was once united. Adam and Eve were unashamed and uninhibited in their love for one another and in their love for God. For a time all was good in the garden of Eden, the original family enjoyed the creation of God and his very presence on a daily basis. They were living the good life.
The good life came to a screeching halt one day as Adam and Eve did the one thing God had commanded them not to do, they ate the fruit of one of the forbidden trees. From the moment of their disobedience the first family experienced something they had never before experienced, brokenness. Their relationship changed form one of love and kindness to one of estrangement and accusations. They no longer enjoyed God’s presence, instead they cowered in fear as they hid themselves from His piercing eyes. The first family was lost, broken and fearful.
The hopelessness of the situation loomed large in their minds. The sadness of the situation caused God’s heart to ache. That heartache ultimately lead to Christmas.
During this season we sing a song with the lyrics “Long lay the world in sin and error pining, ‘Til He appear’d and the soul felt its worth.” The song poetically describes the grim lostness of mankind but it also reveals the the joy of God’s Christmas actions.
Our hope for you today is that you understand the reality of our collective sin and error, how it leads to our heartache. Furthermore, I hope you experience your soul feeling its worth. After all God loves you so much that He sent His only son to heal you from your brokenness!
Bonus Content:
The hymn playing softly in the background and also mentioned in today’s podcast is O Holy Night. The socialist, anti-clerical, wine and hard spirits dealer Placide Cappeau wrote these words on a stagecoach. They were later set to music by Adolphe Adam and have become one of the most recognizable Carlos of the Christmas season. Adolphe Adam called this poem “la Marseillaise religieuse” (The religious Marseillaise), but the author indicated that he never believed the words that he wrote, he died a secular humanist. It is truly amazing what God can do through us and sometimes despite us!
O holy night! the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope – the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees!
O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by his cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the Wise Men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend.
He knows our need– to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King, before him lowly bend!
Behold your King, before him lowly bend!
Truly he taught us to love one another;
His law is love and his gospel is peace.
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother,
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we;
Let all within us praise his holy name.
Christ is the Lord! O praise his name forever!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
With much love,
The Downings
I love to hear you sharing the gospel. It takes on a more understandable meaning and I learn something new every time.