Holy Insecurity
Holy Insecurity
To focus on whether the creation of human beings and their fall into sin historically “happened” just as the story is told in Genesis is an adventure in missing the point. It happened that one species of animals evolved to such intelligence that they could see the world around them, and those they loved, and say in whatever language they had, “How beautiful is all this creation. There must be a Creator.” But then came the moment of choice. Could they trust this Creator? Could they trust their fellow humans? Clearly the answer was no.
The truth of the Genesis creation myth is written in the heart of every man and woman, as it was written on the hearts of the first man and woman who were created in the image of God the moment they realized that they had been created. The truth of Genesis is that the fall from innocence to sin happens to every one of us. Whenever we refuse to accept the gracious limits that our Creator and loving Parent has placed on us, we fall into distrust and sin as surely as the first man and first woman. But in accepting the same human insecurities, and the same earthly limits, Jesus Christ proved for all time that we can trust our loving and most gracious Creator.
Even as the LORD God gives to the first human being the earth “to till it and keep it,” a limit is placed on human power. For the Hebrew word used here literally means "to serve." Human beings are commanded to serve the earth that God has given them. And amid the abundance that God gives us, God gives just one command: Accept your limit, and do not try to gain the same knowledge as God by eating from the tree of knowledge. But God doesn’t say that if they don’t eat of the tree of knowledge, they will live forever. In fact there is a tree of life in the Garden of Eden. And after their fall into sin, God chases the man and woman out of Eden because God is afraid that if they eat of that tree, they then will become physically immortal and be sentenced to an eternity of toil and pain.
And of course, the man and the woman are naked, to each other, to the world around them, and to God. Their knowledge is limited. Their life is limited, and their bodies are limited. They are helpless before God. And yet what a responsibility has been laid on them. Care for the earth, and trust God. Helpless, yet responsible, the man and the woman live in a state of holy insecurity. And into this insecurity comes a very clever snake. You will not certainly die, the snake says to the woman; it’s not certain that you will die: a vague enough promise to divert the woman’s attention away from God’s warning. And then the snake promises that you will be like God. But “like” isn’t good enough when it comes to God. Knowledge they will have, but not the wisdom or power to use it as only God can.
For this man and this woman, as for every man and woman since, it is a question of limitation and trust. Can we accept the limits of our knowledge and power? Can we trust that in life and in death, we are always held in God’s hand? This man and this woman gave the wrong answer. Note that the man has apparently been there the whole time. And so have we. Even our recent history is full of human beings refusing to accept their limits. “Ever since the days of old / Men would search for wealth untold / They’d dig for silver and for gold / And leave the empty holes.” So saith John Anderson in his song Seminole Wind. Many who grew up in the 1960s and early 70s remember the personal happiness that was promised if we followed our bliss and threw off all social restraints. What were they smoking to think that everybody could pursue their own personal happiness without anybody getting hurt in the process? Whether it’s limitless wealth or limitless pleasure, holy insecurity can lead us to reach for them.
Of course, living with the knowledge of our limitations is frightening. To know the limits of our knowledge and power is to know that we live up in the air. If we presume that our homes, our wealth and our lives stand on a firm foundation of our own creation, then we’ll have no idea we are falling until we hit the ground. So, what’s the alternative to a life of illusion, a landscape we paint for ourselves and call reality? Look around you. Look up and see the empty sky above you. Look down and see the ground. And then remember what the Son of God himself said when tempted by the devil to jump off the pinnacle of the Temple: “Do not test the Lord your God.” When you are afraid of not having enough to live on, remember what the Son of God himself said when tempted by Satan to turn stones into bread: “Do not love only by bread, but by every word spoken by God.” When you feel the need to control others, remember what the Son of God himself said when tempted to gain worldly power by worshiping him: “You will worship the Lord your God and serve only him.”
And finally, when you are afraid of the ultimate limitation, remember what the Son of God said on the cross: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Every human limitation, every human insecurity, Jesus knows first-hand, that we might know his Resurrection first-hand.
February 22nd, 2026
The First Sunday in Lent Year A
The Rev. David Kendrick