Sermon for August 7, 2022
Sermon title: "Abraham's Inheritance"
Scripture: Genesis 15:1-6
(Other lectionary choices include Psalm 33:12-22, Hebrews 11:1-16, and Luke 12:22-40.)
Genesis 15:1-6
God’s Covenant with Abram
1After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." 2But Abram said, "O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." 4But the word of the Lord came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir." 5He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 6And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
As you know, virtually every time I have preached, I have followed the lectionary. Well, today I am going to do something a little bit different. I saw a sermon on today's Genesis text that seemed to fit with what's going on right now in most of our lives. It's from the Rev. Adrian Sherrill of Trinity Lutheran Church of Denver, CO. He says that as Fall approaches, many of us are thinking about things that happen in the Fall, such as going back to school and football season! Actually, he didn't mention football season, but I'm thinking about it, and I assume some of you are, too. (And let's not forget the exciting end of baseball season, especially with the Dodgers doing so well right now!) But on a more serious note, some of us are worried about or thinking about political stuff as the Midterm elections approach. And as we get older, we have thoughts about "life's worth, and all things future." Abraham has similar worries. He's getting up in age, and so is his wife Sarah, and at this point they have no children.
Did you hear the last line of today's Scripture reading? "He believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness." The Apostle Paul loved this phrase, and he quotes it in one of the epistles. Believing the Lord means TRUSTING the Lord. Abraham TRUSTED the Lord, we are told, and he and Sarah eventually have a son, whom they name Isaac.
Before I continue, I want to point out what my brother pointed out after last Sunday's sermon, and Harlane mentions this sometimes, too. If we believe in God and Jesus and all the stuff we're told in church, is everything going to work out just fine? Of course not! Life is tough, Abraham had it tough, Jesus had it tough. If we believe, is everything going to be a bowl of cherries? The answer is no, and if I have conveyed in any way that everything will be just fine if you only believe, I'm sorry. I am a person of faith, and I want to trust God, and as a minister, I hope you will continue to trust God, too. But simply because we believe does not protect us from – as Shakespeare said - "the outrageous fortune of slings and arrows", or something like that! Life is tough, it's short, and it can be painful. So, please don't think that I believe that faith is a "magic bullet" that protects you from all harm. I believe it is a help, but it is certainly no guarantee of freedom from pain and tragedy. Look around: I'm sure there are many people of faith in Ukraine and look what's happening there. And I'm sure you can think of your own examples. We believe because God has touched our lives in some way, NOT because we'll get a safe and happy passage through life!
Now I just said that having faith doesn't make you bulletproof. But I think the whole history of our faith, such as what we read in the Bible, can be helpful. The story of Abraham and Sarah is a wonderful account of two FLAWED individuals (yes, I said FLAWED!) who trust God even when the going is tough, and things seem hopeless. Abraham is considering having a certain Eliezer of Damascus be his heir because Abe is getting old and his wife ain't no spring chicken, either! But God takes Abraham outside and says to look up into the sky at all the stars. See those stars? says the Lord. You are going to be a Father of a Multitude; in fact, you'll have as many or more descendants than you can count. Can you count all those stars? says God. Well, neither will you be able to count all your descendants.
Abraham believed God - sort of! I mean, he and Sarah both LAUGHED when God told them they were going to have a child! And do you know what the name Isaac means? It means, I LAUGHED or HE LAUGHED. So, their only son Isaac has a name that reminds them that they LAUGHED when God told them they'd have a child! To me, it's a good-natured joke between God, Abraham, and Sarah.
What's the point of the story, or at least one of the points? Don't count God out, no matter how bleak or hopeless things seem. In a way, the story of Abraham and Sarah and Isaac is a Resurrection story 1800 years before Christ. With all hope gone, because Jesus was dead, God is saying, "Not so fast! I'm not done here." The same for Abraham and Sarah: they were old and couldn't POSSIBLY have a child. But God said, "Not so fast! I'm not done here."
Now let me quote the Rev Adrian Sherrill, whom I mentioned at the beginning. "It is a struggle to reconcile the happenings of our day and what is our future according to the promises of God's Word. We can relate to Abram's uncertain and yet sure position. Nevertheless, through the Holy Spirit, he believes, and it is credited to him as God's righteousness. Abram and Sarai didn't do it all right. They didn't have it all figured out. Yet God loved them still, richly blessed them, and gave them a far more beautiful future and hope than they could ever expect. They are examples to us. In fact, we are numbered by faith with Abram and Sarai as God's sons and daughters."
What else can we say? Remember, our faith does not protect us from anything. If you say, "Then why believe?", do you really want to face reality with no chance of help from above? And isn't it nice to know that you are not facing things alone, but with the care and presence of God? The sermon title is "Abraham's Inheritance", and the point is that we have the same inheritance as he. As Rev. Adrian says in conclusion, "You aren't the first to have worries, struggles, loneliness, problems. The Father in heaven loves the fathers - and I would add- and MOTHERS!.... loves the greater family, provides a future and a hope. {{He now really goes liturgical!}} It was in the beginning, it is now, and it ever shall be. .... Yours is a rich inheritance from Abraham, from your Father in heaven who loves you. So may you also believe. Amen. "
Pastor Skip
