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God Will Provide

6/25/2020

Gen. 22:1-18

There is a Yiddish folk tale that goes something like this: Why did God not send an angel to tell Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? Because God knew that no angel would take on such a task. Instead, the angels said, "If you want to command death, do it yourself."

Our story today of the near-sacrifice of Isaac in undoubtedly one of the most difficult passages to comprehend in the Bible. What just and loving God would demand such a test – to sacrifice one’s own child? It calls to mind the trials and tribulations of Job who, in a test permitted by God, lost his children, his cattle, his home, all his wealth, and had his body covered with boils. But not even Job was asked to kill his children. God’s request to Abraham is very striking: Take your son,-- your only son Isaac -- whom you love. In case it wasn’t clear enough to Abraham. God spells it out. Your only son now, Abraham. Whom, by the way, you love. Is this a story of an abusive God, a misguided Abraham, religious violence at its worst? Or is it a story of profound faith and obedience that our modern sensibilities can’t comprehend?

        What kind of Father would comply with such a cruel request – even from God – without even a word? Is this the same Abraham that battled the five kings to rescue his nephew Lot? Is this the same Abraham who forcefully argued with God over the fate of Sodom, and was able to persuade God to spare its destruction? Is this the same Abraham who was so greatly distressed when his son Ishmael was cast out? Is this the same Abraham who waited 25 years for the birth of this promised precious child, Isaac? What is going on here?

        Our story today is the first account of God deliberately testing someone in the bible. It is also the first time the word “love” appears in scripture. This test of faith is a test of love. How strong is Abraham’s love? Does he love God enough to follow through on this test? Does he love Isaac enough to be confident that God would not harm him? It is the kind of test that leaves one forever changed, forever marked. Because of Abraham’s faith he is known as Father Abraham, the embodiment of faith, source of inspiration, to the three great monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

        Abraham’s saga began back in Chapter 12 of Genesis. God appears to Abraham, then called Abram to go forth – leave behind all he has known for 75 years – his father’s house, his kin, and to go to a land that God would show him.   God said “ I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. … and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Today’s call to Abraham comes when the full promise has been realized in the birth of Isaac, his heir Life is good.   Now God commands Abraham to do the unthinkable – to offer Isaac as a sacrifice – in a land God would show him. God here is asking Abraham to separate with his future.

        During those past 25 years, when Abraham set out from Haran, to a land God would show him, God has been leading Abraham along. The interesting thing is that in a matter of five verses in chapter 12, we read that Abram arrived in the land of Canaan, near Shechem. God appeared and said, to your offspring I’ll give this land. The story could have ended here. But Abram does a curious thing. He continues the journey. God didn’t tell him to keep going. Abram keeps on going for an additional ten chapters. Did he doubt God?   Did he imagine something better?

As a result, Abraham faces repeated self-imposed challenges that God had to save him from. He passes Sarah off as his sister, leaving her vulnerable to the sexual advances of foreign kings. Strife broke out between his servants and the servants of his nephew, Lot, causing a parting of the ways. All this time the Abraham frets about the lack of this promised heir: Could Lot be the heir? Could Eliezer, his servant, be the heir? What about, Ishmael, born of the slave woman, Hagar? Surely, he’s the heir. However, Abraham permits the banishment of Ishmael, and his mother Hagar, once his son Isaac is on the scene.

Now with Isaac’s position secure, everything going fine, God speaks to Abraham and tells him to go somewhere. God calls to him from the land of the Philistines, where he was staying, to go back to the land of Promise: “Abraham! Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land or Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.”

With no response or reaction, “Abraham rose up early that morning” -- just like the day he sent off Ishmael to his fate. Abraham gathers the wood, the knife, the servants and Isaac. “Here I am,” he responds three times in the text – once to God, who ordered the sacrifice, once to Isaac, the intended sacrifice, and once to the Angel who stopped the sacrifice. Here I am, ready and present to you. What changed in Abraham after all those years that he could go through such a horrific act? Did Abraham reflect back and see, every time he ran away, every time he tried to take things in his own hands, every time he sinned, or was mistaken, at every time, in every situation, God was there, redeeming those mistakes? Somehow, finally it sank in. Abraham responded, “Here I am,” For once, I want to be truly present with you—in the bad as well as the good – in the challenge and tests and well as the blessings. God provided. Isaac is preserved. Such a test come at a cost. Sarah, who had no voice in this near-sacrifice of her son, dies shortly after. There are no more accounts of God speaking to Abraham after the near sacrifice of Isaac on Mt. Moriah, the place where the ancients consider the Temple to have been built. Abraham’s journey is complete.

