Em-Body-Ment

"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" Colossians 2:9

This has been a year for discovering God.  Many in our congregation have been participating in the 2010: A Bible Odyssey, Journey Through the Bible in a Year.  In that Journey we have had the opportunity to encounter the Written Word of God, God's self revelation to His people through the inspired words of the Old and New Testaments.  When we talk about "Revelation" as Presbyterian and reformed Christians we are not talking just about the book at the back of the Bible before "Maps".  We are talking about our faith that God is personal and can be known by us. We believe that God revealed himself in General Revelation, through creation in such a way as asserted in Romans 2:20 "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. "  We also believe God chose to reveal Himself through "Specific Revelation" to certain people, His covenant people, Israel first then the Church which included the Gentiles, through His Word.  That Word, is the Word written, the Bible;The Word Incarnate, Jesus Christ; and the Word Preached, when it rightly explains the first two.
We have encountered the Word Written in reading the Bible together this year, and heard the Word preached when we gather on Sundays and other occasions for worship.  Now. here at the end of the year, we celebrate the Word incarnate.  The Word "made flesh".
John 1:14 says " The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."  This is what we celebrate at Christmas, this em-body-ment of God who otherwise "is Spirit and does not have a body like we do" as some of us may have learned as kids learning the Westminster Catechisms.  Yet the miracle of Christmas is that this Holy God, took on a body like ours, ordinary and subject to all that we suffer and enjoy about being embodied people.  A friend, Pastor Laura Strauss of Clinton UP Church, shared this quote recently on facebook:

"If we knew what the Incarnation meant, we'd be so preoccupied with awe
that we wouldn't notice all the shopping." -Lauren F. Winner

Certainly, that is Christmas.  That is the sum of what we celebrate when we talk about the Word made flesh.
It is so unfathomable to us, who tend to see a body as something so far beneath God as to be preposterous and amazing at the same time, that He would take on flesh like ours.  But it is exactly what he did.

While we treat bodies like something worthy of contempt yet God gives honor to bodies.  They are a part of His intention for creation.  We are born with bodies and when we die we do not lose our bodies, but have them replaced with a perfected "Resurrection body."  We bury bodies with dignity because they are important.  We also cover our bodies with modesty, or at least ought to because they are important to us and to God.  Recently I was having to correct a youth at the ROCK for making comments about another's body.  I want to thank our own Henry Yoder because as I was I remembered a line from his book "Longing for Eden" as I was explaining our value of modesty and our duty to care for one another and respect our bodies. Explaining Leviticus 18:6-13, Henry writes, "The reason the nakedness is not to be uncovered is because the responsibility for covering is the responsibility of someone else...Never uncover nakedness for which you cannot properly assume the responsibility to cover."  Now, I did not quote this to the kid, but instead explained that we are responsible to keep each other covered just like God covered Adam and Eve's nakedness after they sinned. Whether with words or actions we are to protect the dignity of the bodies we are given.
This too highlights the awe-inspiring reality of the incarnation and of God's self revelation.  From Genesis to Revelation God is protecting what we damage and misuse and is restoring us.  The miracle of the incarnation is that the word of God became flesh, took on a body to do this.
Merry Christmas!
In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path.
Mark


May contain Confidential Information intended for the original recipient only.  Confidential information is shared only when necessary to directly aid in acquiring assistance for an individual or family.  Any misuse of this information is prohibited.

Rev Mark R. Simonds
Pastor, Oakdale UP Church
"Declaring Teaching and Living God's Word of Grace"
President, West Allegheny Ministerial Association
"Worshiping and Serving One Triune God Together"

Awesomeness...

The only thing more overdone than our use of the word "Awesome" is criticisms of our overuse of the word "Awesome."That being said I will attempt very carefully not to add to this pile, another useless argument that "Awesome" is overused.  Instead I want to remind us of the "Awesomeness" (Though that may not be a real word) of God and its implications for our church.

About the time you'll be reading this the Worship team will be singing "Our God is an Awesome God" by the Late Rich Mullins, a staple of 1980's and 90's praise choruses and one of the first of such choruses I learned at a time when I was learning that there were other songs of praise used by Christians other than the Hymns of the 1930's green Presbyterian Hymnal and a few other tunes I had learned in Catholic school Chorus.  "Awesome God" resonated with me (and I'm sure a couple of generations of praise chorus singing Christians) both for its simplicity and it's Truth.  In fact, as you'll hear the Sunday we sing it it often gets stripped of its verses and sung just as a chorus.  Not only are the verses harder for novice guitarists to play, but in their casual imagery they are almost at odds with the majesty of the chorus.  (Sorry Rich, but to be fair you get to live with Christ in person now while I'm stuck here writing opinions about your songs)

If you don't know what I'm talking about, here is the Chorus:

Our God(our God) is an awesome God

He reigns(He reigns) from heaven above

With wisdom(with wisdom) pow'r and love

our God is an awesome God.

Now the first verse:

When He rolls up His sleeves He ain't just puttin' on the ritz (our God is an awesome God)

There is thunder in His footsteps And lightning in His fist (our God is an awesome God)

Well, the Lord wasn't joking When He kicked 'em out of Eden

It wasn't for no reason that He shed his blood

His return is very close and so you better be believing that our God is an awesome God

My point is that the song, a lot like church sometimes, is cute and quaint when Majesty is what we aim for. The fact is that God IS an Awesome God and we naturally, struggle to capture that in our worship.  However striving to really  grasp and reflect praise for the indescribable and mind-boggling holiness of God is what worship is about.

If we are to be revived as a church we must begin to realize the utter Holiness and "Awesomeness" of our God.  In a culture that accepts "good enough" and confuses "reverence" with "boring" and "honor" with "formality" It is hard to know how to "Give your best to the master" as the old hymn goes.

