When I was a boy, I hated Brussels sprout. When I would see my mom putting the vegetable on my plate, I immediately began concocting plans to avoid eating it while still receiving permission to leave the family table. I tried spreading the vegetable out on the plate so that it might look like I’d eaten a lot. I tried moving it from my plate to someone else’s plate during the prayer (or whenever I thought I could get by with it). All parents know that those attempts were complete failures.

I had my greatest success when I hid the Brussels sprout under the outside rim of my plate—out of my mother’s sight—and then cleared it into the garbage pail as we carried our plates to the sink to be washed. After I had done this several times, I thought that I had discovered a foolproof plan…that was, until a particular Easter Sunday meal (with Brussels sprout!!) took place. A feast had been prepared. The table was set with our finest linen tablecloth and best utensils. My mother made sure that we had something of every food group on our plates. And, as I had done before, I hid the Brussels sprout under the rim of the china and threw it into the pail as I went to the sink.

All seemed to go well until I came home the next week and found my mom holding the linen tablecloth up to my eyes to show me a green stain that would not come out. She said, “Gregory Lee Waybright (my name when I was in trouble)! What have you done? You’ve lied to me. You’ve tried to hide what you’ve been doing. And, now, you’ve ruined our best linen!!” Of course, I was disciplined. I never imagined that one act of deception would have the kind of consequences it did.

I’ve been reflecting on that story—and too many others like it—this week as I’ve reread Genesis 3. This is the story of when Adam and Eve threw away paradise for a piece of fruit. Last week, we looked at how they were tempted to the point of choosing to disobey God. However, when they sinned, they were probably unaware of the extent of the consequences of their sin. “It’s private,” they may have imagined. “No one else will be hurt,” they surely thought. But the consequences of their sin were enormous. I contend that they always are.

This week, we will see again how the Bible explains the imperfections of this world that we are in. More personally, I will ask us to come to grips with the fact that our actions still have consequences, consequences far beyond anything we might envision.

And then (praise God), we will close our services by remembering at the Lord’s Table that God’s renewing grace is greater than our sin. May God speak to us all.

To God’s glory,

Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor