measuring faith

Another week, and more news of violence and destruction.

Another week, and more news of corruption by politicians and others

another week, and it seems like life is just getting stranger all the time.

And on a personal level there are people who are ill, grieving, lonely and in pain.

 

And yet we meet each week, we are here again this morning.

 

Often in looking at the Matthew passage I think about the social context and the religious context. Today I want us to think what it would be like to be this woman. As a parent, grandparent, and friend what would you be prepared to do to help a child in need? And not just any child, for those of you with children and grandchildren what would you do for your child, for your grandchild?

 

The current events in the USA, where another young black man has been killed by a police officer, some of the comments that I have been reading have surprised me. One person, who has black skin,  talks about how she was taught by her parents to always have her hands out in the open while they were shopping, so people would not accuse her of stealing. Always have receipts in view so people knew that you had paid for what you had in your hand. Growing up in the United States with black or brown skin meant being constantly on guard.

 

And mother of a white child writes of all the things she didn't have to tell her son, to keep him out of trouble, the way black mothers have had to.

 

And I think of the situation with surrogacy and the baby Gammie.

And stories of women in detention centres, thinking that if they let their children be adopted by Australians then their child will be safe.

 

Parents and grandparents  would do almost anything for their child to be healed, to be safe, to be free. And the woman we hear about in Matthews gospel is doing exactly that. Somehow or other she has heard about Jesus and she is not going to take no for an answer.

 

This woman talks of only wanting the crumbs, yet she is talking to Jesus, who is the one who fed over 5000 people and had food leftover. She is willing to accept a scrap, knowing that just the tiniest piece of God's grace can heal her daughter.

We are told that this woman's faith is great enough for her daughter to be healed. Yet just last week we were hearing about how little faith the disciples had.

 

I wonder how do we measure faith?

Having been a science student I am familiar with metres and gallons, light years, and nanometres, amps, and decibels. We know how to measure noise and distance, volume and light intensity; but how do you measure faith?

 

How much faith is enough? What does that mean that she is a person of great faith?

What is it about her faith, that it would be described as great faith?

She is persistent, she is honest about her situation, she asks for help, she recognises who Jesus is. Are these the things that make for having a great faith?

This woman does not accept Jesus initial response, she answers back, she does not let the standard boundaries stop her from getting what she wants, and she gets Jesus to act. Maybe this is what makes her faith great.

 

The woman wanted her daughter healed.

I wonder, what is it that we want?

Do we have enough faith?

 

What is enough faith?

the disciples are told they have little faith.

Peter had enough faith to get out of the boat, but not enough to stay on top of the water.

The woman had enough faith that her daughter was healed.

 

 

With all the bad news we see each night on the TV, with the pain and brokenness in our own lives, still we come together to hear God's Word, to confess our brokenness, to sing praise to God, to pray for ourselves and others. One of the ways we talk about the church is as a community of faith, a community that comes together so that we are reminded of who we are and to whom we belong. We are a community of faith that cares for each other, that seeks to follow in the way of Jesus.

Do we have faith that the world can change?

Do we have faith that people will no longer be oppressed?

Do we have faith that people can change?

 

It seems to me that faith is not measured in the quantity that we hold for ourselves, faith is not something that we can store away for a rainy day. Faith, enough faith, is when we act.

 

Where is God calling you to put your faith into action today?

lived out vision

Yesterday I was at the Social Justice Expo that was organised by the UCA. It was an amazing day.

 

There was a choice of sessions looking at a number of different issues. Issues such as modern-day slavery, climate change, and the recognition of indigenous people in the Australian Constitution. Along with issues we looked at different ways of being active in working for social justice for all people; some people are involved in direct action, such as people who are up in the Leard Forest in northern New South Wales, trying to protect the land, plants, animals and indigenous history from another large coalmine. Other people work through community organising, peacemaking activities, prayer and contemplation.

 

While each person there is committed to living out the gospel call to follow Jesus, which means to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, and to welcome the stranger; we each do this in a different way.