It begins with pausing (the purpose of Sabbath) perhaps the night before worship and reminding yourself (and your family if you are a parent or grandparent) of the importance of what you will be doing Sunday Morning.  Pause and read Scripture, perhaps a Psalm or portion of the Gospels that reminds you of who it is you are going to Worship.  Recall that you are not "going to church"  to perform a routine or religious duty, (or a job if you are the pastor) but you are going to offer real worship to the King of the universe who gave you life and who saved you from the terrible consequence of sins that you chose freely to commit.  You have been invited by that God to get to know Him better through His word and to participate in some way in being reminded of what he has done.

When you go to worship prepare.  For some that might mean wearing your best clothes. Not to impress others or to meet a dress code (hear me on this. No matter how you come I want you here and I will accept you whatever you wear), but for yourself as you would prepare to meet with anyone you loved and who was important to you. 

Confess your sins.  I know you'll do this again when you get here, but do it for your own sake so that you can be assured that you are in fact "good enough to come" because Jesus has taken your sins away.  The roof will not fall in if you show up and you have not failed so badly that you don't belong at church.

Come expecting.  Even if my sermon is not the greatest, God has something for you here whether in what I say or in just one piece of the Scripture that you read and trail off thinking about it to miss the rest of the sermon.  Realize that if God grabs your attention with one thing and makes a difference in you with it then that was the part of the sermon that you needed.  The rest was probably for someone else.

Be present. Not just showing up, but really present and glad to be here with God and His people.  If at all possible hang around a bit after or come early to get to spend time with the rest of the local family of God.  Enjoy God's presence and His people.  You were invited by the King of Kings.

In all this remember that God is an Awesome God and we were greated as the Westminster Shorter Catechism teaches to "Glorify God and Enjoy Him forever."

In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path,

Pastor Mark

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May contain Confidential Information intended for the original recipient only.  Confidential information is shared only when necessary to directly aid in acquiring assistance for an individual or family.  Any misuse of this information is prohibited.

Rev Mark R. Simonds
Pastor, Oakdale UP Church
"Declaring Teaching and Living God's Word of Grace"
President, West Allegheny Ministerial Association
"Worshiping and Serving One Triune God Together"

MyChurch.org

To all of our My Church Members.
Thank you for joining MyChurch.org for the Oakdale UP Church. Unfortunately Mychurch.org is closing all of it's free sites. We are now at http://www.facebook.com/OakdaleUPChurch. Please join us there.
In Christ,
Rev. Mark Simonds
Pastor

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May contain Confidential Information intended for the original recipient only.  Confidential information is shared only when necessary to directly aid in acquiring assistance for an individual or family.  Any misuse of this information is prohibited.

Rev Mark R. Simonds
Pastor, Oakdale UP Church
"Declaring Teaching and Living God's Word of Grace"
President, West Allegheny Ministerial Association
"Worshiping and Serving One Triune God Together"

The Hole in Our Gospel for $5

The book "the Hole in Our Gospel" for the Thursday Night "Shepherd's Path Bible Study" is at Family Christian Store for $5 this week.
See the store location in Robinson here

Our first Study

Here's a link to the website for the subject of our first Study.

Check it out.

http://www.theholeinourgospel.com/

What are your initial thoughts? What do you expect to hear?

In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path,
Mark

New Bible Study in Oakdale

Just wanted to comment on the new element of the Shepherd's path which is an in person Bible Study for anyone, in Oakdale PA, at the ROCK Youth and Family Center, Wednesday Nights at 7:15 PM. We'll be beginning this week, September 15 and for the following 6 weeks studying the book "The Hole in our Gospel" by World Vision President Richard Stearns. Additional discussions can occur online here and can be used for those who are too busy to connect with us for the live study.
The Shepherd's Path is about the element of Discipleship which involves following Jesus. our various short term studies will be focused on connecting with and supporting one another as we look to follow Jesus "the Shepherd." The studies will be short term 4-6 weeks to allow people to come in and out as their schedule allows or to look and different topics within our broader calling to discipleship.
In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path.
Mark

Small World Moments

On facebook it's not all that surprising that you have a "small world moment" as your network is usually populated by people who run in the same circles as you and often may have some of the same friends even if you've never encountered the two of them in the same setting...but every once in a while you have a genuine small world moment where two tiny networks connect.
I had two in less than a week. In my Adult life I've been a part of small towns mostly with large distances between them. The first happened when PJ and I stopped at a yard sale in Portersville PA, to buy some ridiculously large posters of superheroes for an event later in the fall at the ROCK. The guy who sold them to us was none other than the cousin (Fathers were brother's) of our police chief in Oakdale.
The second was more obscure. I attended a conference for pastors and church leaders yesterday and I, out of character for my "ghost rat" self, invited myself to sit at a table with an older gentleman who I found out was a pastor from somewhere here in the Western PA area. As we talked about where we'd lived and worked I mentioned that I had come back to Pittsburgh after a period of years that took me from Virginia to Kentucky to Kansas "with a brief stop in Indiana." "where in Indiana?" he asks. Sure he would not know the town I said "a little town called Monroe City, near Vincennes." Vincennes being the only recognizable feature on the map since Monroe City could be mistaken for a cigarette ash or pepper flake on the map. His eyes lit up. Turns out his wife was from Monroe City and "was saved" in the Church of Christ there. Here I had lived there a whole year and a half and yet such features as the logo PJ and I designed for the community center there were recognizable to him.
Amazing that it truly is a small world.
If there is any point to this story it also surprised me how easily we talked and recognized each other's common call to ministry when at the time I lived in Monroe City the only Church that wanted nothing to do with us an didn't even recognize our common status as Christians was the Church of Christ. What a difference distance makes. I imagine in heaven we'll have a lot more small world moments where what unites us (Jesus) matters more than those things that divide us.
In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path,
Mark

Newsletter September 2010

Honor and Significance...

Two things have been heavily on my mind in the Past few months.  The first is the concept of Honor and the second Significance, specifically that every person matters.

My attention has been drawn to the  subject of Honor by several online discussions with former classmates and alumni of my Alma Mater, bringing my attention back to a statement we all aspired to live by, a code of honor that seems outdated in our generation but was no less real to us, and remains real to me today.  It is exemplified in what we came to know as the "Code of a Gentleman" It begins as follows: "Without a strict observance of the fundamental Code of Honor [cf., that a gentleman does not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do], no man, no matter how 'polished', can be considered a gentleman. The honor of a gentleman demands the inviolability of his word, and the incorruptibility of his principles. He is the descendant of the knight, the crusader; he is the defender of the defenseless and the champion of justice… or he is not a Gentleman."

The second subject, the significance, intrinsic value, of every person; put simply the fact that every person matters, has likewise been prompted by several things: my own  extended adjustment difficulty with moving from a small community to a larger less connected one, Repeated exposure to God's work elsewhere in the world to eliminate human trafficking and to minister to both it's victims and perpetrators, and most recently a film called "To save a Life", portraying the power of simply befriending the friendless, to change and even save lives.

Both the code of Honor, demanding above all, honesty, and the belief that every person matters, spring from the same source.  If it is as we believe, that all people are given life by the conscious choice of God to bring them into this world, then not only are we duty bound to live consistent with that belief, but that living consistently  includes the duty to respect one another through honoring them by being honest and never seeking to lie, cheat, or steal from another.  Honoring another as valuable means that you look into the eyes of the bagger at the grocery store, through the windshield at the driver in the car trying to "get in" in traffic, at the prostitute, at the drug dealer, at the friendless awkward teenager...at everyone.  and see and believe that they are as human and significant as you.  Honor demands that we do as simple things as greeting one another and leaving space in front of us in traffic; and as hard things as not seeing people as commodities to be traded, through exploitation of workers, through pornography, through using and abusing others to get ahead.

Most of all the church must be a place where every person matters and where we are intentional about seeing each other's significance.  We cannot afford to bypass one another. It must be a place where we teach our children to treat all of their peers as genuine people, even at the cost of their own popularity.  Where we as adults welcome all into fellowship and inspire courage in one another when the price of honor gets high.  A place where sin is seen as not a flaw in the person but a damage that has been done (even if by the person's own choice) to the valuable individual.  We should employ the gospel to clean and repair one another as we would graffiti or vandalism on a great piece of art, with great care to avoid adding damage, while looking to restore the treasure.

In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path,

Mark

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May contain Confidential Information intended for the original recipient only.  Confidential information is shared only when necessary to directly aid in acquiring assistance for an individual or family.  Any misuse of this information is prohibited.

Rev Mark R. Simonds
Pastor, Oakdale UP Church
"Declaring Teaching and Living God's Word of Grace"
President, West Allegheny Ministerial Association
"Worshiping and Serving One Triune God Together"

Newsletter

The Summer of our Discontent...

Here it is August already.  A friend of mine mentioned at the end of last summer that he was glad summer was over because the pressure to have fun was gone.  I hear him.  In times when demands are high and funds are low the pressure to get out there and enjoy life is almost unbearable.  As people we don't do leisure well.  We also are surrounded by enablers and slavemasters who will gladly fill every waking hour and many of our sleeping ones with something. Another friend went on vacation recently and told her bosses she was going overseas, even posting photoshopped pictures of herself in front of well known landmarks on her facebook, just so she wouldn't get called back into work.

I am the ultimate hypocrite when it comes to telling others to not fill their "empty spaces"  The very air around me always has to be filled with something.  I am writing this article on my facebook account while keeping tabs on other conversations.  the radio is on and I just put down a book (a book I am reading to improve my ability to minister, not one for fun) to write it.  At breakfast I fill the bowls of cereal and switch on the news to catch up on the goings on in the world in case I missed something since yesterday.  Like I can do anything about it anyway. Even when I pray I stop half the time midway because in the stillness of the moment because I thought of something that "just has to get done."

As you contemplate what has to get done next Sunday remember that God, knowing this driving force of human nature, set apart the Sabbath for that reason: to give us the rest we need.  He even told us not to work our servants and cattle (or waitresses or clerks perhaps) on that day.  Now I know you'll tell me two things, first: it was so much easier when we had the blue laws and there was nothing to do on a Sunday except at church.  I really doubt that was totally true but even if it were I know no one is forcing you (or me) through Wal-Mart's doors just because they're open.  Jesus said consider the birds...I say consider the mules, no one can make you do anything you really do not want to do.  Second, you'll say I am judging you for what you do on Sunday.  If I am Then I am judging myself too.  But I am not really judging, I am saying whatever you do on the Sabbath do it having considered the question "is this what How God wants me to spend His gift of rest?"  Recently God has been teaching me some lessons including one where, though I was unsure of what I really should do I had to respond, "No matter What I do I just want to be faithful."  Whatever we do it should be done out of faith in God and assurance that He would not have us go a different way.

The point is use the gift of Sabbath God gave you.  Use it to slow down, cut off the noise and listen, expecting God to whisper His will to you.  Use God's other gifts, His Word, the Bible, will always speak a word from Him.  Use your Sabbath time to surround yourself with His people too.  They will often, sometimes without even being aware, speak a word from God to you.  Also use the time given to worship to enjoy God.  It is hard to see God as anything less than he is when you are worshipping Him in genuine joy.

Anyway I hope this helps you find a little more purpose in slowing down.  I may only be writing to myself with you as an audience.  But I suspect, from experience, someone else may be hearing a word they need to hear.  If nothing else I hope this allows you to enjoy a summer without the fear and discontent of not having had enough fun.

