Garden of Eden

 SCENE 1

TRANSCRIPTION

Adam speaking: 

“The memory of that fateful day will forever haunt me. The day when the world as we knew it was no more. It started out as any other day in the Garden of Eden. Green and luscious, Bright and full of life. The sweet smell of the air filled our lungs and the softness of the grass cushioned our every step. Everything was absolutely good and God provided all for us to enjoy. God gave us only one rule… and that was to not eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. While we knew God was good, my wife Eve and I chose not to listen…           

The serpent tempted us. He convinced us with the idea that we could be “just like God” by gaining knowledge of good and evil if we ate the forbidden fruit. We chose to listen to the serpent instead of obeying the commands of our Creator. And, to our detriment, we ate. 

The consequences were sudden and scary. We were able to see our nakedness; and, for once, we felt the weighted burden of shame. We were filled with anxiety and tried desperately to hide from God for we knew we did wrong. The moments after sinning, we were lost, confused and stricken with fear. What have we done?

It was not long before we heard the steps of the Lord in the garden as we hid among the trees. He called out to us. Though he was aware of our rebellion and of our hiding, He called out and asked us where we were. We explained that we hid due to our nakedness and it revealed our feelings of guilt for disobeying Him and eating the forbidden fruit. 

Eve and I were ordered to leave the garden as a consequence. The once sweet aroma that filled the air turned heavy with the smell of decay. The beautiful and luscious greenery and bright colored flowers of the garden that were once so inviting turned treacherous to the touch by their thorns and thistles. Our sin caused these consequences and we knew it.

If only we trusted the Lord’s way… if only we listened to Him we would still be enjoying the day by walking in the cool of the garden like we were used to, listening to Him talk about His creation and how much we really mean to Him. How he loves us unconditionally. 

I now see that it was His very presence in the Garden that made it the place that it is. The place that it was…Instead, He was wiping these strange things coming from our eyes as we made our way out of the garden. The Lord called them “tears”. What were these things? We were now wrapped in the skins of a lamb that He provided for us to keep us clothed and warm in this new world with sin and death.  

As we approached the end of the garden, two cherubim angels peered down at us. I looked back one final time, and I saw God’s face. He looked… sad. Even though we were leaving the garden and His presence, I knew He would continue to care for us and be with us.