Life is complicated

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,  the names roll so easily off our tongues.

these are the patriarchs of the Jewish, and Christian faith.

you think your family is complicated, let’s have a look at this family tree.

look at the chart – Terah, the father of Abraham had 3 sons and 4 daughters – that we know of.  [http://dwell316.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/biay-h-02-abraham-family.pdf ]

Abraham is the father of Ishmael, Isaac and other children, at least 2 more sons –  and 2 wives as well as having a relationship with Hagar which resulted in the birth of Ishmael.

In Genesis chapter 24, we read of the meeting of a servant sent to find Isaac a wife, and Rebekah.  a great great granddaughter of Terah, who is also the grandfather of Isaac.

Rebekah and Isaac have twin sons – Esau and Jacob. we heard about Jacob in todays reading from Genesis. these two were fighting before they were born, and later Jacob tricked his father Isaac into giving him the blessing that belonged to the older son, which was Esau. so Jacob is running away from Esau.

and the story continues with Jacob meeting up with shepherds, as Rachel comes to water the sheep of her father, who happens to be Jacobs uncle. and Jacob wants to Marry Rachel and her father says yes, but you have to work for me for 7 years. then Jacob is tricked and marries Rachel’s sister Leah, and he works for Laban another 7 years to marry Rachel.

what a story – it starts with chapter 12 with Abraham leaving his country to follow a call from God.

while we often think of these people as the great fathers of the faith, men of God, but as we read the story, we see they are no angels. so why might these stories even be included?

Today some families have stories handed down through the generations, stories of an uncle who died in the war – or an great grandmother who travelled the world…well, these are the family stories of the offspring of Abraham, stories of how Abraham left the country he was born in, and that his son and grandson chose wives from amongst his people. these are the family stories telling how they would become a great nation, stories that define the family, which ends up being a nation.

but these people were not perfect, just like us they had decisions to make. and as we look back at their lives, some seem hasty and poor choices.

what of our decisions?

looking at the parable in Matthews gospel we read of a farmer who sows wheat, and yet mong the wheat are some weeds, or more specifically tares. Tares is a specific kind of weed, which looks like wheat when it is young. you don’t risk pulling up the young plants as it is difficult to tell the wheat from the weeds. and this was before machines planted wheat in rows, seed was scattered by hand, as we heard about last week.

the young plants look quite similar, but when the seed head develops it is a different shape to wheat. so you need to wait for the right time to separate the wheat from the tares.

what make of this parable? – well looking at the explanation, I suggest this is a parable that tells us to leave the judging to God – you can’t tell which is wheat or weed early in the piece, so just leave for God to work out.

I wonder who are the people we choose to treat as if they are not worth anything?

who are the people we try and exclude?

but I wonder if this parable doesn’t also remind us, that like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob we are not wheat or weed, we are both.

this contemporary reading looks at Abraham, Moses, a woman, and Paul.  [from Spill the Beans]

an image: a matter of perspective https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=894074757288596&set=a.188695787826500.54678.188533647842714&type=1

 

life is not simple,

families can be complicated,

options can look similar

choices unclear

 

but God used Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and their offspring

 

 

Dear Lord, our lives are coloured by ambiguity

and we don’t always know the right or best thing to do.

But we do know that your love is guiding us

and that you have called us to live as your people in the world. When we face hard choices,

give us eyes to see the best path forward

and the courage to follow it.

When we make mistakes, forgive us.

When we are hurt by our choices, comfort us.

When we hurt others, help us to reach out to them in love.

And above and beyond all these decisions,

remind us that you still love us

and call us back to this place

that we may be forgiven, renewed, called,

and sent forth once more as your beloved children.

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. [David Lose]