Gen 18:1-15
The first five books of the Old Testament (or the Torah, the teachings or the Law) are held up as the books of the Bible in which the Israelites develop their identity. The story told in the Torah is the story of the Israelites becoming a people who are God's chosen people.
The purpose of the Torah is not to present a straightforward historical account of the birth of a nation, rather it is a confession their faith in God. Faith is confessed by telling the story of how God, Creator of heaven and earth, chose to become involved in the life of a small Hebrew people.
The story we read today is the story of the birth of a great nation. This is not a historical account rather; it is a story that tells of God's involvement in the life an old Hebrew couple. This story proclaims God's steadfast love, generosity, abundance, and grace. In a short, this story tells the Hebrew people and us what God's kingdom is like.
This miracle story should be interpreted metaphorically. It is similar to one of Jesus' parables. Jesus often began his parables: "The kingdom of God is like this."
The kingdom of God is like a woman whose only role in society was to have children -boy children in particular. But this woman could not have children. She lived all her days in shame because she could not conceive. She was taunted and made fun for many years. Then one day God promised her a son. This was such a ridiculous idea that she laughed out loud, for by this time she was very old indeed and was well past the child bearing age.
Soon enough, God's promise came true and the old, old woman bore a son. The laughter became abundant laughter of joy. The promise of a son wasn't fulfilled in a small way, but abundantly. For she did not just have a son, but a nation! That old woman gave birth to a great nation, the nation of Israel, Just as had been promised by God."
This story is a story of God's promise and God's abundance.
Sarah and Abraham laugh at the promise of a son, the promise of descendents that are as many as the stars in heaven. They laugh that awkward laughter that we sometimes laugh when something is too much for us to believe.
We too often laugh that awkward laugh. We laugh at the impossible. We laugh at the thought of God working through us. We laugh at the idea that God will supply God's bounty.
If anyone had suggested to the people of Zion United Church in Southern Ontario, 6 1/2 years ago that their little church would be alive and well and healthy in 1999, they would surely have laughed. That church had lost some of their youngest and most active members 5 or 6 months earlier because of hurt feelings expressed in a meeting that got out of hand. They had no Sunday school, and were barely limping along financially. But today they have a small but active Sunday School, they are having more activities, greater attendance, and a year ago they voted to spend a few thousand dollars on repairs and improvements to the building. They would never have had enough faith in their future to vote to do such a thing in early 1993. In a few weeks, they raised a thousand or so more than needed, and had some extra work done with the surplus.
We laugh at a suggestion. We laugh because we cannot see the possibilities. We laugh because we are blind to see the sacred at work in our midst. We laugh because we cannot see God's abundance.
This past week, I went about looking for God's abundance. As I drove to the airport a saw God's abundant sky. On both sides of the road I saw abundant fields of grain. As I left a province of abundant space and flew to a province of abundant people and heat.
We celebrated Chris' graduation, sharing in a large array of food - cheese, fruit, drinks, and breads. At the convocation there were over 200 other people graduating with their Ph.D. At the convocation ceremony I was struck with the gift of intelligence God had blessed that crowd. And the gift of time and privilege each graduent must have had in order to obtain such academic achievement.
Back home in Alberta, I was aware of the vast opportunities for people. I am aware of the low unemployment rate. I am aware that teenagers can be choosy over the kind of summer jobs they accept.
We live in a most privileged town in a most privileged province in a most privileged country. I don't know why we are graced with this abundance in God's riches, but we are. Can we accept such grace, such gift? Or, do we complain and not see the abundance before us?
For, when we do not see the grace and generosity of God, we miss the kingdom that is here before us, here on earth. When we do not see the grace and generosity of God in our midst, we miss God. And so, I give you a homework assignment. Look for God's bounty this week. Look for God's abundance this week. At work and at home look for God's generosity and laugh with Sarah at the gifts God has gift each one of us.
Abraham and Sarah laughed at the promise God gave them to have a son who would become a great nation. Neither one of them believed such a thing could come true. God was true to his promise. This story is also about how God gives us grace even when we do not believe such gifts will be granted. God gives us grace even when we are barely able to receive God's grace. God gives us grace even when we do nothing to deserve such gift and joy.
May we all laugh with abundant joy. May we all embrace the amazing abundance of God's kingdom. May we have eyes that see the divine in our midst. And to God be the glory. Amen.
The story "Babette's Feast, a novel by Karen Blixen, is a beautiful story of what communion is. It tells of the grace that is given at the Lord's table.
The story is set in an impoverished fishing village on the coast of Denmark, a town of muddy streets and thatched-roof hovels. In this grim setting, a white-bearded Dean led a group of worshipers in an austere Lutheran sect.
This sect rejected all worldly pleasures. They all wore black. Their diet consisted of boiled cod and a gruel made from boiling bread in water. On the Sabbath, the group met together and sang songs about Jerusalem. They had fixed their compasses on the New Jerusalem, with life on earth tolerated as a way to get there.
The old Dean, a widower, had two teenage daughter: Martine and Philippa. Vilagers used to attend the church just to feast their eyes on these two, whose radiant beauty could not be suppressed despite the sisters' best efforts.
