First United Methodist Church - Fort Collins, CO

I think the end of the story in Genesis 3 presents some interesting ramifications. “To the woman God said, “I shall give you intense pain in childbearing and you will give birth to your children in pain.” “To the main god said, “Because you listened to the voice of your wife and ate from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat, accursed be the soil because of you. Painfully will you get your food from it as long as you live.”

Was there ever a paradise time in our lives when things were perfect? Do we look back with longing at the way things were once upon a time? It seems to me the Adam and Eve story has some dimensions to it that need to be considered. For example:

1. Is there a time when our needs are taken care of that is really better than when we have to struggle to survive and thrive?

2. Aren’t we moving forward when we discover our own will and have the opportunity to use it even if we may choose to be disobedient?

3. Is our ultimate aim in life to lapse into a state of paradise or would we rather live in a world in which we have the responsibility for the consequences of our actions and words?

The Adam and Eve story is a parable on life as it could be. I don’t think most scholars believe it is to be taken literally. But it is important to take it seriously. It does speak to us. It says something about our ambitions and our hopes. It speaks to the consequences of thinking ourselves less than we are and thinking of ourselves as more than we are. We are not gods and we are not puppets. We are made in the image of God and are full of potential. Sometimes we have to become disobedient in order to determine our better/best nature.

How do you interpret the Adam and Eve story?

Do you understand the consequence for what they had done to be a blessing or a curse?

If you have thoughts you’d like others to read respond by marking the “comment” box. If you’d like to respond to me directly write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net

I look forward to hearing from you.

Charles

“Adam and Eve: The Promise of Paradise Past”

We have had people reading the Bible through the year and we are preparing to begin a Disciple One class some time this month. On the 14th we will honor the 90 people who completed the reading. We will honor them in the worship services.

An important part of what the Bible classes remind us to do at the church is to take the Bible inspirationally but not literally. It is a resource for our faith. It is an important part of our tradition but if it is misused by those who pick and choose various parts of a text then we will fail to discover some of the deep meaning it has for us.

There are several things we will want to do when we look at a portion of the Bible and as we try to distill meaning from a text;

1. Let us never assume we know what a text is saying. We may understand a part of what it says but we will never grasp all of what it tells us.

2. The Bible is too important to be taken seriously; it should be taken with humility and humor.

3. When we look at a text the most important question to ask is “Why is this here?” That is more important than asking the question, “What does this say to us?” If we can explore the context of a text we are open to levels of understanding we will miss if we simply skim the surface of a text and quickly apply it to our bias.

4. It is not possible to look at any text with complete objectivity. Our bias will interpret the Bible as we already think we know it. The most important blockage to our understanding of the Bible is our understanding of it. The best we can do is to recognize our bias so as not to allow it to block us from understanding the deeper meaning the Bible could have for us.

On Sunday we will re-look at the Adam and Eve story. Was their paradise a gift or a curse? Was their ultimate curse a blessing?

How do you approach the Bible?

How do you keep the Bible relevant to your life without falling into the trap of misusing it to underwrite your own presupposition?

 I’d like to hear from you. It’s an important subject and something we need to address. If you’d like to respond in a way others could view click on “Comments” on this page. If you’d like to send me a message write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net

I look forward to your response.

Charles

Sunday, January 7th is Reverend Joyce Curtis’ farewell sermon. She is moving to Arkansas and this will be our last opportunity to hear her preach. I thought it might be appropriate to offer some thoughts about Joyce; what she has brought to the church and how she has influenced many of us in the church and on the staff.

Joyce will always be heroic to me. She has worked through Ty’s illness and death and has continued to be effective as a pastor. She did her grieving privately and never allowed her personal sadness to interfer with her work here at the church.

Joyce brought a sense of art and beauty to the church. She has the eye of an artist and is, herself, and artist. We were fortunate to have her gifts given to our church and have benefitted from that in many ways. She was in charge of the altar on Sunday mornings. She was in charge of communion every first Sunday of the month. Joyce was a positive staff member. She had a sense of corporate memory and have been very helpful in the transitions we have had here.

We will miss Joyce Curtis.

If you would like to share your thoughts about her contribution to your life or to the life of the church click the “comments” box that is in this page. If you’d like to email Joyce directly write her at joycecurtis@fcfumc.net

I know she would appreciate your kind thoughts.

 Charles