 

As I drove home last night thinking about this gospel passage from Matthew that we would be hearing this morning, it occurred to me that only one person stepped out of the boat. With the other stories we have of Peter it may not be much of a surprise that it is Peter, rather than one of the other disciples. Yet Matthew records all of them in the boat believed.

 

And it isn't like Peter was all that successful at walking on water.

 

In the beautiful story of the three trees that we heard, each tree had a dream, a vision, of what their life would be like. And each of them was disheartened when their dream did not come to fruition as they were being shaped into something different to their expectation.

 

We have a vision of what church will be like, a vision of what our family will be like, our society, our country, how our life will pan out. Sometimes our visions are flawed, they are not the visions that God gives us. But sometimes the vision that God gives us is lived out very differently to our expectation.

 

Yet just as the trees eventually did live out their dream, their God given vocation if you like, in a different way to their expectation; at times we to find that we wonder about our call. It is easy to begin to doubt because just as the waves became too much for Peter, just as Peter became aware of what was happening and focused on himself; at times we to find ourselves overwhelmed, focusing on ourselves and doubting our ability, our giftedness, to follow where God is calling us as individuals and as a community.

 

In the midst of the storm, with what they thought was a ghost walking towards them, and then Peter stepping out of the boat, Jesus was with the disciples.

Peter did not drown.

The wind and the waves were still.

And the disciples believed.

Miracle of Life

the story of the feeding of the 5000 appears in all four Gospels, and it is the only one of the miracles of Jesus that all four gospel writers include, I wonder why?

 

Even people who never have been to church will probably have heard of the story of the feeding of the 5000. In Matthews version there is no little boy, but there are still five loaves and two fish. There are some traditional ways of looking at this reading, one is that there were five loaves and two fish and somehow there was a miracle and those five loaves and two fish fed the multitude. Another way of looking at it is that everybody would have had some food with them, and seeing someone willing to hand over their food to Jesus to share meant others were also willing to share what they had. For Matthew the one who made the world out of nothing was more than capable of multiplying some food, but whether this was a miracle of supply or of sharing, the people who first heard and read the story would have seen something different.

 

Let's think about where this happens, where Matthew has placed this in his gospel. The section just before this is about a birthday party for Herod; the daughter of Herodias danced for him, earning his praise, and led to the death of John the Baptist. Not only was John the Baptist killed, but his head was bought on a platter into the party.

 

At the time, people like Herod had lots of food,  but for most people there was the daily struggle to find enough to eat. Food inequality has been happening for centuries, and food inequality continues to happen today.

The feast of Herod brings about death; yet the fish and bread – subsistence food – is a life giving feast for many.

 

So beyond the bread and fish what might this story have to tell us?

The miracles of Jesus tell us about the nature of God. [i]

remember in chapter 1, Matthew names Jesus, Emmanuel – God is with us.

what do we notice about God in this story?

 

In verse 14 Matthew writes ‘when he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.’ [NRSV] Jesus had gone off to find a quiet place to grieve for his cousin, but the crowds followed. Jesus did not send them away, but spent time with them and healed the sick. And then in the evening he made sure they had something to eat.

 

One thing we hear in this story is of the compassion of God for people. By contrast in the two stories of feasting, the feast of the rich which is life denying, and the food of Jesus which offers compassion, is healing and life-filled.

 

People were used to the idea that the gods looked after the rich, or people who was special in some way; but not ordinary people, not slaves, not the oppressed, and not the hungry. Maybe one reason this miracle is in all four Gospels is to remind people that the God of Jesus, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, is not like the gods of Rome or Greece. The God of Jesus does not want human sacrifice. The God of Jesus is not on the side of the rich and powerful, ignoring the needs of the poor and oppressed.

 

In a culture where the Roman Emperor was considered a god, in a time when it was considered subversive not to bow down to the Roman Emperor, a time when gods were seen as harsh and fickle; along comes Jesus, showing that God is compassionate, compassionate to the sick and the poor, the God who is very essence is compassion.

