October 4, 2015

Adam had a big job. He had to take care of the Garden of Eden. He was alone and there was no one to help him. There were the animals, but they were limited in what they could do. For example, none of them except the monkeys had hands to use gardening tools. As Gen. 2:20 says, “But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.” God saw Adam’s loneliness and helplessness. And then God took one of Adam’s ribs and made the woman for him. When Adam saw Eve he was filled with joy. She was perfect for him. If you look at how the words of Adam are printed in your Bibles, you will notice that they are written in short lines like a poem. So. Adam expressed his joy in a poem. This was the first love song.

“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”

Adam was no longer lonely or helpless. God blessed them. Genesis 2:24, “24Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” Later Jesus would say in Mark 10, “6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” ”

For Adam and Eve, as nearly every marriage, there were problems. Tempted by the Serpent they fell into sin. Their family was torn apart when Cain killed his brother Abel. But they stayed together. However by the time of Moses, because of sin and selfishness and other reasons, people wanted a divorce. Moses never says that divorce is good, and Jesus says Moses acted because of the people’s “hearts were hard” (Mk.10:5). In other words, people were stubborn and needed legal control. The Pharisees summarized Deuteronomy 24:1-4 in this way, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away” (Mk.10:4). This was to protect the woman, for example, perhaps her dowry had to be returned. Moses allowed remarriage.

Later in the Old Testament, especially in the Prophecy of Hosea, the relationship of the Lord God and Israel were compared to a marriage. God had been faithful to Israel, but Israel had gone after other gods like an adulteress. But even so, God is faithful and reaches out to Israel for repentance and restoration.

In the New Testament, we have the picture of Jesus as the Bridegroom and the Church as the Bride. And in Baptism we are adopted into this Family of God. This is a happy family and heaven is often described as a joyful wedding feast.

Meanwhile, here on earth, families are in disarray, and marriages are made and broken. Even if there is no divorce, some married people can feel like Adam when he was alone and helpless. Single people need and want healthy companionship and love and commitment and help. Loneliness is sadness. A person can feel helpless and hopeless. In desperation some consider suicide, others consider violence to others.

God knows our situation. From the cross Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ‘Why am I all alone? Why don’t the angels come and save me?’ But Jesus knew the answer. He knew this was the Will of God. And he knew that this was why he was born. The story of Christmas is very clear. Jesus Christ was born a human being. Adam needed a helper and companion that was the same as he was. We are the same. Jesus had to take flesh and bone and blood in order to make a complete and intimate relationship with us. Therefore our sins could be on him. Therefore his resurrection and eternal life can be on us. And we can sing Adam’s song with only a bit of change:

“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
He shall be called Jesus,
because he has taken away our sin.”

Modern day Adams and Eves have written many hymns and songs that celebrate this. There are songs that remind us that even when we feel lonely or helpless, Jesus is with us to hear our prayer and to guide us. That is why people love “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” and “Amazing Grace” and others. And since we know the love of God in Jesus Christ, it gives us strength to share that love with those whom we find especially close to our hearts. The love and forgiveness of Christ gives us permission and strength to love and forgive those in our families.

As a preacher this morning in the year 2015, I cannot escape talking about two topics. The first is the same question that the Pharisees asked Jesus, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” (10:2). Jesus did not like divorce and he seems to consider remarriage as polygamy. But what are we to do in this world of hard hearted and hard headed people? Moses had the same problem. Moses answered with a law, and we have to answer with the Gospel. We never condone the sin or make light of the tragedy or other causes of contention and divorce, but we must respond with love and forgiveness and patience and understanding and sympathy and support. When it comes to remarriage, my personal feeling is that we must consider a person’s loneliness and need and we must remember the words of God in Genesis Chapter 2, 18Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

And the second topic we have to address today in the year 2015 is that of “gay marriage.” Perhaps it is because I am an English teacher that I think the term “gay marriage” is silly. “Marriage” is a union of opposites. And marriage has the function of making two unrelated people into a family. There are many lonely people in the world. I think I can understand that feeling and the desire to overcome loneliness and helplessness. A family is important. I think I can understand the feeling of wanting to be a brother or sister to a special friend. We do not have to approve of “gay marriage” or the gay lifestyle, but we live in a society where it is legal. And as I said a moment ago, we must answer with love and forgiveness and patience and understanding and sympathy and friendship and help. In other words, we have to act like a Christian.

We pray that God will bless all of our families. Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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