Buildup to Easter, Week One: The Fall

We’ll be starting The Sunday School Zone Buildup To Easter during the week beginning on Sunday, February 11, 2024, with the story of Adam and Eve and the account of their sin found in Genesis 3. Why start here? Because understanding how sin impacted our world, and the people in it, will help us understand why Jesus had to come and die. We’ll actually be looking at two stories (this week and next) related to sin and evil in the world. Next week we’ll explore the story of Cain and Abel. (Time won’t allow us to look at the story of Noah or the tower of Babel. They’re also about sin and evil in our world.) First, we will consider Adam and Eve…

Understanding the Fall

The story of “the Fall” (Adam and Eve’s sin), helps us see that sin occurs when we doubt God’s goodness. The record of creation found in Genesis 1 shows clearly that God had created a “good” world for people that provided everything humanity could want and need. However, rather than trust that God will always do what is best for them, Adam and Eve chose to doubt God and trust… a TREE! Read more about the meaning of Adam and Eve’s sin.

Personalize It

It would be easy to blame Adam and Eve for the brokenness of the world and the suffering we each experience in life. Or, we might blame them for our weaknesses in giving in to sin. The fact is, however, that we are just as prone to doubt God as they were. It’s easy to imagine that we know better than God what is best. We see something we want and quickly convince ourselves that we would be happy if we just had THAT. It’s always an illusion.

As we enter into the Easter season, we should reflect upon our own tendency to trust in “the trees” of this world rather than the Creator. It’s our ongoing doubt in the goodness of God that should remind us that we need what Jesus did on the cross and the resurrection following that.

Prayer

Father, we thank You that You are a God of hope. During this season of celebration, make us aware that we are a sinful people and, like Adam and Eve, we doubt your goodness and need the hope and promise of the cross. We acknowledge that sin is real and significant, but that the sacrifice of Jesus is greater than our sin. May our sin humble us. May Your victory cause us to celebrate! – Amen

For Your Kids

You can find a number of free, printable activities related to The Fall of Adam and Eve on the site. Encouraging kids to study this story during the Easter season can help them place the crucifixion and resurrection in its larger biblical context. Other activities and resources related to Easter can also be found on the site.

This has been the week of Sunday, February 11: The Fall for The Sunday School Zone Buildup To Easter. To see all weeks, go here.