Genesis 3:14-19, Ephesians 5:8-14

Recently I have been listening to a CD recording of Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything." If you have read it yourself or heard it read you will know that it is about the origins of the universe, and the history of the study of the world's beginnings. The distances in space and the aeons of time that are referred to are almost too big to contemplate: hearing them left me feeling amazed, with a sense of awe that the God to whom we are singing and praying today is the creative force behind all of it.

Between 2000 and 3000 years ago our ancestors in the faith tried to express this awe as the beginnings of Genesis were written down and preserved. The first chapter of Genesis is very familiar to most of us, with its careful ordering of time and matter and its emphasis on the goodness of creation. As the account ends with a description of the creation of humankind in God's image we are left with a profound sense of blessing ? the world is a good place and is itself the location in which we can know the blessings of God. One of those blessings is the Sabbath ? the opportunity to rest and contemplate the beauty around us. It is a gentle beginning to the story of the world as we know it. Everything is under God's control and God has provided a garden full of every good thing for humankind to enjoy.

In focussing on the environment during this Lenten period I am asking the question as to how much do we integrate a concern for the natural world into our times of worship and our ethical expression of faith. In our Sunday services we usually try to have a good balance of private devotion and outward focus ? remembering and contributing to the needs of others through prayer, offering and sometimes other sorts of actions. But we don't often extend that concern beyond our human relationships.

Let me read to you a poem:

I think the vastness of distance and numbers in relation to the earth, let alone the universe, numb our brain to the beauty and wonder of our planet. But scaled down to such a perspective as the "earth ball" poem offers gives a new sense of wonder. A few years ago we used a song by the Melbourne songwriter Fay White in one of our Sunday school anniversary services - I was reminded of the words again as I read the poem "Earth Ball". The first verse goes

If we were to think of our world as a living being, like we are, maybe we would be less apathetic. We know our environment is in danger but we don't really live according to that knowledge, perhaps because the pace of life and the speed of change we are used to don't allow us to notice the much slower changes to the earth. We accept too easily that the beauty of the created world has begun to fade.

Here are some words from another poem, or perhaps prayer:

("Dirty World," author unknown)

Even in the bible wonder is lost and reality sets in all too quickly. By chapter 3 of Genesis the language has turned from blessings to curses. The beauty of the created earth has turned to thorns and thistles. By chapter 4 the human evil of murder is present. By chapter 6 there are divine plans to wipe out creation.

But let's not move too quickly. We read today from the middle of chapter three, often called "the story of the Fall". It has been fairly standard in biblical studies to divide the first chapters of Genesis into separate entities - two creation stories and a story of the Fall. And indeed the two versions of creation probably arose in different eras of Israel's life ? the first while the nation was in exile, rising from the ashes of defeat and disappointment to assert that God was still with them, still in control, much greater than any of the gods around them in Babylon because God was the creator of All the World. The second account seems to reflect an earlier time in their history, when a new royal consciousness was emerging, where the issues of power and freedom were paramount. And yet despite their diverse backgrounds, these texts flow logically from each other and belong together. Genesis 1 tells the cosmic story, Genesis 2-3 puts the human creature into that world ? God's world, with God's other creatures, living on God's terms. What are the implications of creation by this God for humankind? What is the human's destiny in this world?

It's important to know the Hebrew words used in these chapters to understand the relationships between humans, other creatures and the earth. When the human creature is first made, the word used is adam. We are familiar with the names of Adam and Eve and so immediately relate adam to the male creature. But the Hebrew term is more generalised, and relates to the ground from which the human was formed - in Hebrew "adamah". So the adam is taken from the adamah, a Hebrew pun that we can try to replicate with "earthling from the earth" or "human from the humus". Another possibility is to translate "earth creature" from the "earth" - and in fact the text says "adam became a living nephesh" where nephesh can be translated "creature". Later when a companion is being sought, the other nephesh - the other creatures or animals, are brought to adam. Therefore in the language the human being is intimately related to both the earth and the other living beings on earth. The Hebrew words point to the co-dependence of creation - humanity has a responsibility to the earth because we are part of it. We should probably not even talk about "the environment" as something separate from us but "our environment". We are dependent on the world just as much as the world is dependent on us.

