Wednesday prior to Lent 1

 

[1]

Genesis 3:1-21— In the Old Testament lesson we learn that yielding to temptation is a sin as Adam and Eve yield to temptation. Before temptation, the human person was good, in fact – perfect. He said, felt, and did no wrong. This is God’s intention for the human family. In God’s sight, this is what it means to be human. Since the fall of humanity, he constantly yields to temptation and sins to the point of total depravity – sin permeates his whole being. Because of this, he needs to be redeemed and reconciled to God that he may live as he was originally created.

The LORD simply asks, “Where are you?” v.9 This was not the interrogation of an angry commanding officer, but the heartfelt cry of an anguished father. God obviously knew where they were but He also knew a gulf had been made between Him and man, a gulf that He Himself would have to bridge.

 

· The question was meant to arouse Adam’s sense of being lost.
· The question was meant to lead Adam to confess his sin.
· The question was meant to express God’s sorrow over man’s lost condition.
· The question was meant to show that seeks after lost man.
· The question was meant to express the accountability man had before God.

God’s question demanded an answer. They couldn’t refuse to answer God the way a criminal might keep silent when questioned. “In our courts of law, we do not require men to answer questions which would incriminate them, but God does; and, at the last great day, the ungodly will be condemned on their own confession of guilt.

The way God came to Adam and Eve is a model of how He comes to lost and fallen humanity ever since.

· God came to them patiently, waiting for the cool of the day – the evening time.
· God came to them with care, coming before the darkness of night.
· God came to them personally, addressing Adam and Eve directly.
· God came to them with truth, showing them their lost condition.[2]
 

Collect for Ash Wednesday: Lord, protect us in our struggles against evil. As we begin the discipline of Lent, make this season holy by our self-denial. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen[3]

Almighty and everlasting God, You despise nothing You have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and contrite hearts that lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness we may receive from You full pardon and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.[4] -22 February 2023

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[1] Woodcut by Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld, a nineteenth-century German artist known especially for
his book ‘The Book of Books in Pictures’ ©WELS permission granted for personal and congregational use.
[2] https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/genesis-3
[3] Collect for Ash Wednesday, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, Vol. III © 1995 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi,  NY
[4] Collect for Ash Wednesday, Lutheran Service Book. © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis