Friday, November 30

Jesse Tree Story One

God had been busy. In six days he had taken a dark empty piece of space and made it into a beautiful place. There was a sun to shine and provide light and warmth in the darkness and even sparkly stars to shine in the darkness. He had carefully placed moons and planets around this central planet he called earth.
Earth was alive and vibrant in every color under the sun. Oceans of deep blue and turquoise tossed themselves upon the sand and then ran away again, harboring and housing yellow, green, orange, and red fish in every shape and design. The trees on the shore were green and leafy and underneath them grew wildflowers in a rainbow of colors. This was God’s favorite spot in all of his creation.
He made giraffes to stretch their necks into the tallest trees and small furry rabbits to hop amongst the grasses. When God looked contentedly over all of his creation, he saw that everything, all the plants and animals and rocks and waves were very, very good.
In this favorite place of all, a lush and hushed garden, God created a man. He formed the man from the dust of the earth, shaping and molding him into perfection. When God stood back from his masterpiece, he was satisfied and bent down and breathed life into the man’s lungs. The man was alive! God named the man Adam and showed him the creation that was for him to enjoy. There were tender green peas in the pod to eat, and apples and oranges and every kind of delicious food. God showed Adam the ocean waves and how to float on top of them. God stood by as Adam named the giraffe and the rabbit and the lion and all the other animals God brought before him. The eagles gently landed on Adam’s shoulder and the tiger ate from his hand like a kitten. It was truly a beautiful world.
Adam began to notice something and asked God about it. He noticed that he lion had a lioness and the buck had a doe. He noticed the ducks flying off in pairs and, “God,” he asked, “Where is my partner?”
God led Adam into the coolness of the garden and on a thick bed of moss, caused him to fall into a very deep sleep. Taking from inside Adam a rib, from very close to his heart, the Lord began to fashion something incredibly beautiful and special for Adam. Where Adam was straight and rough, the Lord made this one soft and round. Adam had a deep voice but God made this one with a voice that sounded like a song. Finally, God was finished. He woke Adam up and brought him to the woman. Adam’s eyes widened as he bent and gently lifted the woman to her feet. He smelled the fresh smell of her hair and took in the blue pools of her eyes and warmth of her body. “Eve,” he whispered into her hair.
Adam and Eve lived in the beautiful garden. They walked with God and spoke with God but it was not always to be. Eve sinned, meaning she disobeyed God, and then Adam sinned too. Sin is something that separates us from God. In the coolness of the day, God looked for Adam and Eve and they hid, knowing that they had done something terribly wrong. They did not want God to see their sin. But God already knew. Nothing is hidden from God.
God called Adam and Eve out of the darkness. He was sad and angry with them but He still loved them very much. In his sadness, God told them what would happen because of their sin. They could not live in this beautiful place anymore, this garden where they walked with God in peace. There wouldn’t be time for riding the waves or lounging under the orange trees. God handed Adam clothes and told him about being a farmer and working the earth long and hard hours to produce food. Eve slipped on her clothes and God told her about becoming a mother and the pain of bringing forth a new life.
And as he banished them from the garden, the most perfect place in the creation, God knew. He saw over the thousands of years, past Adam and Eve’s children and grandchildren and on through the centuries. His eyes fell upon a stable with sheep and cows and dirt. God knew. He knew there would be a way for man and woman to be close to God again. He knew that this sin would not have to separate them forever.

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