In our text God teaches us that child sacrifice is once and for all forbidden and abhorrent in God ‘s eyes. This would set the people of Israel apart and make them unique among the nations where child sacrifice was commonplace. To this day child sacrifice continues. There is a global market of child trafficking, for sex slaves, household help, child soldiers or child labor, that produces over $12 billion a year with 1.2 million child victims. The horror continues and we allow the sacrifices continue, long after God abolished them.

It is a reminder to us that we too, when we are called, when we are tested, must place our children, all that we love, in God’s hands, knowing that God will provide. A way out. A way through. God will provide the acceptable sacrifice. Not the child. Not our promised. Not what we love. May we too past the tests we face, with the example of faith of Abraham and Sarah, with Isaac to continue the faith forward. Amen.

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Nothing is Impossible for You

6/25/2020

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"Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20

LISTEN TO: Jason Castro, "This Is Only a Mountain" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OWLs1G3q1

At our former manse there was an unusual round patch of ground. It is the mark of where a maple tree once stood. However it fell during Super storm Sandy and had to be completely removed. All that remained was a patch of wood chips. We had moved in in mid-February, and this round, barren spot captivated Forrest. He mixed in garden soil. He planted rings of nasturtiums. Then for good measure, in another stretch of the lawn he planted dahlias and sunflowers. Where that wonderful maple tree stood a year before, now grew beautiful orange/yellow nasturtiums. Why nasturtiums? They were the favorite flower of Forrest's beloved grandmother. And she loved nasturtiums because they were her mother's favorite flower. They are a symbol of enduring love and goodness. Life goes on and life finds a way to bloom, even in the wood chips and aftermath of storms.

If you were to ask me a year before that move, would we be there, enjoying the beauty of nasturtiums following the felling of that maple tree, I wouldn't have been able to conceive of it. But that's what happens. The storms of life hit. Many precious things are destroyed and damaged in the storms' path. We discover that mountains are not just those large land-forms stretching above the land around it. the mountains we must scale have to do with loving in and living through difficult situations. Having faith that God will see us through when it feels like we've just been dropped down a crevice. Having hope that God will bring us through and open new doors. Paul reminds us in Romans: For in this hope we were saved. "Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 8:24-25"

Now in the summer of 2020 we still face the storms of COVID19. Will we face a resurgence? When will social distancing and mask wearing end? How long will it take to get a vaccine? Will school and work go back to a "new normal" in the fall? What about racial equality? How long will racism continue until we become so sick and tired of it, of the burnt holes in our souls, that we will plant seeds of justice and peace? When will these mountains be scaled?

We will conquer these mountains. We scale them with patience, faith and love. God's love, and the love we carry with us, down through the ages, and the love that around us -- that love will see us to the other side, where the nasturtiums are waiting to bloom.

PRAY: "God, grant me the faith to face my mountains"

