It started out oh so well. Practically perfect. Everything was good No Evil. No war. No Discontent. Eden was…well Edenic. So many times I have thought this was to be short lived. And it was. Just long enough for Adam to think of a name for all the animals. The first Adam in his first duty. What is not written substantiates a presumable long period of time. God, Adam, and all the created animals. This was no short task. The Great Inventory of Creation. Perhaps this took days, weeks, months, even years. And then…just when Adam thought that he had seen it all. Enter the exclamation mark of creation: the womb-man. She. A suitable helper. The first human mate. Still in fellowship with the Almighty. Everything was perfect. No Shame. And then… it happened.
The Wrinkle. The incident of heart and will. The Unveiling of the Eyes. The Fall. It all started with a question: did God really say…? Doubt arose. Everything needed was within reach. Suddenly enough was no longer enough. The Fall is the quest for more. The Fall was the original American Dream. More More More. The Serpent. The Questions. The doubt. The subversion. Eve was not alone. Adam was there afterall. One bite. Two bites. The heavens begin to cry out. This Fall… foreshadowing Autumn. Green leaves of the heart lose color and wilt. Summer air escapes and gives way to an Autumn breeze. Suddenly, the first couple’s skin gives way to chill bumps. We are naked. The new human condition. The ripple felt across the ocean of time. The glory of summer days gone. “These times, they are changing.” Shame is the word for this new emotion. Run. Hide. Run and hide yourself.
Adam. Eve. Where are you? Why are you hiding? Who told you were naked? Surely Adam and Eve are growing tired of questions. Questions have thus lead to trouble. Relationship forever changed. And inheritance of shame to bequeath. The curse. The cost? The shedding of blood. A sacrificial clothing. This handiwork of God—garments of skin. Humankind. No longer comfortable in our own skin. No longer comfortable to stand before the Holy One. Oh the Fall. Oh the Fall…Oh the separation.