In Search of Eden – Journey to the Cross Week #2

Restoration. It’s something our world has sought for millennia. Looking for all the ways to heal itself. To seal the cracks. Seeking perfection. Wholeness. Fulfillment. Connection. Love. In essence, we’ve been searching for Eden.

Last Wednesday, we looked at the very beginning of the Easter story. The before that prefaced Creation and the Love that brought our world and humanity into being and placed them in a beautiful home – the Garden of Eden.

Eden. It was perfection. An idyllic paradise. The place where God communed with His people in undisturbed harmony. A place of wonder and discovery, of laughter, and resplendent beauty. It was complete.

But unfortunately, it would not stay that way.

Paradise would be lost as Lucifer, disguised with the body of a serpent stole into Eden. Once crowned son of the morning, but now cast down for his rebellion, he sought only to destroy what God had called “very good”, to lead His people astray. And so, with twisted words and deceitful tongue, he enticed mankind to follow in his footsteps and taste the fruit of disobedience.

And as they swallowed the lies, they experienced brokenness for the first time. Their union with God was severed and their assurance of their place in Creation was shaken. Where they had once been secure in God’s Love, they now suffered shame, fear of rejection, and distrust. Where they once enjoyed connection with each other, there was now disconnection and discord. Where they once had clear mission and purpose, they now faced uncertainty. Where once was abundant provision and contentment, came a life of toil and hardship, survival by sweat, blood, tears. Where they once had peace, they now lived in the shadow of fear. Where freedom once reigned, they were now enslaved.

With one act of disobedience, sin blossomed and Eden, the unimpeded communion, the unspoiled beauty and newness of life, was shattered.

Humanity remains pierced by those shards, the echoed wounds passed down from generation to generation. Searching for a way back to what was. Searching for Eden. Our need for a Saviour evident in the ways we’ve tried to fill the void.

We’ve exchanged our God and Creator for a pantheon of counterfeits that appeal to our senses and feed our insatiable appetites. We look for love in all the places that do not satisfy. Seeking connection like the parched crave water. Trying to mend the ever present fractures in our relationships. Unable to fill the aching emptiness in our souls.

In our pursuit of purpose, we’ve become mired in perpetual labor, desperate to uncover our worth, and to answer the question “Why am I here?” We strive to fill our storehouses, our fear of lack propelling us. And regardless of what we have, we continue to chase the elusive dream of “enough”. We’ve fallen prey to the myth that pleasure is a suitable replacement for joy. Our peace remains as fleeting as the warmth of winter sun. Enslaved by our own passions, our fears, and by darkness itself, our own attempts to restore Eden have failed.

But, God…

In His mercy, He did not walk away from the Creation that had rejected Him.

Before mankind had even tasted of the forbidden fruit, the answer to our brokenness – the Seed of Redemption – had already been planted, ready to come forth at the appointed time.

Jesus stood poised to enter the realm of our fragmented fragility and stretch His arms wide to bridge the chasm separating us from God before the rift had even formed.

When Adam and Eve were sent out from Eden, they didn’t go without hope. They went with the promise of Redemption. And in His Grace, God would continue to proclaim His Love and reveal His Faithfulness through all generations that would follow. Reminding His creation that Restoration was coming. That even from the shattered wreckage, the beauty of Eden would be one day be restored.

And though darkness reigned and shadows haunted the littered shards, the Light was coming!

This week, let’s take some time to look at the Cross through the lens of our brokenness. Recognizing our sin and what has separated us from God and accepting our need for a Saviour and Redeemer. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to examine our lives and show us any areas that we have not surrendered to Him – the broken places that we are still trying to mend ourselves.

Until next time…