 

Jesus provided food and healing to these people, we live in our society where we have access to food and medical care, some people struggle, but I doubt anyone in this room does not have enough food in a cupboard for a least the next day or two.

 

I wonder what we need from Jesus?

If one of the things that we here in this story is about the compassion of God, what's story would we need to tell today to get that same message across that God is compassionate, not just to some people, but to all people.

 

…….

 

I love this passage from Isaiah, and in thinking about the Matthew reading today I wondered about the questions that are asked:

Why do you spend your money on food that doesn’t nourish?

Why do you spend your hard-earned wages on things that will never satisfy you?

 

what is it that we spend our money on.? Not just food but in general, do we spend our money on that which nourishes our own life, the lives of the people who produce it, and the whole of creation?

Are we like Herod, whose feasting and lifestyle meant death and hunger to other people?

 

Another thing we hear in the story from Matthew, is how Jesus uses the disciples even when they thought they had nothing to give. The disciples saw only five loaves and two fish and a large crowd, and said we can't do anything for all these people send them away.

I wonder when do we see scarcity,

when do we hold on to that which we have, not being willing to share?

 

Sometimes we are called on to give when we don't know if we have any to spare,

sometimes we are called to act when we feel unequipped,

sometimes we are called to speak out and we don't know the words to say. This miracle is for those times. Sometimes we are like the disciples, we doubt our ability, we are pre-occupied with our own concerns, and just like the disciples Jesus comes and shows us that there is more to us and more to life than we ever imagined.

I wonder what we need from Jesus?

Where are we being called to live out a miracle?

---

[i] David Lose In the Meantime

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]

extravagent sowing

In the three times this set of readings has been in the lectionary in the past 8 years, the previous two times I have been on holidays.

 

some things I notice in this reading:

• the parable focuses on the sower, the explanation focuses on the types of soil
• this is in Matthews gospel, so it is kingdom talk, not conventional wisdom
• Matthew chapter 13 has 7 parables, most without a recorded explanation

 

I wonder what was going through the minds of the people listening to Jesus tell the parable. there he is, out in a boat, the people on land, listening top this story.

 

I wonder who was in the crowd that day, other than the disciples?  probably some locals, maybe some people who were travelling to get  a glimpse of Jesus, maybe some religious authorities, or their spies – seeking a reason to get rid of Jesus. because even by this point in the story, Jesus is a problem for the religious leaders. at the end of chapter 13, after the parables, we have the section about Jesus being rejected in his home town, and then in chapter 14, the killing of John the Baptist.

 

as with all parables there are many layers of meaning here.

on the surface, it seems to be a simple story about farming.  

you scatter seed,

some sprouts, some doesn’t;

some plants survive, some don’t;

some produce more harvest than others.

it all makes sense.

this was common farming practice, and rather than thinking about the harvest from each type of soil, the farmer would be pleased to have so much grain to store. [Kathryn Matthews Huey UCC Samuel]

 

But it isn’t just about farming practices.

it also tells of the situation of  Matthew’s community. they were staring to wonder about why people would hear the teaching of Jesus, and not stay for the long haul. Many people heard the teaching of Jesus, saw his ministry, healing, including the outcast, standing up to the religious authorities; so why did not everyone follow Jesus as the disciples did – or at least believe and live out their faith long term? this parable offers them hope, that in the end there would be a great harvest; a large body of believers.  

 

another way to think about the parable is the foolish, extravagant generosity of the sower.  it is an image of a God who continues to shower mercy, grace and love to the world, knowing that some will not bear fruit. this is not a calculated strategy to get a return, but an amazing gift of grace, spread on the hard- hearted, the selfish, and those who are searching for God.