In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path,

Mark

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May contain Confidential Information intended for the original recipient only.  Confidential information is shared only when necessary to directly aid in acquiring assistance for an individual or family.  Any misuse of this information is prohibited.

Rev Mark R. Simonds
Pastor, Oakdale UP Church
"Declaring Teaching and Living God's Word of Grace"
President, West Allegheny Ministerial Association
"Worshiping and Serving One Triune God Together"

Remembering.

So much of our faith and life relies on remembering...
  Recently I've enjoyed spending some time talking with old friends about different experiences we shared in the past.  It is funny how something that can be hilarious to a small group of people could be completely uninteresting or even horrifying to a completely different group.  A group of VMI alumni recently created a page on the social networking site Facebook, called "Having to explain VMI terms to people.."  While the title is not exactly catchy the page has more fans than the official page for the school.  The reason I believe is the same reason I follow it so regularly.  There is something about being around people who "get you", who have shared similar experiences and speak the same language.  Whether it is the inside jokes of friends or the more important work of support groups for people going through a common struggle, sharing stories with those who understand feeds you.
The body of Christ is about remembering as well.  The church, to be sure is always called to mission, to be active, involved in our community and world and doing good in Jesus name.  At the same time we are also a remembering community.  Through repeating the stories and truth in God's Word in Worship and Bible Study, singing the truth in song and tasting the truth around the Lord's table we remember Who God is and what God has done.  We remember so we do not forget and become simply another Non government organization doing some kind of good.  We remember why we do good and we remember what truly is good.  We avoid the pitfalls of well intentioned errors that seek to do good for another but in fact lead them further from the truth.
The truth and remembering the truth is important because as much as the church is about remembering it is also about "membering". We are about welcoming others into the family of God.  In Baptism we remember and reenact the reality of Christ's death and resurrection washing us clean of the guilt of our sins.  It represents a change from being one thing apart from Christ to a completely different thing, a new creation, in Christ. 
This new month begins having just celebrated Memorial Day, a day to remember the cost of the freedoms we enjoy.  Let us remember the gift freely given by those men and women that served us.  Let us also enter this season of Summer with our more relaxed church schedule, to deliberately take the time to remember what it is we believe and Who we serve.  When we do this, I believe we will be all the more motivated to be the church we are called to be.
In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path,
Mark

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May contain Confidential Information intended for the original recipient only.  Confidential information is shared only when necessary to directly aid in acquiring assistance for an individual or family.  Any misuse of this information is prohibited.

Rev Mark R. Simonds
Pastor, Oakdale UP Church
"Declaring Teaching and Living God's Word of Grace"
President, West Allegheny Ministerial Association
"Worshiping and Serving One Triune God Together"

Growing Things Change...

Journey...Woo Hoo!!!  Okay so there are only 6 other people in this congregation who will get that so I should elaborate.  This last weekend I got to spend Friday night and Saturday with four of our church's kids at the confirmation retreat at Camp Crestfield.  Along with climbing the rock wall, problem solving obstacles while sleet fell on us, intense games of 6 square and Skits and Smores, somewhere along the line we talked about Statements of faith.  Our leader, Robin, shared that our faith statement is not a one time event but a Journey (Woo...Hoo!!! All the kids were to reply whenever that word was said.) which we begin at birth, through baptism and confirmation and continue throughout our lives.  In fact the way in which I sign these articles, "In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path," implies that kind of a journey.  I am not merely a Christian because I have once confessed Christ as Lord and Savior, but I am one because, having so confessed, I now live daily following Him.  The simple confession I made the moment I first believed is different now, sculpted like Rock exposed to wind and water, because of experience and also by constant and continual exposure to the Word of God. 
Living as a believer exposes you to highs and lows as you battle the consequences of past sins, current struggles and mistakes, wrestle with relationships and learn radical forgiveness.  All the while your faith is shaped into something that begins to look more and more like what God has revealed as true about Himself, you, and the world.
There are even harder times when faith requires radical obedience.  forgiving the person you refuse to forgive.  Doing what you have no desire to do, or even holding on to the tiniest assurance from God's Word that you know to be true so you can trust Him for the other things he promises which you cannot see.
It sounds corny and overdone, like a High School commencement speech, to talk about life or faith as a journey,  yet in Christ, and shaped by His Word, you do see that what we were, we are not any longer... and, what we are now we will not be in the future.
A speaker at a Wee Kirk (Small Church) Conference some years ago said this  Growing things change..Change challenges us...Challenge makes us Grow...Growing things Change...
As change challenges you, my prayer for you is that you will endure the pain of change to see what growth results.
In Christ and On the Shepherd's Path,
Mark

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May contain Confidential Information intended for the original recipient only.  Confidential information is shared only when necessary to directly aid in acquiring assistance for an individual or family.  Any misuse of this information is prohibited.

Rev Mark R. Simonds
Pastor, Oakdale UP Church
"Declaring Teaching and Living God's Word of Grace"
President, West Allegheny Ministerial Association
"Worshiping and Serving One Triune God Together"

Newsletter Article for April 2010

Bitterness or Betterness...

A girl from our Kansas Youth group, now in college (yuck I remember attending her 10^th Birthday party), wrote this as her "Status" on Facebook this morning: "How [can] people really believe Humans are "basically good?" Yesh... that and my broccoli can talk."...

Immediately another friend congratulated her on her growing Cynicism (As though that were a good thing) There is a lot of Cynicism going around. I'm fighting a good bout of it myself.

The dictionary defines Cynicism as "having a cynical Character or attitude"...which doesn't help much...Cynical, therfor is best defined as :

"having or showing the attitude or temper of a cynic: as a : contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives <those cynical men who say that democracy cannot be honest and efficient — F. D. Roosevelt> b : based on or reflecting a belief that human conduct is motivated primarily by self-interest <a cynical ploy to cheat customers> " (cynical. (2010). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.

Retrieved March 25, 2010, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cynical)

Now by this definition any mistrust of human motivation would be labeled "Cynical" and by even the tone of the dictionary, not a desirable trait....

But what if it is true...Are we all self motivated. Are we not basically Good. If you believe the bible maybe it is not cynicism after all but a basic point of the Christian worldview.

Romans 3:9-12 says:

9What shall we conclude then? Are we any better[a]? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; 11there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."[b]

More insight comes from Jeremiah 17:9

"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Presbyterian and Reformed Christians have long held this view, that there is nothing naturally in us that compels God to Choose us we are "Totally Depraved" and God's election (free choice) to save us is "Unconditional" based not on our goodness but on His Love and choice to save us. The Faith Essentials and Covenant of the Biblical Presbyterians Network concisely puts it this way.

"Salvation is wholly of God and is purely grace from first to last, without any merit in us. "

Now in days of Health Care debates, Bonuses for failed CEO's, War, Scandal and myriad other aggravations it would be easy to take the reality of depravity and turn it into a cause for bitterness. Except for one thing. In among this bad news we have good news. We can say yes people are not basically good. Yes they seek their own power and pleasure first. Yes there is a need for limited government to protect against tyranny (our founding fathers believed in Total depravity by the way). But..

And this is a big deal...

God does not leave us depraved and bitter. He makes us Better. He sent Jesus to mend our fallen state.

Romans 3 Goes on to Say:

21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Romans 5:6-11 adds

6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

So rejoice! Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and You are no longer stuck in the same condition as the rest of the World! You join the saved, justified, regenerated, born again, reconciled, always being sanctified, Saints who are being made better than before, and who are now assured by Christ that you are no longer lost and doomed to live forever in a world dominated by self interest and tyranny.

Jesus conquered sin, depravity, and...the Grave itself!

Happy Easter!

In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path,

Mark

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May contain Confidential Information intended for the original recipient only.  Confidential information is shared only when necessary to directly aid in acquiring assistance for an individual or family.  Any misuse of this information is prohibited.

Rev Mark R. Simonds
Pastor, Oakdale UP Church
"Declaring Teaching and Living God's Word of Grace"
President, West Allegheny Ministerial Association
"Worshiping and Serving One Triune God Together"

The Holy of Holies

The presence of God...

I was just listening to "Take me In" by the Christian rock band Kutless. This is a powerful and rocking worship song where the singer says to God "Take me in to the Holy of Holies..." It resonated with something that has been on my heart the last few weeks, namely, the desire to see God more and more as a person and not as an idea. Now I know, the whole premise of being a Christian is that we have a "personal relationship with Jesus Christ." The problem, for pastors too, is that life can get in the way and we can lose the "personal" part of that relationship. Prayers become a discipline instead of communication, and our faith becomes a philosophy and "code of conduct".

That's why I need reminded now and then, even by a song, that being a Christian means we have been invited in to the Holy of Holies. We are made clean by the Blood of Jesus and are invited past all the old trappings of the tabernacle that separated the people from God.

If we are to be the church that we are truly called to be we must use every means God has given us to draw nearer to God both as individuals and as a congregation. Use God's Word. As we read through the Bible together use the time to get to know God better. As you pray, pray remembering that you are asking a real person to meet your needs and the needs of your friends and family. Take time to listen, really listen, for who God wants you to be, and what he would have you do. Worship. Sing praise, surround yourself with uplifting music that Glorifies God and the things God calls good. Surround yourself with people who when you are down will lift you up and who will push you into the Holy of Holies with them when you are dragging your feet.

Finally whatever it takes, remove from your life whatever separates you from God and from the duties God has given you to your family, your congregation and your own walk with Him. Idols are not always other gods. sometimes they are images of the real God that we give our attention to instead of looking to live in His real presence.

Now I know this all sounds hard. That's why the last word here is that it is something that has already been done for you. It was Jesus that gave you access to the Holy of Holies by applying His own blood to your account. So church, lets use the privilege we've had purchased for us at such a high price, and go in to the Holy of Holies every time we come together and anytime we feel we are far from God.

In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path,
Mark

Doing some thinking before Annual Meeting...

Non-negotiable purposes for the church

1.The Gospel
Our mission is to carry a message to the world. That message: God exists, is personal, is knowable and has done an incredible thing to save the people He created from the deadly consequence of their self centered and God ignoring choice to disobey. God set aside the right to separate us permanently and horribly from himself and to continue down our own destructive path by humbling Himself, becoming a human like us, living among us as Jesus, and suffering a death that He did not deserve, in our place, so that all who trust in what Jesus did for them and accept that free gift might be restored to life with God and even be transformed from self centered destructiveness to God centered life. We are transformed by the gift of God Himself dwelling mysteriously in us as the Holy Spirit, so that we can have assurance of God's constant presence and fellowship, and receive gifts and live lives that demonstrate this change.
We accomplish this mission and carry this message by declaring it through words and also by showing through deeds the love God has for people by serving them and caring for their needs, sharing the gifts God has given us and strengthening each other where any of us lacks. We teach the Bible because it is God's own Word and a revelation of these things. It is our source and our reference to know the degree of correctness or error of belief or action.
Without the above we are not a church because our business is in fact “making disciples”, meaning sharing this good news with others and encouraging them to believe it and helping believers live lives that demonstrate this message. However we do what we do it is always to accomplish this purpose.
2.Worship
Our second purpose is tied to the first. Believing that God exists and has done the things we believe He has done we find that God is worthy of praise and Honor. We honor God by first obediently doing as he would have us do. Discovering and doing His will is a major part of worship and failure in that area or failure to turn away from known error, itself invalidates any other acts of worship. Obedience occurs in both daily life as well as the worship we give specifically and intentionally to God. The sacraments of Baptism and The Lord's Supper are done and should be done as correctly and we are knowingly able as much out of obedience as for the benefits we receive from them.
Worship also involves communication with God through Prayer. We are not worshiping deaf dumb idols but a living and personal God who not only hears but in various ways, as He wills, communicates to us. Prayer is essential to knowing and doing God's will as well as important in honoring God's gracious offer to hear our prayers and respond to our needs an the needs of others we bring to Him.
Worship also includes our spontaneous and organized personal and community responses to God's person and work. Public and private worship includes such responses as singing, shouting, telling, expressing through art, playing on instruments, and other ways of expressing God's attributes and giving thanks for God himself and the things he has done or has promised to do. This kind of worship takes many forms and reflects the momentary experiences, emotions and ways of expression of the worshipers as well as their culture. While styles and particular expressions may and should change care is taken in the true Church that expressions accurately convey without confusion that could lead to idolatry, the true nature and works of God.
3.Fellowship
The third Essential element of the church is Fellowship. Connections between people are necessary to sharing the Gospel and to encouraging believers in the life of faith. Connection is also necessary to have true congregational worship and to adequately and appropriately share gifts and resources. Connections also build community and demonstrate the love that is created between people when they become acquainted through the Holy Spirit with the Love that God has for them. We value other people because we see them as God sees them, specially created in His image. Jesus took for himself widening circles of disciples, one closest, three close, twelve immediate, seventy two close enough to train, and more, while on earth demonstrating the importance of community. God ordered human life in families, tribes, and nations, and called no just one man, but his family through whom he would reveal Himself to the world.
In whatever forms and with whatever uses of cultural and technological opportunities this community building takes, sharing life together with a group of fellow believers is essential to being the Church. Efforts must be made to ensure we are doing more than just being in the same place, but welcoming newcomers, and growing and strengthening relationships among our members.

Whatever programs we do,; whatever tasks we take on; however we use our buildings, supplies, money, and other resources; Everything we do and how we do it, must be done with thought to the question: “How will it do these things?”

Genesis 22:1-18 Commentary for Jan 10, 2010

Gen 22:1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I."

Not as though God did not know Abraham, but as a way of proving and trying Abraham's faith, God would make a request of Abraham that would be beyond difficult to follow. Ambraham's response to God's call is like so many of the saints, “here I am”. It is like a soldier's coming to attention upon the entrance of an officer, that he may stand ready to follow whatever order next comes from his superior.

Gen 22:2 He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

Matthew Henry in his commentary points out the increasing difficulty of each word of the Lord's request. Abraham must take his son, not any son but his only son to his wife Sarah and he having been born miraculously in old age. He is reminded that this is the son he loves. We should not forget this is no callous act of religious violence but a intended sacrifice of the one thing potentially greater in Abraham's heart than God. His love would be proven as he journeyed quite a distance, said to be three days, three days to contemplate his decision and three days to possibly decide to refuse. He would be required not only to take the life of his son but to do so with all the dilegent and prescribed efforts of a sacrifice. While Abraham had never participated in the sacrifices common to some pagan worship of his day, he surely had heard of the offering of children to idols that was in practice. From what he says later it is clear that he knows how to perform an animal sacrifice so all of these things would weigh heavily on him as he followed God's command.

Gen 22:3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

It is worth noting that Abraham's obedience is without delay, an interesting contrast to Lot's delay at departing Sodom (Gen 19). What should have been happily obeyed ( leaving a city condemned that he and his family might be saved is hesitated upon, while a task of guesome sorrow is attended with swift obedience gives a strong picture of faith. We too should be swift to obey both that which is easy and beneficial, and that which is difficult and appears distateful, knowing that God is both worthy of our obedience as well as good to bring about a good end.

Gen 22:4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.

While a ways off Abraham sees the place and is not hindered no matter what he may dread.

Gen 22:5 Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you."

I question the idea that Abraham knew that he would return with Isaac for if so it seems difficult to say Abraham did not withhold his son from God. If he did not believe God would have him carry through, or would make a way other than the one set in front of him, how can it be said he really was willing to sacrifice Isaac. Perhaps though he held out a hope in God that was greater than the circumstances he saw. Regardless he has the men stay behind, perhaps that they might not hinder him from his God assigned task once his intentions became obvious. If that is the case then we can learn from him to surround ourselves with only those who will not hinder us in our obedience to God, and avoid those who would encourage us to compromise.

Gen 22:6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.
Gen 22:7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, "My father!" And he said, "Here am I, my son." He said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"

Issac had to be old enough to understand something of burnt offerings and to understand that a lamb was the ordinary offering. Abraham has to respond to His son's loyal calling of”My father” all the more saddening since it is likely his son's desire is to ensure all is fit for the sacrifice his father would make.

Gen 22:8 Abraham said, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they went both of them together.

The Holy Spirit gives Abraham words, perhaps unaware, foreshadowing not only What the Lord would do here but also later at Calvary when the God himself would give his Son as a sacrificial lamb for the redemption of all of who would trust Jesus. God indeed provides the lamb whether it is the thing we must set aside to serve Him, or the gift he give to replace what is lost, or most of all the Gift of His son. Abraham's word were sufficient of Isaac an d they went together.

Gen 22:9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.

No matter the age of Isaac it is unlikely Abraham needed to overpower him. Isaac was bound as would be any sacrifice, as as Matthew Henry also notes, as would be Christ who even though he went willingly to the cross was treated every bit like the criminal when he received our just sentence in himself. Abraham prepares to offer Isaac as he would any other sacrifice. No note is made of Abraham's emotion here. Whatever he is feeling he does as God required.

