The First Family

Scripture: Genesis 2:18-25; 4:1-16

Sermon by Dr. George B. Wirth

First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta

May 14, 2000

 

INTRODUCTION

Several weeks ago, I saw part of a documentary program on television about the Nelson family - Ozzie and Harriet, David and Ricky - whose popular show was seen by millions of Americans back in the 1950's and 60's.

 

My own family tuned in religiously each week as we sat in the living room, eating popcorn, drinking Coke, watching the Nelsons and wondering, imagining how we could be more like them. Ozzie came home from work with a smile on his face, kissed Harriet who was dressed to the nines and had a full dinner on the table. Over supper, David and Ricky talked openly with their parents about school and baseball, and they all laughed together about the amusing events which had happened to them and their friends.

 

Any conflict which might arise, nothing serious of course, would be resolved easily and peacefully before the 30 minute program concluded. And it seemed obvious to us, living as we did in the manse of a Presbyterian pastor, that although the Nelsons were never shown going to church on TV, surely in real life, they had to be a Christian family, because they did just about everything right!

 

Every now and then, when my younger brother Paul and I got into an argument (which actually occurred almost daily), our parents would try to remind us about David and Ricky and how well they got along.

 

So that's the way it was, 40 or 50 years ago - our family holding up the Nelson family as a good and healthy model. And I don't think we were alone. Parents and children all across this country who watched that program had an image in mind of what a family was supposed to be.

 

But behind that image on the TV screen, as the documentary last month pointed out so tragically, was a family struggling with pressures and problems like the rest of us, a family that eventually, in real life, had to face their share of separation and pain: the divorces of both brothers, alcohol abuse, and Ricky Nelson's fatal drug addiction to cocaine. He died far too young as his jet plane crashed en route to a rock concert.

 

Now, it's not my intention today to pass judgement on the Nelsons, nor on those of us who thought they were an ideal family and sought to be more like them. But if we look back with nostalgia, longing for the way family life used to be, I think we're bound for disappointment and disillusionment. Because, families back in the so called "good old days" of the 50's and 60's, or in any age for that matter, have always experienced the upside and downside realities of joy and sorrow, peace and frustration, hope and despair, closeness and separation. So it is now, and so it has been since the dawn of creation.

 

Part 1

The ancient story of Adam and Eve in the second chapter of Genesis describes in symbolic prose and poetry how the first man and woman were made for each other and bound together in love and mutual harmony. They lived in a garden which the Bible calls Eden and the marriage between them was blessed with everything they needed.

 

The guidelines God gave them were meant for their health and protection, and the only prohibition was a tree in the garden which God told them to leave alone. It was, said God, “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which you shall not touch, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall die” (Genesis 2:15-17).

 

Then, in Genesis 3, the serpent who came to tempt them told Adam and Eve that God had lied. “God knows,” whispered the serpent, “that when you eat of the tree your eyes will be opened and you will be like Him” (Genesis 3:5).

 

As the biblical record shows, that was the beginning of the end of innocence. For when Eve and Adam ate from that tree, they broke the covenant with their Father in Heaven and were sent out of the garden and never allowed to return there again.

 

But notice, please, that the original decree and sentence of death was not enforced. Instead, a loving and forgiving God gave Adam and Eve a second chance and blessed them once more through the birth of their sons named Cain and Abel. And that's how the first family began, with the promise of hope and the great expectation that the best was yet to be.

 

Sad to say, it didn't turn out that way. In the course of time, Cain, who became a farmer, and Abel, who was a shepherd, brought their offerings to the Lord. Why Abel's offering was considered more acceptable than Cain's we will never know. But we do know that Cain's anger turned to jealousy, and his jealousy exploded into rage and led to that fateful day out in the field which left the younger brother dead and the older brother standing before God with blood on his hands and guilt on his face.

 

“Where is Abel your brother? I do not know - am I my brother's keeper?” That question and answer exchange between God and Cain is one of the most tragic moments in all of scripture. And yet, even in the midst of that horrible and hopeless situation, God reached out to take hold of Cain and promised to protect him with some kind of a mark which warned others that this man could not, would not be slain for the terrible thing he had done. You see, like Adam and Eve, their oldest son Cain was given another chance in life.

 

Part 2

Now although we might think that they didn't deserve it, and I'm speaking now about the grace and forgiveness of God, if you translate that Old Testament story of The First Family into the New Testament gospel of Luke, chapter 15, Jesus told his own story which describes a strangely familiar scene. This time, the younger brother breaks the rules while the older brother does everything right. When the prodigal son comes home to the open arms of his father and the celebration begins, the older brother stays outside, because he's jealous and resentful that his younger brother's sins have been forgiven.

 

The father goes out to plead with his eldest son to come in and join the party, saying, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It is fitting to make merry and be glad, for this, your brother was dead and is alive. He was lost and now is found!” (Luke 15:31-32)

 

In the 17th century, Rembrandt painted that scene of the prodigal son and the original work of art is now on display at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. The late Dutch priest, Fr. Henri Nouwen, went to see it in 1986, and was so overwhelmed by the painting that he wrote a book about it, this book entitled The Return of the Prodigal. Six years later, in 1992, a close friend of mine invited and took me to Toronto to meet and stay for a while with Fr. Nouwen at his retreat center where he once worked with disabled persons. During our visit, Henri Nouwen talked about Rembrandt's painting and the profound impact it had on him. And as we were leaving, he gave us a copy of his book and a beautiful print of the painting which now hangs on the wall of the pastor's study here at the church.

 

I have shown many of you what Fr. Nouwen revealed to me and to my friend: Rembrandt portrayed the older brother standing at a distance, glaring at his father and younger brother. But as the father puts his hands on the prodigal son's shoulders, Rembrandt painted one of the hands rough and crude, the hand of a man; and the other, gentle and smooth, the hand of a woman. Fr. Nouwen smiled and said to us as we prepared to leave, "Such is the love and forgiveness of God, embracing us like a father and a mother, reaching out to touch our hearts with healing power and welcome us home."

 

If you translate the Old Testament story about The First Family and New Testament story about the prodigal son and his family into the story about your family and my family today, this is what I hope and pray can happen for each of us and all of us this morning:

 

·        That we will be touched and transformed by the hands of God, who loves us like a father and a mother and who has reached out to forgive us through the healing power of His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord. . .

 

·        That we will never take for granted the gift of life which has been given to us by our parents, and especially on this Mother's Day, that we will honor our mothers who are living and remember our mothers who have died with a sense of gratitude, joy and pride. . .

 

·        That we will not allow anger, resentment or jealousy to tear our families apart, but rather seek the peace, reconciliation and humility we need which comes from the heart of God. . .

 

·        And that if any one of us is standing at a distance from our loved ones, like that prodigal son, or elder brother, on the outside looking in, that we will hear God's call and heed Christ's command to follow by faith and find our way home.

 

Conclusion

Is there someone in your family who needs a healing embrace today? Do you need to receive that embrace from someone else you love? Life is too short and people are too precious to miss the grace and love which God offers to us right here and right now. Don't miss it! Don't miss it!

 

In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.