 

on another level this is about the way we respond to hearing the gospel, the good news of God’s love, and how we live that out in our lives.  There are some days when life seems to overwhelm and choke our faith; there are some days when our lack of depth of faith means we struggle to survive; there are days when God’s words to us don’t get heard by us at all. and there are days when we live out our faith, being the people God calls us to be.

 

another we could think about is where do we sow seeds?

and what seeds so we sow?

do we sow good seed?

do we sow love, grace, bitterness, hatred, forgiveness?

are we particular about where we show God’s hope and peace,

or do we bless all we meet?

the young person with a skateboard, the older person slowing us down as we shop?

 

and there may be other ways to understand this parable as well.

 

another story: The Old Man and the Scorpion

One morning, after he had finished his meditation, the old man opened his eyes and saw a scorpion floating helplessly in the water. As the scorpion was washed closer to the tree, the old man quickly stretched himself out on one of the long  roots that branched out into the river and reached out to rescue the drowning creature. As soon as he touched it, the scorpion stung him. Instinctively the man withdrew his hand. A minute later, after he had regained his balance, he stretched himself out again on the roots to save the scorpion. This time the scorpion stung him so badly with its poisonous tail that his hand became swollen and bloody and his face contorted with pain.

At that moment, a passer-by saw the old man stretched out on the roots struggling with the scorpion and shouted: "Hey, stupid old man, what's wrong with you? Only a fool would risk his life for the sake of an ugly, evil creature. Don't you know you could kill yourself trying to save that ungrateful scorpion?"

The old man turned his head. Looking into the stranger's eyes he said calmly, "My friend, just because it is the scorpion's nature to sting, that does not change my nature to save."

[ I don't know where this story originates]

…

 

there is a  group of people from here who lead worship at Garrawarra every month, the group leads singing, reads the Bible, leads prayers and gives a short talk. and we don’t know if anyone is listening,  or even awake. but we offer our best, because that is who we are.

in the same way some people here offer ministry through

working in the local community,

by collecting food for people who struggle with housing,

by standing in solidarity with people who are treated unjustly.

 

in the same way we wrote letters with Amnesty a few weeks ago, we write in hope, not in certainty.

 

 

God offered and offers life to each one of us, life in all its fullness. this offer isn’t only made to people who will respond, this offer isn’t calculated, but given freely.

 

do we live to our fullest potential?

 

do we worry that Gods extravagance is  wasteful?

do we waste ourselves in love as God loves us?

 

risking the yoke of Jesus

there is much on this weeks sermon that comes directly from other people

 

there are a few parts in Matthew’s gospel I want us to reflect on today.

 

I can imagine John in prison, wondering if Jesus, his cousin,

Jesus, who he baptised, has lived up to his name of Emmanuel.

today the words may be different, but people still ask:

who is Jesus?

what is so special about Jesus?

what does Jesus have to do with life today?

does God care about me?

 

Jesus responds not with a long theological or philosophical answer; but tells John’s disciples to report back to John what they have heard and seen:  

the blind receive their sight,

the lame walk,

the lepers are cleansed,

the deaf hear,

the dead are raised,

and the poor have good news brought to them.

 

when people ask you, what difference does Jesus make? 

how might you answer them?  

what difference does Jesus make in your life?

 

…………………

 

What do you want? Jesus seems to ask the crowd.  [David Lose]

 

John the Baptist is an ascetic, living in the desert, separating himself from all that had the potential to tempt or corrupt him, anything that would make him deviate from his true path of devotion and holiness. He fasted and lived in isolation in order to preserve his purity. ‘He’s a demon,’ the people said. ‘He must be mad to cut himself off from all that we know and enjoy in our society.’ Jesus, on the other hand, lived a life fully immersed in the lives of the people of his day, spurning asceticism, engaging with people where he found them. And the people said, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of all those who have the potential to corrupt, people like tax-collectors, every kind of sinner.’ [Rev Tom Gordon Church of Scotland, starters for Sunday]

 

the image Matthew records is of children playing – typically at weddings the men would play flute and dance; and at funerals women would wail. it is possible that children are practicing their roles, but others won’t join in.  Regardless of the image, people can be fickle.

one example is in the church - 

most churches say they want to grow, but are not willing to change

want young people in worship, but not guitars or drums

want to know what is happening, but don’t look at the material provided

another area is government –

we want lower taxes and more teachers

we want better health care at no cost

we want detailed answers, but only watch the sound bites on TV or radio.