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That You May Become Perfect

6/9/2020

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2 Cor. 13:11-13

      Last week we celebrated the great feast of Pentecost, the miraculous coming together of people of all languages and nations by the power of the Holy Spirit. We acknowledged this Pentecost Power coming down upon us in a time of great divide. We have seen the pain of this great divide driven wider this past week in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd.
      Rioters and arsonists hijacked a number of peaceful protests across the country. We witnessed the ransacking of mom and pop shops, even stores like Macy’s in New York City. They vandalized and defaced property and set fire to stores and torched police cars across the country.
      In some instances, stones and bottles were lobbed at police. A policeman was run over, another shot point blank in the head. A number of officers have died.
        In addition, peaceful protesters have been called terrorists. Following police protocols, peaceful demonstrators in some places were tear gassed, pepper sprayed, rubber bullets shot, manhandled by police, leading to significant injuries and even death of protestors. But not even the rioters or the police could stop this movement. It’s gone worldwide.
       During this very same time, we have seen communities pulling together to heal in the aftermath of destruction. Strangers bringing truckloads of food to help those who lost their grocery stores. People reached out to shelter and tend to the injured. People are reclaiming their streets, sweeping away debris, removing graffiti. In some places, police and protesters joined together, marched together, affirmed each other and spoke out for justice, cooperation for peaceful assembly. Some police departments have announced their reexamination of the use of force policies.
      Between the pandemic, the high unemployment, the desire for just change, we are witnessing the groaning of birth pangs of creation to bring forth a new world, through the power of Holy Spirit. The experience of this past week brings us to our knees, first, with the renewed awareness of the presence of evil and injustice in our world, that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, that he/she who is without sin deceives themselves; as Jesus’ forceful reminder to us that he or she who is without sin should cast the first stone.
            Second, our reading from Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians today calls us to hopeful action, it refocuses our attention to another extremely important message we need to hear. Hear again what Paul writes: “This is what we pray for, that you may become perfect…Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” This message gives us our marching orders in the context of this turmoil we’re facing -- that through Christ, as we act like Christ -we are called to become perfect- perfect in a biblical sense. Perfect as in becoming whole. In being rounded. In our completeness. In lacking nothing. That’s how we begin to put things in order, so we can ultimately live in peace.
         Today we focus on the Triune God – God, Three-in-One; One-in-Three, and how this concept calls us to live in holy perfection, calls us to put things in order, calls us to agreement. We put things in order by naming the disorder: the inequalities, the injustices, the hurts that won’t go away while oppression is alive and well. We turn to the order that we find the sacred symbol of diversity and community, present within the Godhead itself, that gives form and shape to human life and all creation. The Trinity is the most ancient archetype and the DNA for human life. That is our order.
        Made in the image of God, we are made in the image of Trinity, body, soul and spirit, we are created for relationship, for connection, for community. We are reminded that made in the image of God, Trinity informs how we are called to put things in order, a harmonious order that leads to us live in one accord. How can we be in agreement if a brother or sister is brutally denied a place at the abundant table God has created for us all? So we are called to agree, we are called to make things right, to live out the good and holy so that even in the midst of pandemic, in the midst of economic unrest, and in the midst of protest, we can achieve love and peace with each other.
         The protests of this past week are just a tip of the iceberg. We must live together in such a way that we can put things in order the right way, to hear the pain of ancient wounds caused by the sin of racism, caused by all the sins in our hearts, to seek forgiveness by putting things in right order so we can come to agreement. We remember that soldiers were among the earliest converts to Jesus – they found in Christianity a principle, a mercy, a humanity missing in the Brutal Roman Empire -- so we pray that this same grace would fill our police – that they can be agents of transformation– just as we pray for this grace to fall upon us and communities of color historically harmed by violence, so acquainted with police misconduct, so all of us, all of us, putting things right with each other, being of one accord may experience the love and peace of Jesus Christ and in this know perfection.
Brazilian theologian Leonardo Boff describes Trinity it as a primal community; "just and equal in all its parts...and, therefore, a model for human society."    So, the Trinity models the communal life to which we are called; a life together marked by justice and peace, creativity, a place for all marked by equality and held together by love. This is God’s vision for us, for human society.
We the church are called to model this sacred community, to point the way to justice and peace, to put things in proper order, to strive to agree with one another, to strive for the peace of Christ. We do not achieve this by ourselves. But through the grace of Jesus Christ. Even in the turmoil of this past week, we saw glimpses of these holy deeds rippling throughout our land, police and protester alike listening to each other, agreeing with each other, struggling to put things right. We must cling to these examples, promote these works that lead to holy perfection in our midst.
        Our understanding of human rights, our life of caring together, our interconnectedness with each other has only come from acting on the justice of Jesus and the creative power of God, the source of love and life that is Trinity.
       God has something new to say to us every moment of our lives – even if it is in the midst of pandemic, of economic upheaval of protest: The blessed Trinity declares “Behold, I am doing a new thing. Don’t you see it?” This is good news, as we face uncertainties in the days ahead; God loves us, charges us to love, to embody love in a love starved world.
So, the Triune God – perfect community of love– seeks communion with us. Holy Community of Love sends us out to love. To put things in order. To be of one accord. With faith and courage, open us to new ways and new visions, seeking agreement and peace with each other.    Let us put things in order. Live in agreement, be an example in midst of a world longing for justice, love and peace and in doing do, find the perfection God calls us to. Amen, Amen, Amen!

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"One Body"

6/2/2020

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Acts 2:1-21; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13

We live in a time of sharp divisions. People seem to be on edge, even at each other throats. There are those who want to wear a mask verses those who refuse to mask. Clerks and guards have been attacked by people who won’t mask, there has been name calling from both sides of the issue. There are armed protests clamoring for states to open up against those who support stay-at-home orders. There are deepening divides along
political and economic lines. There are deep-rooted racial and ethnic tensions highlighted this past week by the murder of an African American man, George Floyd, by the police in Minnesota, a tragedy that has sparked protests, looting, fires and additional injury to protesters. Closer to home is the confrontation between a Caucasian woman and an African American man in the Central Park Bramble which has gone viral.