Gen 22:10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.

Having done everything else Abraham prepares to give the last measure of obedience. He is only stopped by the voice of the angel giving him word from the Lord himself.

Gen 22:11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I."

The angel of the LORD, some say may be the preincarnate Christ himself,or otherwise is clearly the messenger of words from none other than God. Abraham again responds “Here I am.”

Gen 22:12 He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."

To fear God is to fear nothing else other than God. Abraham's regard for God was such that he would obey even to do something he himself hated to do if it were at God's request. The angel stays Abraham's hand as God never before or since would require a person to kill another to worship Him. God's intent was to prove Abraham's willingness to obey and to value God even more than the son God gave him; to love the giver more than the gift. While it is true God knew the result beforehand I heard it said that a thing is not real until it is done, therefore requiring Abraham's action to prove his genuine fear of the Lord.

Gen 22:13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Indeed the animal was provided, in Isaac's place just as promised and as Christ would be later provided in Isaac, Abraham and each believer's place at the cross. The Ram also provided the means to truly worship a God who they now knew all the more intimately as one worthy to entrust Isaac's life and all else. Our worship is to be a response to God's actions and a means of giving thanks for who God is and what He has done.

Gen 22:14 So Abraham called the name of that place, "The LORD will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided."

Abraham names Mount Moriah “The Lord will provide,” giving a memorial to this occasion of all occasions which proved to Abraham God's provision and trustworthiness.

Gen 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven .

Again God communicates to Abraham through an angel. As we grow in faith and relation to the Lord occasions of clearly hearing Him will increase in both frequency and clarity. God may not communicate as often as we like but He will, we can trust, communicate when he desires us to know something.

Gen 22:16 and said, "By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,

God would have Abraham know clearly that this was no small thing he had done but makes clear by God's own promise that the blessings he promised to Abraham will come to pass.

Gen 22:17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,

By not withholding his only son Abraham received the assurance of a promise of innumerable descendants, a legacy Abraham could have only dreamed of when He had no heir. Yet God promises not only numerous offspring but ones who would not ultimately be overcome, a true and lasting legacy.

Gen 22:18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice."

Here we are given Abraham's final promise, not just land and people, but that he would play a part in the greater dram unfolding as through a single descendant, Jesus Christ ALL the nations of the earth shall be blessed. Not just Abraham's physical descendants, but his spiritual children, grafted into his family through faith in Christ, himself a descendant of Abraham.
Likewise may we live in such a way that we experience our own part in God's unfolding work of salvation and be obediently used to make real the certain work of God in our world, especially the redemption of His people through the faith that comes through hearing the Gospel.

Genesis 2 commentary 1-3-10

The sermon for Sunday Jan 3, will be entitled "as it was in the begining." taken of course from the Gloria Patri: "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, Amen." Lets look at the way it was in the beginning.

Genesis 2
 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

The previous chapter lines out the 6 days of creation. It is not necessary to hold the strict opinion that the 6 days were 6 periods of 24 hours, but it is important to hold two truths if you still wish to hold to the authority of Scripture: First That God created all that there is, "the heavens and the earth in their vast array." and second: That he did so in some way that will when all is made clear, reflects the pattern and method of Genesis 1. The significance of the "6 Day" creation appears in the next verse, and the revelation of creation in this way is significant to us as believers to display the character of God and His will for us.

2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested [a] from all his work.

This pattern of work and a Sabbath, seventh day rest, is established at creation and repeated throughout Biblical History. In the commandments, in Exodus 20, the creation story is repeated as the reason for the commandment to "remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy". God's rest does not imply His need for rest as much as his sovereignty in being free to choose to rest. The one in authority may choose to rest at will, but if you are under authority you must seek permission either by schedule or request from your boss if you wish to rest. God needs no permission and freely chooses to rest.

3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Jesus said: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." (Matthew 2:27) God blesses the Sabbath: and gives to man rest; something belonging to Him, is granted to His beloved creations. A study of the word Bless or blessed, will turn up many such incidents, God giving freely something that is His. The Sabbath is also Holy: set apart, given yet still belonging to God and therefore a rest we should observe with due reverence to God and looking to how He would have us spend our rest.

Adam and Eve

 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
      When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens-

This second account details the creation of God's special creation of humanity. No other creation of His is given the description "in His image". Immediately we find God's word turns to an account of humanity as the Bible is not written as an abstract account but a specific revelation to re-connect God with humanity first through the spoken and written word then the Word made flesh (John 1) Jesus Christ.

5 and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth [b] and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth [c] and there was no man to work the ground,

The world Adam and Eve first saw was different from our environment today. It would seem while the natural plants which would spring up on their own without man's aid would be present Man still had a purpose of tending and caring for some special kinds of plants which had not yet become visible, requiring working the ground and the God given task of tending them. Be aware man was not yet formed, let alone fallen so the work of tending would not be as now where we struggle against noxious plants, weeds and thorns which came as a result of the curse (see Gen 3) and Man would not,as we will se, be reliant on the work for the sake of survival, also a consequence of the fall. Instead work would be like God's own work of creation, done for its own sake and enjoyment, a better form of what we do when we garden or "work" at a hobby now. More than recreation a blessing of participating in God's own work by invitation.

6 but streams [d] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground-

Verse 5 lets us know there was no rain, but instead the ground was self watering avoiding the later struggles of unstable climate, drought and flood which plague farmers today.

7 the LORD God formed the man [e] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

The man it says was formed out of the ground, the common made special, simple elements made complex by the hand of God. This is God's work. Not only made complex like a plant but given the breath of life and made not only alive but uniquely aware of his being alive.
 
8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.

Among all that was created God also set apart and "planted" and specially equipped a place suited for the unique new being.

