'The story of Adam and Eve is not ultimately a story of failure. It is a story of a God who refuses to give up on His people. A God who seeks. A God who clothes. A God who promises. A God who restores. Our brokenness is real — but so is God’s mercy.' 'This sermon, on Genesis 3, was first preached by Robert S at St Denys Church on the Sunday before Lent began, as part of our 'Beginnings' series, where in this passage we looked at brokenness.

Brokenness in our World:

A broken chair, a broken alarm clock, a broken door,

 A broken tooth, a broken bone, a broken leg?

A broken relationship, a broken friendship?

There are many ways we think about, see, and feel brokenness in our world. And the reality is we live in a world that is filled with broken things and broken people. This reality is something we will not escape on this side of heaven.

But thank God he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to be the sacrifice for us, to forgive us our sins, restore us into a right relationship with God, and therefore we have the opportunity to experience restoration in our relationship with him and with others. It’s important for us to be reminded of this fact.

There are some stories in Scripture that feel ancient, distant, almost mythical. And yet, when we sit with them, we realise they are describing us. The story of Adam and Eve is one of those stories. It’s not just about two people in a garden long ago.  It’s about the human heart. It’s about the choices we make, the wounds we carry, and the God who comes looking for us even when we hide.

Genesis doesn’t simply tell us what happened. It tells us what happens — again and again — in every human life.

Our Story; Adam & Eve's Story

In Genesis 2, we see a beautiful picture of God’s intention for humanity. Adam is formed from the dust of the ground, and God breathes His own breath into him. Eve is crafted with care and placed beside him. They are given a garden full of abundance, purpose, and peace. 

 There is no shame. No fear. No hiding.

Just relationship — with God, with one another, with creation, and with themselves. This is what we were made for:  wholeness, connection, intimacy with God.  And deep down, we still long for that. Every human heart remembers Eden, even if only faintly.

But then comes Genesis 3 — the moment everything changes.

The serpent doesn’t begin with a command. He begins with a question: “Did God really say…?” Doubt is planted. Suspicion grows.

The temptation is not simply to eat fruit — it is to take control, to define good and evil on our own terms, to step out from under God’s loving authority. And when Adam and Eve eat, something inside them breaks.

Notice that Adam seems to try to shift the blame to Eve. She told me to. If you had siblings I can bet some of us have tried the same thing – Mum, it wasn’t my fault she/he told me to. But the reality is that Adam had received the command directly. If you read the same story in the Jewish and Islamic holy books there is none of this blame game.

What was Adam & Eve’s first reaction? is not triumph — it is shame. They realise they are naked. They sew fig leaves together. They hide among the trees. 

This is the human condition: We hide when we feel exposed. We cover up when we feel ashamed. We blame others when we feel afraid.

The first thing sin breaks is trust — trust in God, trust in one another, trust in ourselves.

God calls out, “Where are you”

Not because He doesn’t know, but because He wants them to step into the light.

Adam answers, “I was afraid… so I hid.”

Fear. Shame. Hiding. Blame. These are the marks of brokenness, and they ripple outward into every part of life. Work becomes toil. Relationships become strained. Creation itself groans. Humanity becomes fractured.

 And we see those same fractures today — in our families, our communities, our world, and our own hearts.

God's Response: Pursuit, Not Abandonment

What is most astonishing in this story is not the sin

— it is God’s response.

God does not storm into the garden in rage.

He comes walking. He calls gently. He seeks His children.

Even in judgement, there is mercy.

God clothes Adam and Eve with garments of skin — a tender act of care in the midst of their shame.

And then, in verse 15, God whispers the first promise of redemption: that one day, the offspring of the woman will crush the serpent’s head.

It is the first hint of the Gospel. The first sign that brokenness will not have the final word.

Our Story; Jesus' Actions

We may not live in Eden, but we know what it is to feel broken.

We know what it is to hide — behind busyness, humour, anger, silence, or a carefully curated image.

We know what it is to carry wounds — some caused by others, some caused by ourselves.

We know what it is to feel distant from God, even when we long for Him.

And yet, just as He did in the garden, God still comes walking toward us.

He still calls, “Where are you”

He still invites us out of hiding.

Not to shame us, but to heal us.

In Jesus, God steps fully into our brokenness. Where Adam hid, Jesus stands exposed. Where Adam grasped for power, Jesus empties Himself. Where Adam’s choice brought death, Jesus’ obedience brings life.

On the cross, Jesus takes our shame, our fear, our hiding — and offers us restoration.

He becomes the “second Adam,” restoring what was lost in the first.

Through Him, the fracture is healed.

Through Him, we are invited back into relationship.

Through Him, the way to the tree of life is opened again.

From Hiding to Healing:

So the question for us today is simple, but profound:

Where are we?

Where are we hiding

What fig leaves are we stitching together

What brokenness are we carrying that God longs to heal

God is not asking these questions to condemn us.

He is asking because He loves us.

Because He wants to bring us from hiding to healing.

The story of Adam and Eve is not ultimately a story of failure.

It is a story of a God who refuses to give up on His people.

A God who seeks.

A God who clothes.

A God who promises.

A God who restores.

Our brokenness is real — but so is God’s mercy.

And the One who walked in the garden still walks toward us today.

May we have the courage to step out of hiding,

to bring our brokenness into His light,

and to trust the God who makes all things new.

A Prayer: 

Gracious God,

You are the One who walked in the garden and called out, “Where are you”

You are the God who seeks us even when we hide,

who clothes us in mercy,

who restores what is broken,

and who brings light into our darkest places.

As we stand before you now,

we bring our whole selves —

our wounds, our fears, our failures,

and the parts of us we would rather keep hidden.

May your Spirit make us people of compassion,

people who mend rather than break,

people who seek rather than judge,

people who walk with others as you walk with us.

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

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