It all reminds me of a following story:
“I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off. So, I ran over and said "Stop! Don’t do it!"
"Why shouldn't I?" he said.
I said, "Well, there's so much to live for!"
He said, "Like what?"
I said, "Well...are you religious or atheist?"
He said, "Religious."
I said, "Me too! Are you Christian or Buddhist?"
He said, "Christian."
I said, "Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant?"
He said, "Protestant."
I said, "Me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?"
He said, "Baptist!"
I said, "Wow! Me too! Are you Baptist church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?"
He said, "Baptist Church of God!"
I said, "Me too! Are you Original Baptist Church of God, or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?"
He said, "Reformed Baptist Church of God!"
I said, "Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915?"
He said, "Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915!"
I said, "You, heretic!" and walked away from him”
           .
           This reminder, that for all we have in common, we tend to focus on differences, has its roots in the fallen nature of humankind. From the sin of Adam and Eve, the fighting between Cain and Abel, the brutality of human beings leading to Noah and the flood. The fighting continues between brothers Esau and Jacob, among Joseph and his siblings. The bible is a record, the human record is a sad tale of broken families, broken societies, broken nations, unable to get along with one another unless the grace of God intervenes.

           Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit poured out on God’s people, is the antidote to these conflicts we find ourselves struggling with. Pentecost calls us to live out boldly faith that embodies what Paul teaches; “a variety of gifts, a variety of services, and a variety of activities, but one Spirit.” The basic experience of Pentecost is that through the power of the Holy Spirit, all peoples are healed and called forth to unity in our diversity, held together in perfect harmony by the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

         The hallmark of Pentecost is the coming together of the human community through the Spirit’s connection. The death and resurrection of Jesus, followed by his ascension into heaven and then the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, speaks to a re-forging of a covenant people as one in Christ. Grace is given to peoples from many lands to hear one another. Grace is given to ordinary people to speak an extraordinary message to strangers: about the love of God poured out in Christ.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is consistent with the very life of God modeled by Jesus. A life of loving sacrifice, meant for the healing and up building of the whole, the forgiveness of sinners, the lifting up of the outcast, and reclaiming what is marginalized the restoration of loving connection.

         How we need the Holy Spirit to become whole! The Holy Spirit is the very life of God, the very essence of Jesus poured out in our hearts. Our Advocate, Our Comforter, the Great Disturber of spiritual complacency. It is what keeps us alive, keeps us renewing, keeps us involved in the world and with each other. The Holy Spirit breaks us out of self-imposed constraints and ideas and ways of relating that no longer work. We need Pentecost in order to heal our world, to build a new community in Christ’s name. Pentecost is about every one, young and old, men and women, no matter the economic, social political, racial-ethnic or religious or sexual orientation: everyone, has a dream, everyone has a vision, everyone has a prophetic word, everyone has a gift that is important for the good of all.

          Our challenge is to stop limiting the power of the Holy Spirit. If our church is to survive, the message of Pentecost must be reclaimed.     We live in a world that has seen unprecedented change over the last 150 years. 90 percent of what has been created and been created in the past 150 years. Never before has the world held so many people, so many cultures. Never before has communication been so all comprehensive. Never before has the possibility of connections and travel been so great. If a little virus like COVID19 can affect the world the way it has, think what the outpouring of the Holy Spirit can do. We are called to release the power of the Holy Spirit so that through us, So we can realize Paul’s declaration to the Galatians: There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

         Here is my Pentecost dream: That your voice and my voice will be such a channel of the Holy Spirit that people with no faith persuasion, people raised in the church but who have left the church, all will say,   ”hey, you’re speaking my language. You are speaking to my spiritual hunger.”

         Here is my Pentecost dream: that you and I can hear the voice of Jesus, that our hearts burn with the fire of the Spirit, and the barriers that separate us will come tumbling down.

Here is my Pentecost dream: that people of different racial and ethnic differences, people of all nationalities, people who speak Russian, Indonesian, German, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, English, Chinese, Korean, French, Hebrew, Arabic, Hausa, Swahili, Yoruba, Zulu, or any of the 6,912 known living languages of the world, can say, we feel heard by you.

Here is my Pentecost dream people of varying political and economic views can see all that binds us together rather than what tears us apart.

         This is my Pentecost dream: That two people meeting on a bridge, whatever religious backgrounds can meet on a bridge and embrace. That two people, meeting on a bridge, rich and poor, young and old, gay or straight, of different ethnic or national backgrounds, can embrace each other, knowing that neither has to be rejected – because of Pentecost, because there is so much to live for; we are one spirit, one body in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050530&c=4&s=mcgarvey

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God Will Provide

Nothing is Impossible for You

That You May Become Perfect

"One Body"

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