Found in the Garden
Preacher: The Rev. Logan Hurst
Scripture: Genesis 2:15-27; 3:1-7
The story of the garden is not simply about a rule broken. It is about trust fractured. A whisper plants suspicion, and suddenly harmony unravels. What began in vulnerability and communion becomes hiding and blame. The shift is almost immediate. “The woman you gave me…” Blame rushes in where trust once lived.
That ancient story feels uncomfortably familiar. We know how quickly relationships strain. How easily suspicion grows. How instinctively we protect ourselves. We sew our own fig leaves – carefully crafted images, quiet defensiveness, subtle blame. We hide.
Yet even in the moment of fracture, God comes looking. “Where are you?” Not a thunderclap of condemnation, but a question of invitation. God seeks the hiding ones.
And in Christ, that seeking love takes on flesh. Where humanity reaches away in distrust, Jesus reaches toward us in mercy. Where sin divides, Christ reconciles. Where we hide, he calls us into the light. The good news is not that we become better at covering our shame. The good news is that God refuses to stop calling our name.
Lent invites us to step out from behind the trees. To resist the reflex of blame. To trust that the voice calling us is not angry, but loving. Sin divides. Christ unites. And the unity he brings is stronger than the fracture.
Reflection Questions
Where in your life are you most tempted to hide rather than be honest?
When conflict arises, do you instinctively move toward blame or toward reconciliation?
What suspicions about God’s goodness sometimes take root in your heart?
How have you experienced Christ bringing healing to a fractured relationship?
What would it look like this Lent to step out from behind the trees and allow yourself to be found?
