The ache of exile and hope of return

From the very beginning, Scripture introduces us to a pattern: exile and return.

Adam and Eve once lived in a garden where God dwelled with them—abundance at their fingertips, fear and shame nowhere to be found, full access to the tree of life. But after sin had entered in, God sent them out of Eden and placed cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way back.

“He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:24

This exile introduced separation, longing, struggle, and mortality. If Adam and Eve even attempted to go back, they would face a certain death.

This isn’t the typical merry Christmas imagery we often picture in December. And yet, if we pause long enough to feel the dissonance of exile—the ache of being cut off—we can amplify what God has done in sending His Son for us, and see Christmas more clearly. Because at the heart of Christmas is God’s answer to the ache.

Like Adam and Eve, we are unable to make our own way back. Without an intercessor, we face the same certain death.

But Jesus did what Adam couldn’t. He stepped out of the true Eden—out of the presence of God the Father—and came to dwell among the broken and unglorious so that He could bring us home. The flaming sword of judgement was met with His once-for-all sacrifice on the cross.

John tells us in Revelation that this tree of life reappears and isn’t forbidden next time, but for the “healing of the nations.”

“… also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:2

Christmas isn’t just the story of a miracle child born in a manger. It’s Love come down—the answer of the long-awaited return from exile. It’s where the ache of separation meets the hope of restoration.

It’s where Jesus came out of Eden to bring us back home. Merry Christmas!

Reflect:

Where in your life do you still feel the ache of “exile”—longing, waiting, or separation?
In what ways have you tried to “find your own way back” instead of relying on Jesus?
How does seeing Christmas as the beginning of our return deepen your appreciation for Christ’s first coming?

Genesis 3; Isaiah 40:1-5; John14:1-6; Revelation 22:1-5

Photo by Greyson Joralemon on Unsplash

All scripture references are from the English Standard Version, unless otherwise noted.

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Anna Moore