Service June 28, 2020 Leighmoor Uniting Church, Rev Barbara Allen
Hymn suggestions:
TIS 454: Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness
TIS 137: For the beauty of the earth
TIS 619: Have faith in God, my heart
TIS 599: Take my life, and let it be
TIS 658: I, the Lord of sea and sky
TIS 547: Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Prayers of Adoration, Thanksgiving and Confession
O loving, merciful, nurturing God,
we gather in our homes-as a scattered community-apart-but joined.
We are physically distant, but emotionally and spiritually connected.
We raise our voices to you, wherever we are, separated, but as one voice,
to worship you, our Creator God.
We thank you for each new day.
We may feel the monotony of being in lock down, but if we take on its lessons of valuing the preciousness of life, rekindling an appreciation of the simple things in life, then
-we can always give you thanks, and see this experience as a time of building up our faith and our trust.
We thank you for the magnificent planet earth, for its many beauties and delights.
From bird song, to frog croaking, from vast stretches of wilderness to blue ocean,
we give you thanks.
We thank you for family, our blood relatives, our church family, and our friends.
Although we know you love us dearly-at times, we still have questions.
We know that faith is about believing in things unseen…but we are human.
Forgive us when we demand to know everything…for when we are cross because we are denied answers.
Forgive us when we neglect our planet, our earthly home,
Forgive us when we become self centred, only concerned about ourselves and our loved ones…when we neglect others in this world.
Forgive us when we act and sound like head-strong toddlers-demanding what we see as rightfully ours…and clutching at things, instead of sharing.
In a time of silence, we remember other things for which we need forgiveness.
God is love
Through Christ our sins are forgiven.
Thanks be to God.
Take hold of this forgiveness and live your lives, as forgiven and much loved people, in the presence of the Spirit.
Amen
Bible Readings:
Genesis 22: 1-14
Psalm 13
Romans 6: 12-23
Matthew 10: 40-42
Sermon
In Jerusalem, inside the old city, stands the great gold mosque. The Dome of the Rock. When you see photographs of Jerusalem-this gold dome stands out. The mosque is built over the place where the temple stood-the only piece left is what is known as the ‘Wailing Wall’- many Jews go there to pray, to place prayers from others-written on paper-into the cracks in the wall- to ascend to heaven.
The Rock over which the shrine is built is sacred to both Muslims and Jews. In Islam, this is thought to be the place where the prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam, is believed to have ascended into heaven.
For Jews, it is a special holy place, the site of today’s story from Genesis.
– Mt Moriah-the rock where Abraham laid Isaac and raised his knife to kill him.
On a visit to Jerusalem, I saw this rock, or a portion of the exposed part of Mt Moriah.
As I gazed at it-my skin prickled.
-my skin prickled.
-a wild and windy mountain!
The story from Genesis 22 of the near sacrifice of Isaac is one of the most troubling, disturbing, and powerful stories in the Bible.
-The story defeats those who would use the Bible as a book of answers- because, even after we have finished interpreting the story, there are still unanswered questions.
A story of a God who might threaten the life of an innocent child is deeply disturbing, perplexing.
Remember that Abraham has set out on a journey with God-on the basis of little more than a promise
-a promise that, through him, would lead to the entire world being blessed.
Yet- without descendants, there will be no blessing to the world, through Abraham and Sarah.
Much is at stake here in how the story ends.
Last week we heard of the story of Ishmael and Hagar. Abraham had had a son through his wife’s slave, Hagar.
Then Sarah bore Isaac.
Last week’s story saw Abraham sending Hagar and Ishmael out into the desert
-in a sense-Abraham lost his son Ishmael
-he never saw him again.
Now-is he to lose his only other child, Isaac?
Other questions-
Is Isaac on the altar, similar to Ishmael in the desert?
Is Abraham, who sent Hagar and Ishmael at Sarah’s command-any different from Abraham who acts at God’s command?
Is Sarah’s ‘get rid of Ishmael’ now replaced by God’s ‘get rid of Isaac?’
Can God protect and provide for both Ishmael and Isaac?
Questions, questions- this dark story is a story ringed with questions.
Let’s enter this story for we can gain strength from it-eventually!
‘After these things God tested Abraham.’
God, after assuring Abraham that through Isaac his name would endure in his descendants
-directs him to slay this child of promise
-and risks leaving him as he was before-alone in the world without prospect for the future.
“Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will show you.”
-‘your only son’
-and we jump up and down and say “What about Ishmael? He’s your son too!”
In one Jewish commentary the writer tells of an old tradition-that Abraham was tested by God because he favoured Isaac over Ishmael.
‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love …’
But-but-if we were to assume for a moment that God wished to punish a sinful father-why would he inflict a worse punishment on the son?
‘So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out…’
Last week we heard ‘So Abraham rose early in the morning…’and sent Hagar and Ishmael into the wilderness
-an uncertain time- as is today’s episode.
Now, instead of Hagar and Ishmael-Abraham and Isaac venture forth into the unknown.
One wonders why it is Abraham, rather than his servants, who saddles the donkey and splits the wood. Isn’t this an activity more suitable for servants than for the servant’s master? Indeed, throughout the whole story-the servants do nothing.
-they are simply there.
We could interpret Abraham’s actions, in carrying out these chores- as either a desire to move quickly and get the inevitable over as soon as possible, or, as an attempt to postpone the inevitable as long as possible.
-to hasten-or to delay
They set off.
There follows no cry of rebellion or outrage from Abraham.
Neighbouring nations sometimes had child sacrifice as part of their cult,
-but not the Hebrews
-human life was sacred.
So how could God ask such a thing of Abraham?
This story-of God’s demand of Abraham, is unique and has important things to tell us.
How could a loving Lord-the Master of the Universe-ask such an unnatural, impossible thing of Abraham?
This question has haunted us for several thousand years.
In the Middle Ages, God’s demand of Abraham was often the subject of miracle and morality plays.
The philosopher/theologian Kierkegaard (born 1813) in his book Fear and Trembling, retells the story of Abraham and Isaac in three different ways-and still he reaches no conclusion.
Even today we cannot understand it.
Isaac-the name means laughter.
Where was the laughter? Nothing to laugh about! Not a laughing matter.
What about Sarah?
Did Abraham tell her what God had asked of him, tell her perhaps at the last moment in order to avoid her tears and protests?
Or did he just take the boy, and go?
Scripture says nothing-but Sarah was a mother
-a force to be reckoned with! She had waited so long for this precious child.
I feel that if Sarah knew what was being asked-she would have spoken up, protested.
Abraham and Isaac leave the servants and go on.
Abraham places the wood on Isaac’s back.
Isaac is strong enough to carry the wood-and old enough to ask
“Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
Isaac knows what’s involved in an act of worship-but he cannot see anything suitable for a sacrifice.
An honest question deserves an honest answer. Abraham doesn’t turn on Isaac for speaking out of turn, for being bold:
‘God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.’
There is tension! We know how the story will end, but Abraham and Isaac do not. So when Abraham says that God will provide-this is not a shallow religious platitude-but an act of great faith.
But Abraham’s hand is held-the sacrifice does not go ahead.
His obedience and faithfulness wins through.
BUT look at verse 19:
‘So Abraham returned to his young men and they arose and went…’
Many feel that Abraham returned alone-without Isaac.
Have relations changed between father and son?
How could they not? Would you trust your father after he raised a knife above your head?
Would you want to send him a ‘Happy Father’s Day’ card?
What did Isaac do?
He settled down, married, and had children.
He refused to let fate turn home into a bitter man.
In Jewish tradition he became a good listener, a defender of his people, a man of love and prayer.
He survived-through his pain and grief-and eventually was able to come through the pain-and experience joy (and laughter) again.
Sarah.
There’s a legend that states that when Sarah saw Abraham return-without Isaac-she thought she knew what had taken place-and her grief was so great that she collapsed and died.
After this story, the beginning of Chapter 23 starts: ‘Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years…And Sarah died.’
We do not hear of Abraham being with Sarah after his journey with Isaac
-we do not hear of Isaac seeing his mother again.
The last verse of Genesis 24, after Isaac married Rebekah, is poignant:
‘So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.’(vs 67)
This is a difficult story-with many questions.
Some see it as an echo of Jesus before he was crucified
-the sacrifice of God’s Son.
-but the story of Jesus is unique, independent of this drama.
For some New Testament writers, the story speaks of Abraham’s faith, his obedience-especially in the books of Hebrews, James and Romans.
BUT
A question WE can bring to this dark tale is-
What is the cost of faith?
How demanding is God?
God does not ask us to make trivial sacrifices.
Discipleship is a journey-sometimes it may be up a wild and windy mountain-throwing ourselves upon the mercy of God.
What does God ask of us-
-of you
-of me?
In this story, the refrain “Here I am’ is repeated, three times.
At the beginning when God calls to Abraham and Abraham answers “Here I am.”
Later, as Abraham and Isaac journey toward Mt Moriah, Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” (I could have based a whole sermon around that dialogue and what it could mean)
And, finally, when God calls to Abraham from heaven, as father raises his knife to kill his son: “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said “Here I am.”
What does God ask of us?
It is worth remembering that the Temple was not built on Mt Sinai, where the 10 Commandments were given, but on Mt Moriah-the site of near sacrifice.
And, not far away-there is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre-built on another gruesome site-on Calvary, or Golgotha.
What does God ask of us?
-of you?
-of me?
Amen
Prayers of the People
Loving Lord, we come before you with our concerns for the world.
We thank you that we can share in this ministry, this service of prayer.
We pray for world leaders. We ask that they act wisely, seek counsel, and carry out their decisions and duties, with humility.
We pray for those suffering from covid-19. For those with the disease, for their families, for the health workers.
We pray for those living through lock down. Be with those who are anxious-the panic shoppers, whose hoarding is often linked to their anxiety and stress.
Be with those who are worried about their livelihoods
Be with those who wonder what life will be like-and if there will be a future.
Be with those recovering from our summer bush fires. May the relief work continue through this time of lock down. May these victims, struggling through rebuilds and insurance claims, not be forgotten.
We pray for the poor, the struggling, the homeless.
May our hearts, hands, and wallets remain open during these challenging times.
In the words our Saviour taught us, we are confident when we pray to say:
‘Our Father in heaven…’
Amen.
Dismissal.
As we continue in lockdown, remember we are still the church, we are still part of the body of Christ.
Continue to serve-with prayer.
We are not alone.
Blessing
The Lover of the universe will uphold you,
the Saviour of the lost will enfold you,;
the Spirit of truth will mould you,
now and evermore,
Amen (Blessing based on a Bruce Prewer blessing)
-Rev Barbara Allen, Leighmoor UC, 28.6.20