20th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Greeting Holy People of God,

Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard reflected on his preference for autumn over spring and said, “why I so much prefer autumn to spring is that in the autumn one looks at heaven in the spring at the earth.” I hope you are looking up, looking not only at the beauty on display in the changing colors of this season but also looking up to the heavens, to God and marveling in the majesty and magnificence of God, our creator. We lift up our eyes and give thanks to God. God who comes to us, walks with us and delights in us. It is mind boggling. How lucky we are to be so loved and cherished by God, your Father.

And after lifting our eyes and playing with the word of fall as the season of autumn, and leaves falling to the ground, some of us will not only be looking up but also down at all the leaves that have not blown away and need our attention. Playing with the word, “The Fall” moves us beyond a season and into a theological study.

In Confirmation class we are studying the Old Testament and “The Fall” from Genesis 3.

Although the fall is not mentioned it is the name we get for the theological interpretation of Genesis 3 connected to Paul in Romans 5:12 describing the entry of death into humanity to which later Augustine gave us the doctrine of Original Sin to explain our sinful condition and need for redemption and salvation. The story of Adam and Eve explains our fall from God’s gift to us. We fell, like Adam and Eve fell by trusting the words of the serpent who lied believing that they could be like gods rather than being satisfied to be God’s and live in relationship with God on God’s terms rather than our own or what the shrewd serpent would have us believe. In reaching up, we fall wanting to take for ourselves rather than receive the gift and trust the giver with our obedience to do God’s will rather than our own.

Look at what we have done with the knowledge of good and evil. We lie to ourselves and each other all the time and we are surprised by it. Our knowledge of good and evil leads us to think we are entitled and if not entitled then resentful. But when we can walk with God in the garden and God can draw a confession out of us to bring us to the place of looking up to God, to a place of gratitude and generosity.

This is what God does. This fall we hear Jesus reaching out to the ones who want to kill him, the religious leaders through parables. Matthew gives us 3 swift parables that are intertwined with linking characters of fathers and sons, vineyards and workers and marriage celebration feasts where the invited guests don’t want to go. This is our fall, our opportunity for these stories to draw out our confession of the desire to do our own will rather than God’s will and how we live with God’s authority in our lives, looking up with gratitude and generosity.

Bold Inquisitive Belief LovingExpansively,

Pastor Connie Spitzack