 

I wonder if some people just need something to complain about?

 

What do you want? Jesus seems to ask the crowd. 

Except he knows they won’t answer. They, and we, can’t.

Because what we want is to grow, to evolve, to improve our relationship with God and each other.  And yet at the same time we want to be left alone, untouched and unchanged. Because to change is to lose something.

Change, brings the unknown. Change is not certain. Change implies risk and even potential loss. Which is why we often stay in failed jobs and relationships – they may not be much, but at least they’re something and at least we know what to expect.

But here’s the difficult truth about life in Christ. You cannot enter into it and expect to be unchanged. [David Lose amended]

 

…………………..

 

and we come to the final few verses of our reading:

²⁸ ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

 

I imagine some of you are pleased I am up to this part – no hard  questions about the difference Jesus makes in our lives, or challenges about the changes that come from knowing Jesus. this is the gospel we yearn for: come and rest.

 

what comes to mind when you think of rest?:

sleep

putting your feet up

…

…

 

 

Jesus says: come and rest and take my yoke upon you

here is a  picture of a yoke

[image of a timber yoke - http://www.dailyencouragement.net/images/farmlife/ox_yoke.jpg]

 

you don’t put a yoke on animal unless you are ready for it to work, which doesn’t sound like the kind of rest I had in mind.

here is a picture of a team of oxen.

 

[image of a bullock team pulling a large tree log - http://images2.visitnsw.com/sites/default/files/galleries/timbertown-wauchope-2.jpg ]

 

what might this saying of Jesus refer to, as I can’t imagine putting on a yoke and then  putting my feet up with a hot chocolate and read the paper.

 

Clearly rest in this sense does not mean inactivity.

 

what might we need to rest from:

fear

worry

anxiety

what do others think about us

needing to be in control

…

…

 

I read that where it is translated as my yoke is easy, my yoke is kind would be a more accurate reading.  a ‘kind’ yoke is one which is correctly shaped, that doesn’t chafe or rub, that allows the load to be carried evenly. [Interpretation Matthew p 129]

 

the next two sections of Matthews gospel refers to the Sabbath, and what was allowable on the Sabbath.

the law was meant to aid people in their relationship with God, but for many people it had become an obstacle.  the Sabbath is meant for rest, for not working, for family, for relationship, for health – mental, physical and spiritual health.  we all need a to stop working and rest from our daily labour, whether that is paid or unpaid work.

but the law had been made so strict that you could not pick food for your lunch or heal someone on the Sabbath. The Sabbath is about life, like the gospel it is loving, life-affirming, and liberating.  

 

getting back to the yoke of Christ – his yoke is well shaped and functional.  it aids in our living and our relationship with God, it is not an unnecessary burden.

 

‘ Jesus said “ become my yoke mate, and learn how to pull the load by working beside me and watching how I do it. the heavy labour will seem lighter when you allow me to help you with it.” ‘ [Interpretation Matthew p 129]

 

we all have burdens we carry – grief, pain, …..

but we do not need to carry them alone

 

I wonder who or what are you yoked with?

when you are yoked together, you move in the same direction at the same speed, otherwise you spend a lot of time and energy battling each other.

are you moving in step with Jesus?

or is something or someone else guiding your life?

 

there is much in today’s reading:

what difference does Jesus make in your life?

are you willing to accept his yoke?

are you willing to risk him changing you?

two sons

The Psalm we shared this morning asks : How long will this go on, LORD?

I wonder if that is how Abraham felt, after all God had promised Abraham and Sarah that their descendants  would be as many as the stars in the sky, and yet into old age still no children.