When the human becomes differentiated into male and female, two entirely different words are used - masculine and feminine forms of a Hebrew word. So adam becomes "ish" and "isshar". These complementary titles are used frequently throughout the story, it isn't until after they leave the garden that the name "Eve" is given to the woman. So humans are part of creation and yet have a special place in it and are given a special privilege to be in community. When a companion is needed God will not do, nor will the other creatures of the earth, but a new creation is necessary, a complimentary and completing creation. Woman and man together live in the garden in mutuality and equity. That is normative. That is the intention of the Creator. Humans are given freedom and given a vocation, which is to care for the garden, to share in God's work. A warning is also given to stay away from the tree of knowledge, but that is not the only emphasis in the story. The three belong together: vocation, freedom, prohibition are the things that characterise created humankind in relation to the creator.

But God's intention becomes distorted when the boundaries of human creaturely existence are not honoured. It may be important to remember the background of the text at this point - the context of the monarchy of Israel struggling to understand its limitations in relation to God's intentions. When royal Israelites crossed the boundaries they also were held to account. Think of David's role in the Bathsheba incident. The king misused his power to rearrange the world around him to suit his desires. And that resulted in judgement and even death.

And so we come to the passage that was read for us, the consequences of crossing the boundary. I want to focus most on the third and longest section - the judgement given to the man. Let me read it again: (vv 17-19) Since the Hebrew word used here is "adam" I think it is appropriate for all of us humans to take notice. At one level it is merely expresses historical realities. Agriculture is a difficult but necessary pursuit. Bread making in particular requires many steps and much human cooperation - the story of the Little Red Hen quaintly points that out. But on another level there is an important focus for our relationship to the earth. The ground is cursed! The earth suffers because of human sin - and continues to suffer as humans continue to commit crimes against creation. The God-given role of caring for the earth is now beset with obstacles and yet our relationship as humans to the earth remains a strong one. When we die we return to the earth from which we were created. Therefore we cannot give up on the earth, any more than God has done. In fact, the passage is more about life than death. Although death was the expected outcome of crossing the boundary, there is still life in the consequences - life outside of the garden perhaps but life lived still under God's care and protection. Immediately after the passage we read we are told God clothed Adam and Eve, and in the biblical tradition this means to be given life.

This text is often held up in Christian theology as the proof that humanity is fallen, depraved and without redemptive character. But much larger portions of the bible assume that humans are well able to obey and follow the purposes and promises of God. The Ephesians passage that we read is an example - with its exhortation to live as children of the light, especially to live in the light of the resurrection. We have to live with the consequences of our actions, but we can choose to act for life, as God does. In relation to our world, we can choose to tread lightly, to live as God's creatures on God's terms. The Holy Spirit at work in us and in our world is working for renewal each day - we are invited to participate in that.

Some practical implications for the way we live can be summed up in embracing four values:

1. To be people committed to peacemaking, remembering that life started in a peaceful garden, will end in a peaceful city, and is ruled by the prince of peace.
2. To be people who share, not to bow to the pressures of the world around us to be in competition or in acquisition. We can aim to live in creative simplicity - with an emphasis on beauty and joy in life but a minimising of frills and luxuries.
3. To have responsibility for the environment at many levels - personally, socially, politically, by the choices we make and the examples we set.
4. To take responsibility for ourselves. How does our faith impact our everyday life? Are we wasting our time, our resources, our energy? Or are we consciously following the purposes of God?

You are probably aware that today is Clean Up Australia Day - one way in which people are encouraged to make a difference to the community and the environment. I heard Ian Kiernan, the organizer of CUA speaking on the radio this morning, saying that the environmental threat is an even greater threat to our planet than terrorism. Clean Up Australia is one way of reminding Australians of the importance of our environment, and one step towards effective care of it. He believes we can refuse to resign ourselves to the way things are - and instead take steps to make things better.

How much more should the church be taking a leading role in working for life, for promoting and maintaining the goodness of the world God gave us? The faith that Jesus encouraged in his followers was an active, transforming way of life, neither a withdrawal from the world nor a passive acceptance of the world's structures and problems. We need to be aware of the issues around us and offer both prayer and action. We need to live as children of the light, bring the reality of Jesus' teaching and example to our world. May God bless us as we seek ways to do this in our individual lives and together as a community.