{Prayer}

            It has been an absolute jungle around here this past week. We’ve had vines falling from the hallway ceilings, hippos inwardly digesting Bible verses, alligators swimming around our puppet’s boat, and over a hundred different jungle travelers moving about from Tree-mendous Crafts, Rainforest Recreation, Canopy Café Snacks, Tree-mendous Science, and the Bible Jungle Cruise. While it has been pretty wild around here this past week, God’s love finds a way to still come to each and every one of us.

            Jungles can be frightening places. One of Pastor Mike’s and Jessica’s favorite movies are the last two Jumanjis. In the second movie, there is a scene where Jack Black’s character is passing on a little bit of jungle wisdom after someone had almost gotten eaten by a hippo. He says, “This is a dangerous place. Crazy dangerous. You’ve got to stay alert all the time. If I’m near water, I got one eye on the water, you hear me? You got to have eyes in the back of your –“ … and this is where a giant python drops down from the trees and eats Jack Black before he can finish his sentence.

            Jungles can be a dangerous place. You don’t know what’s around the corner, you don’t know what might jump out at you, you don’t know what might come down from the trees to scare you … or eat you. You have to be alert at all times. You have to be ready for whatever may come your way. But the thing is, no matter how much you prepare, no matter how much you plan … you can’t prepare, you can’t plan for everything.

            But you know, we learned this past week that it hasn’t always been this way. On the first day of VBS we talked about Creation and we pointed out how at the end of each day, God saw what He made and it was good. And when He was done creating everything, He stepped back, looked at absolutely everything and said it was very good.

            And as we heard in the Old Testament lesson from Genesis 2 … God created a garden in Eden. It was there in the garden that God placed the man He created. Notice, God didn’t place him in a jungle where you have to eyes in the back of your head. No, He placed him in a garden. A garden where God made all kinds of trees, trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food (Genesis 2:9). God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. After the creation of woman from the man’s rib, Adam and Eve worked and took care of the garden together.

            I don’t know about you, but I would much rather live in a garden that is planted by God, where the trees are pleasing to the eye and good food, and where all of the other creatures live together in peace and harmony than live in a crazy, dangerous jungle. But even within the peacefulness of the Garden, the crafty serpent slithered his way in and up the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to tempt Adam and Eve.

Tempted by the serpent, tempted by Satan, Adam and Eve thought it would be better to more like the Creator, to be more like God, than to live in the peace and harmony of God’s good creation.

            So giving into the temptation to be like God, Adam and Eve bit into the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In doing so, not only did they bring sin upon themselves, upon their offspring, upon us … but they also brought about corruption and death to the very creation they came from. Adam and Eve gave up living in God’s good garden, to living in a jungle of sin and corruption.

              Their rightful expulsion from the garden was a harsh wake-up call. Lush greenery, once a haven, is now twisted into a tangled maze. Thorns and thistles snag at Adam and Eve’s skin as a constant reminder of their sin. Sunlight, once a warm embrace, now is filtered weakly through a choking canopy of leaves, casting upon the jungle floor in an unsettling gloom. The air, thick with the stench of decay and buzzing with unseen insects, feel heavy with accusation. Vivid blooms, signs of innocence and life, hung wilted and browning, replaced by creeping bugs that strangled the life out of their surroundings. Eerie calls echoed, menacing growls and hisses of creatures lurked in the shadows, a chilling cry of danger. This wasn’t just a hostile a crazy dangerous world … it was a living reflection of their sin. Their once perfect world, forever lost, lay on the other side of a wall of thorns, a constant, taunting reminder of what they had thrown away.

            And we see echoes of this fallen jungle in our own lives as well. Just as the vibrant paradise became choked by thorns and decay, our hearts, originally pure and designed for a perfect relationship with God, have become tangled with sin and negativity. 

            The thorny vines of lies, gossip, and bitterness toward others, even those who we have been friends with our whole life, even those who are part of our families, these vines can wrap around our hearts and choke out the “love your neighbor as yourself” command. These vines choke out the good fruit of the Spirit found in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

            The stench of decay fills the air as unforgiveness and resentment fester within us. Paul says “we are the aroma, the sweet smell of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15). But instead of the sweet smell of Christ, the stench of our sinfulness, our self-centeredness, and our pride pollutes our relationships and creates a toxic atmosphere.

            The eerie calls of negative self-talk, doubt, and temptation whisper from the shadows … tempting us, luring us away from the path of righteousness. As Satan prowls around in the shadows, we continually pray that we do not give into temptation so that we can avoid being snatched up in his jaws.

            The jungle, it’s a dangerous place. Crazy dangerous. You’ve got to stay alert all the time. And yet … the jungle also holds hidden beauty and the potential for renewal. You see, there’s always hope. Hope for you, hope for me. We aren’t lost in the twisted thorny vines, the stench of decay or the eerie sounds forever because there is one who has bridged the gap back to God. Through faith in Jesus as our Savior, through faith in Jesus who entered into our jungle, was tempted by Satan as we are, had His skin snagged and torn by the end of a whip, by the thorns of a crown, and by the splinters of the wooden cross … Jesus, the second Adam, died and was buried, knowing no sin but yours and mine, so that you and I would not have to suffer the pains of hell and the evil one.

            And just as sunlight can break through the jungle canopy to the jungle floor and life can grow, Jesus broke free from the grave so that the light of God’s grace, the light of Jesus’ love may penetrate into the darkness of our hearts, allowing us to grow. With the writer of Psalm 18 we say, “You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light”(18:28).

            As the living light who has overcome all darkness, Jesus leads us through the crazy jungle of our lives to the true paradise. There’s no doubt about it, the life we live is full of challenges. Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, waiting to devour us. As Jack Black’s character in Jumanji tried to say, “You have to eyes in the back of your head.” In other words, we need to be always be alert.

            While we are surrounded by the dangers of the jungle, we don’t need to navigate this jungle with fear in our hearts. Through faith in Jesus, we are forgiven, we are claimed by the blood He shed to be a child of God.

            While our Great Jungle Journey came with a lot of fun, the jungle of life is not always so easy. But we know the ending. We know that Jesus is coming back for us. We hold onto the promise of a new creation. A paradise that is free from sin and suffering. Even as we navigate the challenges of this life, we can live with hope and joy, knowing that God is with us … every step of the way. Amen.

            The peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, now and forever. Amen.