9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

In this Garden were trees which not only provided food but were pleasing to the eye. An element of life which sets humanity apart is it's appreciation of beauty,imitation of the creator in creating beauty through art and music. Beauty points to the blessing of our creator and our being in His image. God did not need to make the trees beautiful to sustain life, the glosses of unnecessary and extravagant blessings display God's glory all the more.
The middle of the garden contained two unique trees of Spiritual significance as well, the tree of life and the tree of knowlege of Good and Evil. These will play a part in the drama that unfolds as well as all the rest of Human history through eternity.

10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin [f] and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. [g] 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Captivating is the placement of this story in a very real landscape and not some vague world. While some would call the Genesis narrative a myth, the Revelation contained in God's word is so often tied to such concrete places and recognizable real world features as to forbid us from writing it off as mere allegory or morality tale. Scripture does freely use the literary devices, including symbolism, parable and other means to reveal God's character and will but is never so vague as to allow a reasonable person to write it off entirely. Faith strengthens our vision to see the truth of Scripture to be sure but details throughout remain testable to anyone looking to disprove them.
Also significant is the pre-fall and pre-flood (Noah) geography and geology of the land. Eden was situated in good land able to sustain the generations that would follow as the humans multiplied per God's command and blessing.

 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Work, as I said before was not a curse but a blessing and divine purpose, to participate in God's creation and care for the earth. It was no burden as the daily needs of man were not tied to the work ast they are after the fall into sin.

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;

Notice our first condition was one of abundance: we were free to eat of all of the trees of the garden, Including the tree of life, but NOT the tree of knowledge of good and evil. We were blessed with all that we could need and free access to life itself, as well as the ability to talk with God personally, and denied only the loss of innocence. How like us now as children and especially teens when we are tempted to betray our own best interests and freedom to grow, learn and enjoy life, and feel we must lose our innocence as quickly as possible. In youth, now fallen, we flee innocence and even ridicule those who would hold it longer as though they were weak. Fallen humanity make fun of those who value virginity, peace, clean speech, and clean living even though the irony is it takes greater strength to preserve innocence than to give it away.

17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

With the freedom God had given and the innocent condition of Adam, knowing neither Good or Evil, and in full conversational and personal relationship with God, came but one command, the first covenant, of works, requiring obedience and promising life, but also promising death with disobedience. The freedom the human race was to enjoy gave them the freedom to choose obedience or disobedience, and this was what gave unfallen man his "free will". Free will was not "free agency" or sovereignty, with the ability some imagine in "free will" to possess: to do as one wills. Instead a choice is offered along with a clear picture of what would be lost with disobedience. God does not set up a snare but gives us a clear warning of the consequences of sin so that a truly free choice is made.

18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

God's will for the man's companion was that she would be a helper suitable for him. Not just a mate as with the animals to reproduce with but a "companion" and a benefit to him. To see tyranny of the man over the woman in this is to see it through the lenses of our fallen condition. Note Adam's rejoicing in the verses that follow as Eve is made. Love is the character of God and is infused and implied in this union of man and woman and in love each desires to benefit the other and does not see his or her place as a benefit to the other as a chore but as a joyful gift to give. Live "The Princess Bride", Wesley's "As you wish" was his way of saying "I love you".

 19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.

Adam was given the task of naming the animals which is almost an early demonstration of man's scientific curiosity, and, in that it was God who brought the animals to be named, I do not think it outside reason to assume God intended for man to explore creation and see in it the subtle and amazing demonstrationas of God's glory. Also in seeing and naming each animal God gives Adam the ability to excercise the "dominion" over them as a shepherd would know his own sheep.

20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.
      But for Adam [h] no suitable helper was found.

Adam did this task but in the doing of it his lack of a suitable helper and companion was made more evident.

21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs [i] and closed up the place with flesh.22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib [j] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

The intimacy here is striking. Where God formed Adam from the ground, God's hand is again upon Adam opening his flesh, removing a part of him and carefully closing the place again. The "companion" would not be a separate creature but Adam's own being made alive and now a separate being, yet still a divinely ordered perfect match for him.

 23 The man said,
       "This is now bone of my bones
       and flesh of my flesh;
       she shall be called 'woman, [k] '
       for she was taken out of man."

Adam rejoices! She is now alive and a part of him yet a mysterious other. belonging to him yet free as well. Together with Adam the woman Eve completes the creation of humanity. Humanity is male and female as in Chapter one, and incomplete as a single gender. Not to say all should be coupled, but that the mutual humanity of man and woman is cause for celebration, a picture of God's intention for the species and the necessity of the two for reproduction a demonstration of the good purpose of man and woman as companions and helpers when experienced with God ordained love as a bond for both in their relaition to one another.


 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Just as a man (or woman) comes biologically from the bodies of the parents so Eve came from Adam and yet God here establishes the necessary order of marriage: that the man and woman leave the parents, their only previous physical tie and in marriage are united physically in a new union, made all the more visible when that union produces children who once again come from the bodies of the parents. Marriage too, even as devalued as it is in our time, creates a picture for us to see the intent of humanity's Creator in man an woman as suitable companions.

25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Their intimacy and innocence combined in a perfect condition where they lived and enjoyed complete vulnerability without fear, and complete freedom without want. They also enjoyed God without separation and guilt since they knew Him without the stain and debt of sin. This would change with their disobedience and the first casualty would be their intimacy with each other and then immediately to follow with God. We inherited this same fear, struggle, distrust and guilt. We too no longer free, choose sin easily and find nothing in ourselves to save us. Yet God made a way. The good news is Jesus came to restore us to the conditions Adam and Eve enjoyed. God came down to us again and was himself wounded to resore us.

John 1:10-14
10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent,[c] nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,[d] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.


In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path
Mark