 

I wonder if that is why Sarah and Abraham hatched the plan for Sarah servant Hagar to try and bear a child. And then Abraham has two sons, one born to Hagar, and one born to Sarah.

I wonder how often we try and hurry God's promises,
how often we get impatient,

I wonder if we, in our lament of how long, also wonder if God is ever going to act?

This section of Genesis which we heard this morning is not an easy passage. It raises some uncomfortable questions. Abraham is considered one of the fathers of our faith, someone who trusted God, someone we look up to. If we look at Hebrews Chapter 11 from verse eight:  

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. ¹¹ By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised.^{[e] 12} Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, ‘as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.’

¹³ All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, ¹⁴ for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, ¹⁸ of whom he had been told, ‘It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named after you.’ ¹⁹ He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead—and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. ²⁰ By faith Isaac invoked blessings for the future on Jacob and Esau. ²¹ By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, ‘bowing in worship over the top of his staff.’ ²² By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his burial.^[f

 

The writer to the Hebrews does not mention Abraham's first born son, Ishmael. Abraham was a man of great faith, in response to God's call he left his land, Sarah and Abraham waited many years for the birth of a child, and then a son Isaac, which means laughter.

There are many other parts of the story of Abraham that we have not yet touched on, such as his pretending that Sarah was his sister so that he could travel safely through Egypt.

I find these passages troubling, and that is a good reason for us to spend some time considering what they may have to say to us.

A couple of things that I think will be helpful for us to reflect on. Other people at the time of Abraham, other nations that lived around the Hebrews, sacrificed children as part of their society and their faith. God had made it clear that there was no place for child or human sacrifice for God's people. This was just one way that the people of God were to be different to their neighbours. yet, Abraham understood God was asking him to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering. One of the difficulties I think many of us have at times is understanding whether something is from God or not. Being able to discern if a call to an area of ministry, to a particular set of actions, is it really from God?

It seems hard for me to believe that God was the God of the living would ask Abraham to keep up his son Isaac.

When we are unsure if something is from God or not, we need to think about what we are sure of about God. God who is the life force in all creation, God who is the one who brings life. God, in Jesus, who came to restore a broken world to himself.

Just as the Hebrew people was surrounded by a plethora of gods, so we have many competing voices, demanding our attention and obedience.

Which God do we listen to?

The God of life?

The God who knows all people?

The God who named creation as good?

The God of consumerism?

The God of apathy?

The God of reputation?

 

In the world around I see others who are treated the way Hagar and Ishmael were treated; people who are used and then rejected. Such as people who are victims of modern-day slave traders; young people who are given a job while there is a subsidy, but are ‘let go’, as soon as the subsidy finishes or the young person is old enough to earn adult wages.

I also see people who are sacrificed.

As a nation we are asked to sacrifice our young people for the sake of our military reputation; we are asked to sacrifice our elderly by the god of convenience; we are asked to sacrifice our poorest people to the god of self-interest.

it isn’t only in national and international events that this happens. it happens in families and friendships as well. There are times when we consider people disposable, times when we exclude people, times when we sacrifice people. And at times it is our own self that we give up, at times we deny ourselves the life that God dreams for each one of us.

I wonder what would have happened if Abraham and Sarah had waited patiently for God to fulfil the promise that God had made. I wonder what would have happened if Abraham had taken responsibility for the life of Ishmael and Hagar. By not taking responsibility for the people around us, we diminish God's creation.

There is a quote I've heard a few times by G.K. Chesterton:
"The Christian faith has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult, and left untried."

Do we recognise as the voice of the living God, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God who came to us in Jesus Christ?

 

Do we listen to the voices that speak of life or death?

Do we listen to the voices that exclude, that separate, that counts some lives as worth less than others

or do we listen to voices that offer life, community, hope, love.

 

thanks to Rev. Teri Peterson for ideas on sacrifice and the gods we listen to.