'From Eden to Eternity' in an hour

25th June 2010, posted by Nic Arkley

St Paul's had the privilege of hosting The Saltmine Theatre Company's production 'From Eden to Eternity' last night and I, for one, found their presentation of the Bible in just over an hour, both entertaining and powerful.

Billed as 'the story of everything', seeing God's story presented as a whole - something we often miss when dipping in and out of the Bible - brings things together, as well as to life. And here credit must be given to the actors and crew for presenting Richard Hasnip's thought-provoking script in such a compelling and engaging manner.

I personally found Abraham's mini-story quite challenging. Like me, you may know the story well: God promises Abraham that his barren wife Sarah will give birth to a son; miraculously, she does; and years later God asks Abraham to sacrifice their only son Isaac. Remarkably, Abraham shows an obedience and willingness many of us would struggle with. At the last moment, God provides a ram, sparing Isaac's life.

Three things strike me...

First, some time later in God's story we find another father sacrificing his son... this time, it's God Himself giving up His one and only Son, Jesus. The pain for both Father and Son must have been unbearable... and yet they both went through with it; no ram at the last moment, no criminal deserving the death Jesus faced - just Jesus, the unblemished Lamb, the final sacrifice, hung out on a cross. I wonder, have we become so familiar with this part of the story that we fail to respond appropriately? Surely, a life lived in response to this act alone (not to mention everything else God has done for us!) should be pretty radical?

Second, as is true of many of our own experiences, God came through for Abraham and Isaac - yes, it was last minute, but God was faithful - always has been, always will be. Do we know this truth for ourselves? Or do we sometimes doubt God, wonder where He is or why He's not acting sooner? If only we could learn to trust Him as much as Abraham did.

And third, God didn't actually need Abraham to go through with the sacrifice - he saw Abraham's heart. How ready are we to surrender our all to the One who created us and redeemed us? How willing are we to give everything we have? What does God see when He looks at our hearts?

It's quite a challenge. But it's one I intend to respond to. How about you?