by Joseph Gorman

I love our church blog. I love getting a quick glimpse into what’s important to our fellow members, and what forms their faith and thought processes. I get really excited when Kathyrn asks me to write my own post for the blog, then I get not-so-excited. You see, I’m just not a writer. I always feel like I have something great to share, but I’m never pleased with the transition from ideas in my head, to words on a page (or... screen). Think of all the stereotypes about engineers, and tell me how many include, “great writer”. The correct answer is none. So, this week, I’m going to cheat and share a picture that I did not draw, and some song lyrics that I did not write, as the bulk of my post. Both the drawing and the song are titled, “Mary Consoles Eve”. The drawing, by Grace Robinson, came first, and inspired the song, by Rain for Roots.

Eve, my sister 
The one who took the fall 
Eve, my sister 
Mother of us all 
Lift up your head 
Don’t hide your blushing face 
The promised One 
Is finally on His way  

Eve, it’s Mary 
Now I’m a mother too 
The child I carry 
A promise coming true 
This baby comes to save us from our sin 
A servant King, His kingdom without end 

He comes to make his blessings flow 
As far and wide as the curse is found

 Almost, not yet, already

I find the image to be incredibly powerful. You may have seen this before, every so often it shows up on social media, usually around Christmas. It has been criticized for giving Eve too much blame for the fall, and Mary too much credit for our salvation, but I think both are silly arguments. Romans 5 clearly tells us that the transgression of one man (Adam) brought sin and death, but the righteousness of one man (Jesus) brings life. The song lyrics do a great job of bringing Jesus, although unseen, into focus in the picture.

Sometimes as I look back to the fall and the ensuing curse, I think, “Geez, you guys really blew it. I mean, you had one rule, just one.” But then I realize how often I find myself in Eve’s depicted position; a posture of shame, trapped by Satan’s lies, still clutching the very thing that would bring me death. Yet there is Mary, graciously declaring the gospel. She is bearing the Savior who conquers our shame (Psalm 34:5, Isiah 40:26), defines truth (John 14:6, John 17:17) and gives abundant, eternal life (John 10:10, John 3:16). She is delivering the antidote for the serpent’s destruction.

I need daily reminders of the gospel. While these reminders are clearly present in scripture and sermons, sometimes, like in this case, they come from a slightly different angle and catch me off guard. I pray that our eyes will be opened to find the beauty of Jesus in new ways.