Made for Community - Clothed

by Michelle

This series of blogs began with a question inspired by the movie Up in the Air – are people ‘swans’ or ‘sharks’? Looking at the first few chapters of Genesis, I think the answer is yes. People are swans. And people are most definitely sharks. While we were created to live in community, to help each other and carry one another, we can be pretty awful at it. Like Adam and Eve, we try to cover up our wrongdoing, they did this literally by sewing together fig leaves (Genesis 3:7), and we hide, Adam and Eve hid from God (Genesis 3:8). Transparency is not our best quality.

Of course, we cannot always avoid the consequences. Thus, we have struggling friendships, relationships, and marriages. Adam, Eve, and the serpent, which tempted them, all received punishment from God (Genesis 3: 14-19). However, Adam and Eve received more than just consequences from God. They were given clothes (Genesis 3: 21). After God had finished reprimanding them, He made them garments.

Now, God had created Adam and Eve naked. He had created them to live in openness and honesty. God did not intend for them to hide from Him or each other. Only after Adam and Eve fell to temptation and their eyes were opened, did they feel the need to cover themselves. They made clothes out of leaves to cover their guilt. In a way, Adam and Eve took care of their lack of innocence, or so they thought.

However, God knew this was not enough. God knew, from that point on, people were not innocent and they were not going to be able to fix it by their own strength or ability. While we might try, like Adam and Eve, to mend our own mistakes; we end up with partially mended clothes and situations, which are always on the brink of falling apart. We end up as ‘sharks’ pretending to be ‘swans’. To make up for our inability, God takes care of us – He covers us. To me, this is an exceptionally tender moment in scripture. God creates garments for Adam and Eve, even if clothes were not needed at the start of creation and even if clothes represent their mistake.

When it comes to community, we fall short and miss the mark of what God intended. We have historically and I think it’s unavoidable as we go forward. However, this does not mean we should not try. It means when we are found lacking, which is only a matter of time, we have to rely on God to cover us and to make up for our shortcomings.

Go out and find community.

When things fall apart, run to God.

He’ll be there waiting to cover you.