The Jesse Tree: Day 2

ADAM & EVE

Have you ever tried to put something together and realized, halfway through, that you left out an important piece? Maybe it was a toy, a shelf, or a recipe. Everything looks fine for a moment, but without the missing piece, the shelf won’t hold together, or the birthday cake will taste like wheat bread.

It’s a lot like life without knowing what we’re for. In Genesis 2, God shows us what humanity was made for, and in Genesis 3, we see how humanity messed that up. We were made to bring God glory in the home he built, but we were homewreckers, and yet God still invites us home.
 
What We’re For

In Genesis 2, we learn that God forms Adam from the dust and breathes life into him. Then He plants a garden, a place of beauty, rest, and purpose, and says, “Work it and take care of it.”

Which means that part of our purpose in life is to join God in cultivating the home he built for us. Whether we’re tending a garden, raising children, studying, or serving at church, every act of faithful work is worship. We were created to reflect God’s image in how we work, rest, and create.

But that’s not all. God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” From the very beginning, we were made for a relationship with God and with one another. Adam and Eve were placed in the garden not as rivals but as partners, bearing God’s image together. They were designed to live in harmony with their Creator, each other, and creation itself.

How It All Fell Apart

Then comes Genesis 3. A new voice slithers into the story with a question: 

Doubt begins where trust once lived. The serpent convinced Eve that God was holding out on her, that maybe she’d be better off running her own life. Adam stood silently by, and together they reached for the fruit. They tried to take for themselves what only God could give.

And in that moment, everything cracked. Shame replaced innocence. Blame replaced unity. Fear replaced peace. Their home became hostile as sin promised freedom but delivered exile, as it always does.

But God neither gives up on them nor destroys them. He comes looking for them, asking, “Where are you?” That’s not the voice of an angry landlord, it’s the voice of a heartbroken Father. God clothes them, covers their shame, and promises that one day a child of Eve will crush the serpent’s head. One day, they will again be able to come home!

God Still Invites Us Home

That’s what Advent reminds us of: God came looking for us. He didn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up or find our own way. He came as a baby, walked among us, and said, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

So today, whether your life feels like a well-kept garden or a tangled mess, hear His invitation again: Come.