Just a few notes:

* If you have any thoughts or questions, please use the comment section here! I’d love for the conversation to continue.

* I had a few people ask me about the resources I’m using to teach and a few others who have asked about further resources I would recommend. If you’re interested in finding resources about anything in particular, leave a comment and we can discuss it.

* You can always share the audio of this teaching with friends and invite them into the conversation here and to church!

* Last, I’ve included some of the (poorly drawn) diagrams from last night. I hope it’s helpful:

Diagram 1:

Only when we have Eve (Thou) do we have Adam (I). And vice-versa. Adam finds out who he is through the face of Eve and Eve through the face of Adam. What they each give to the other is a boundary that helps the other see their own limit. When they each bump up against the other they recognize this other is another “I” not an “It.” This other is not a tool or an animal, but a person. This happens through the other’s ability to say “No.” Eve’s ability to say “no” to Adam lets him know that she is there in her freedom and shows him his limits (this is a good gift of God). Adam and Eve are defined by the other: I end where you begin.

Diagram 2:

Eve can say “No” to Adam and this shows him his limits; it shows him who he is. In the same way the Tree of Knowledge is God’s “No” to the humans. God’s “No” to Adam and Eve shows the their limits: They are not God (this is a good gift). It teaches them that they do not have life in themselves. They are creatures. They have limits. This is the boundary/barrier that Adam and Eve bump up against to show them that they are not their own source of life.

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