Both women stayed in the village to care for their aging father. Neither married though the both were given the opportunity.
Phillippa had a beautiful voice and was given the opportunity to go to France and sing for Royalty
Credit to Philip Yancey's What's so Amazing About Grace
Gen 22:1-14
The day began as it usually did. Routinely, Abraham would get up early in the morning before the afternoon's sun became hot and high and too difficult to work or travel under. Today, though, he did not saddle his donkey. Abraham knew that today he would reach his destination, the mountain in Moriah. This would be the third and final day of travelling. Abraham had been travelling with two servants, his young son Isaac and the donkey. Today, however, it would just be him and the boy who would complete the journey to the mountain.
This story is a horror story. This story is disturbing and scary. We know little of what was really going on in this story.
We know that God has demanded a child sacrifice from Abraham. And this is the day that it will take place. Abraham says to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you."
We do not know what was going through Abraham's mind when he said this. Was he afraid to tell his servants that his God told him to sacrifice his son? Or did Abraham really know that God would not let him go through with this?
As both Abraham and Isaac are walking along, the young Isaac notices the wood, the live coals, the knife, and also that the lamb required for sacrifice is missing. So the child asks his father about this. Abraham's response is that "God will provide one." Again it is difficult to know exactly what is going on inside Abraham's mind. If Abraham tells the truth Isaac may run away. So was Abraham lying? Or did he really believe that God would provide a lamb for him at the last minute. Is Abraham's faith so deep and secure that he knew God would not test him? If that is the case is it really a test of faith?
Truly, what is the most disturbing part of this story is that our understanding of who God is, is shaken to its core. Indeed, there is a vast distance between who God is and our limited understanding of him.
Certainly, the gap between God's command for a child sacrifice and our own sense of ethics and of how God should act in this world are never really brought back together in the story. Consequently, even though a ram ends up burning on the altar instead of a boy, unsettling images linger about the God of Abraham. We leave this story somewhat relieved to be out of it in one piece and with the frightening realization that we do not really know very much about this God.
This story is a horror story.
Let us think for a minute what Sarah would have thought about her husband taking her only son up a mountain to sacrifice him. At what point in their marriage would Abraham have told Sarah this whole story? When he told her, or when Isaac told her, how might have she reacted? Would she have yelled at Abraham? Would she have thrown things? How could he even think of doing such a thing to her boy?
And what of the neighbours? When this story got out among the neighbourhood, what kinds of things would people be saying? How about, "Did you hear what old Abraham nearly did? He bound up his son Isaac, put him on an alter and nearly killed him all because his invisible God told him to. What a nut!"
Or, neighbours could have been saying the very opposite, for during the time of Abraham, child sacrifice was widely practised by Phoenicians and Caananites. It was even practised in Israel as the Old Testament text shows. So by having Abraham go through this event, God was telling him that child sacrifice is wrong. Through Abraham, God changes the morality of child sacrifice. Because the story is a test, the story assumes that it is wrong to kill a child through sacrifice. This story is about the end of child sacrifice.
While in college, a group of theology students watched a film about a church in West Virginia.
During worship, people would bring in a bag of poisonous rattlesnakes and open up the bag allowing the snakes to wander through the church. Some would dance around them. Others would pick up the snakes, holding it up in front of their faces, staring it straight in the gangs.
The logic, they said, was that they believed the verse in Mark's gospel. "And these signs will accompany those who believe: they will pick up deadly snakes in their hands, and it will not hurt them."
One of the students watching the film was shocked and outraged especially when it was discovered that several members of that congregation had died from snakebites.
At the end of the film, the teacher listened to the contempt and judgmental attitude of the student and then he offered only one comment. He said, "These people believe that their faith is strong enough to handle dangerous snakes, following the word of scripture. Who are we to tell them that they are wrong?'
This story is shocking and disturbing. At the same time, we cannot judge Abraham. Abraham has a tight relationship with God. We do not know if this was a true test of Abraham's faith but we do know that Abraham had a very close relationship with God. We know that Abraham talked with and listened to God. And there is hope in that for us. Because if Abraham can have a personal relationship with God, so can we. Abraham listens to God. God talks to Abraham. God talks to us. We have the potential to have the kind of intimate relationship with God. Sometimes God may tell us things that we do not want to hear and though that may be scary, it can also be exhilarating and exciting.
In the book, Prayer the Hidden Fire, author Tom Harpur suggests how to listen to God. He advises the reader to sit comfortable, feet fat on the floor, palms up. He suggests we take time in our regular routine to quiet our minds and listen for what God is telling us. The author also emphasises the need to discern what one is hearing, to be sure that it is from God. He encourages readers to check out hunches or messages with a trusted, wise friend to help discern what is from God and what is not.
I have heard this method taught to people as the only way to listen to God. But this method does not work for everyone. God can speak to us in unexpected places. I have a friend who hears God while she vacuums. I often hear God in music and song. Many, many people hear God while driving in a car. God speaks to us in community, through children, or at parties. Our job is to be listening for God's voice>The day began as it usually did. Routinely, Abraham would get up early in the morning before the afternoon's sun became hot and high and too difficult to work or travel under. Today, though, he did not saddle his donkey. Abraham knew that today he would reach his destination, the mountain in Moriah. This would be the third and final day of travelling. Abraham had been travelling with two servants, his young son Isaac and the donkey. Today, however, it would just be him and the boy who would complete the journey to the mountain.
This story is a horror story. This story is disturbing and scary. We know little of what was really going on in this story.
We know that God has demanded a child sacrifice from Abraham. And this is the day that it will take place. Abraham says to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you."
We do not know what was going through Abraham's mind when he said this. Was he afraid to tell his servants that his God told him to sacrifice his son? Or did Abraham really know that God would not let him go through with this?
As both Abraham and Isaac are walking along, the young Isaac notices the wood, the live coals, the knife, and also that the lamb required for sacrifice is missing. So the child asks his father about this. Abraham's response is that "God will provide one." Again it is difficult to know exactly what is going on inside Abraham's mind. If Abraham tells the truth Isaac may run away. So was Abraham lying? Or did he really believe that God would provide a lamb for him at the last minute. Is Abraham's faith so deep and secure that he knew God would not test him? If that is the case is it really a test of faith?
Truly, what is the most disturbing part of this story is that our understanding of who God is, is shaken to its core. Indeed, there is a vast distance between who God is and our limited understanding of him.
Certainly, the gap between God's command for a child sacrifice and our own sense of ethics and of how God should act in this world are never really brought back together in the story. Consequently, even though a ram ends up burning on the altar instead of a boy, unsettling images linger about the God of Abraham. We leave this story somewhat relieved to be out of it in one piece and with the frightening realization that we do not really know very much about this God.
This story is a horror story.
Let us think for a minute what Sarah would have thought about her husband taking her only son up a mountain to sacrifice him. At what point in their marriage would Abraham have told Sarah this whole story? When he told her, or when Isaac told her, how might have she reacted? Would she have yelled at Abraham? Would she have thrown things? How could he even think of doing such a thing to her boy?
And what of the neighbours? When this story got out among the neighbourhood, what kinds of things would people be saying? How about, "Did you hear what old Abraham nearly did? He bound up his son Isaac, put him on an alter and nearly killed him all because his invisible God told him to. What a nut!"
Or, neighbours could have been saying the very opposite, for during the time of Abraham, child sacrifice was widely practised by Phoenicians and Caananites. It was even practised in Israel as the Old Testament text shows. So by having Abraham go through this event, God was telling him that child sacrifice is wrong. Through Abraham, God changes the morality of child sacrifice. Because the story is a test, the story assumes that it is wrong to kill a child through sacrifice. This story is about the end of child sacrifice.
While in college, a group of theology students watched a film about a church in West Virginia.
During worship, people would bring in a bag of poisonous rattlesnakes and open up the bag allowing the snakes to wander through the church. Some would dance around them. Others would pick up the snakes, holding it up in front of their faces, staring it straight in the gangs.
The logic, they said, was that they believed the verse in Mark's gospel. "And these signs will accompany those who believe: they will pick up deadly snakes in their hands, and it will not hurt them."
One of the students watching the film was shocked and outraged especially when it was discovered that several members of that congregation had died from snakebites.
At the end of the film, the teacher listened to the contempt and judgmental attitude of the student and then he offered only one comment. He said, "These people believe that their faith is strong enough to handle dangerous snakes, following the word of scripture. Who are we to tell them that they are wrong?'
This story is shocking and disturbing. At the same time, we cannot judge Abraham. Abraham has a tight relationship with God. We do not know if this was a true test of Abraham's faith but we do know that Abraham had a very close relationship with God. We know that Abraham talked with and listened to God. And there is hope in that for us. Because if Abraham can have a personal relationship with God, so can we. Abraham listens to God. God talks to Abraham. God talks to us. We have the potential to have the kind of intimate relationship with God. Sometimes God may tell us things that we do not want to hear and though that may be scary, it can also be exhilarating and exciting.
In the book, Prayer the Hidden Fire, author Tom Harpur suggests how to listen to God. He advises the reader to sit comfortable, feet fat on the floor, palms up. He suggests we take time in our regular routine to quiet our minds and listen for what God is telling us. The author also emphasises the need to discern what one is hearing, to be sure that it is from God. He encourages readers to check out hunches or messages with a trusted, wise friend to help discern what is from God and what is not.
I have heard this method taught to people as the only way to listen to God. But this method does not work for everyone. God can speak to us in unexpected places. I have a friend who hears God while she vacuums. I often hear God in music and song. Many, many people hear God while driving in a car. God speaks to us in community, through children, or at parties. Our job is to be listening for God's voice
Let us be open to the word of God. Let us not judge others for their faith but be tolerant and respectful of how God is working in the lives of people. Let us be open to helping one another discern hunches and messages. We need each other in this process. Let us keep our hearts, minds and ears open for God. Amen.
Let us be open to the word of God. Let us not judge others for their faith but be tolerant and respectful of how God is working in the lives of people. Let us be open to helping one another discern hunches and messages. We need each other in this process. Let us keep our hearts, minds and ears open for God. Amen.
