“Oh yes, you did laugh” I must start out by saying that I love these words. I also think about Sarah and Abraham because it is one of the most playful things God says in the whole Bible and he says it to Sarah a complex and important hero of our common heritage. If you are familiar with the story of Abraham and Sarah I apologize for this next bit- so please indulge me for a second. Abraham and Sarah are Sumerians- they live in Ur a powerful city state on the Tigris and Euphrates. To give you some background- Ur, and all of the Sumerian City States, was a land of theocrats that the King rules all as the High Priest to their many Gods. Then Abraham receives word that he must go against convention and leave his life in Ur and go to Cannan and be blest by this unknown God, due to his adherence to this command he is known as the father of all the big three monotheistic religions. Anyway, he follows the order and leaves and encounters things that fill the book of Genesis such as Sodom and Gomorrah, Sarah and Abrahams encounter with Pharaoh, not to mention that they were chosen by God to have progeny that were too numerous to count. Sarah even gave Abraham Hagar, her Egyptian servant, to help fulfill prophecy (because she was barren – or so she thought) so that Abraham could fill the land- and with the arrival of A & H’s son, Ishmael, they probably assumed they were done . By the time of their meeting with the Lord in the Oaks of Mamre, Abraham is the leader of a large flock of travelers and S &A are well –in their golden years probably ready for some time off (Abraham was 100 and Sara was 90) - they worked hard, they have long passed their mandatory retirement age in the US – I can even imagine their caravan being an ancient version of the RV on it’s way to chill out in the Biblical version of Florida – Cannan with Gods promise of a new and bountiful land. Time for a break we might think- Abraham and Sarah have already been to Cannan once and where forced away by a famine – then they were economic refugees in Egypt where they tussled with a Pharaoh and then unsuccessfully negotiated with God to save Sodom and Gomorrah at the Dead Sea. Wow, it definitely sounds like the time for a break.
Well- now for something completely different. God tells Sarah she will have a child. The son that will carry on to be one of the founders of a great nation. She even laughs at God, I think because she is so surprised, to put it mildly- after all she was 90- she is obviously surprised that this wonderful gift can be given to her. Wow- think about it, when we think we are done and we are comfortable God always pulls us forward. God pulls forward to do more than we ever imagined. So when Sarah hears she will give birth at this time during her life- I think a laugh is very appropriate. So hold on this story of surprise and moving on to the unknown, while we think about our Gospel passage
In this passage from Matthew, The Disciples, or followers of Jesus, are told to go out and do some amazing things- Heal the sick, raise the dead, and as we know- take nothing but your sandals. They are to accept no payment- in other words- they are to trust God.
I can imagine that this would be hard for a Disciple to hear. It is easy to follow, it is not so easy to lead- but with support it can be doable. Could you imagine being given this type of independent duty? You’ve watched and you’ve learned, as they did- if for just one moment you could imagine yourself in their shoes- you’ve probably would have become very comfortable with a leader who is- and will continue- to save the world- God in the flesh. I mean I think I would be comfortable with this arrangement of following God, no matter how difficult the living would be. Then your support is pulled away. You’ve got to do it alone, or at least you perceive it will be alone. How do these stories of disrupted comfort apply to us? We are frequently are pulled from our comfortable places- just like Sarah and the disciples we are pulled from our comfortable and easy existences. God continues to surprise and challenge us to reach heights that we think are impossible just like he did with them- God continues to pull us from our comfort zones- and God is with us through it all.
It might help us to think of these examples from our modern times-
There are people who worked tirelessly throughout history and continue to do so today.
Take Gandhi for example, Mohandas Gandhi could have easily been a lawyer in India or South Africa, dealt with unjust laws and been prosperous and happy- he then sheds his clothes and liberates a nation. Speaking of Gandhi, there is the story of one of my favorite Anglican Priests from history, Charlie Andrews, who in the early twentieth century decided that the posh parish life in England was not what God called him to do. HE went against his ordination vows and went against the king of England and assisted Gandhi in liberating India & Pakistan, two nations that were bound by the yoke of oppression.
In America, Martin Luther King Jr was a afforded the opportunity to be a minister at one of the largest black churches in the nation, he was respected in what was considered his community by the status quo and he could have followed the example of many and been happy, complacent, and – yes- comfortable. But this was not what God called him to do, he worked to create the new Jerusalem by fighting for equality among all of God’s people and sadly he died for it. There is Mother Theresa who already gave her life to God, and could have been like the many pious people before and settled for a life of quiet service, contemplation and prayer, but she dedicated her life to bringing dignity to dying and destitute- all of them God’s children (no matter religion, race, social status, or infirmity). There is Desmond Tutu, who was a priest and a bishop who could have quietly performed the duties prescribed to his office and made no waves. But, God called him from complacency and he led a nation to justice and equality by ending apartheid in South Africa. Most importantly- there was a Jewish carpenter who decided to abandon a comfortable life in Nazareth and realize what his destiny was to be and acknowledge who he was – the saviour of the world and God’s only son who will give himself to us and the cross.
What do all of these wonderful soul stirring stories have in common? It is the throwing off of a yoke, not the yoke of oppression, but the yoke of comfort and complacency. Now, I know that we have all worked hard and I am not calling us all to go out and win the Nobel Peace Prize- that would be nice- But, I do wonder if when we enter the world beyond these doors can we take the time to notice the world around us? When we leave the comfort of our beautiful church and the warmth that the surroundings give us, we are empowered through the holy sacrament of Communion through the service of the Eucharist to change the world! Many days, myself included, we leave this comfort to quickly find the comfort of a restaurant, the easy chair, or the simple comfort of a wonderful and beautiful Sunday afternoon with family. But I wonder if we could listen to what the Spirit is saying to us, and take that empowering sacrament of the Eucharist into the world and use the strength that Christ has bestowed upon us to be the body of Christ in this world. God always is calling us to move forward, to fix what is broken in this world. Listen to what the Spirit is saying- are you being spoken to?
I am not saying that our actions have to be big! Some people are called to that- some go to Haiti, some hear God calling them to be clergy, some hear the call of God asking them to assist refugees and people in distress, some might hear the call of serving someone who is hungry a simple meal, some hear the call to assist the ill, some hear the call to mentor and help the youth of our community, some hear the call of bringing God’s beauty to our ears and eyes through art and music, some might hear the call of helping to clean a refuse filled area of God’s Green and Blue Earth. God might be calling you to write a letter, or stand and organize to fight an injustice that is taking place in God’s Kingdom. In other words, all things are big when we work as Christ’s body in this world.
So whatever the Spirit is saying to you, take the time to listen and I bet that the comfort of following God’s active direction will be much more gratifying than the comfort of complacency. In fact, I bet you’ll laugh just like Sarah-----laugh with joy.
Well- now for something completely different. God tells Sarah she will have a child. The son that will carry on to be one of the founders of a great nation. She even laughs at God, I think because she is so surprised, to put it mildly- after all she was 90- she is obviously surprised that this wonderful gift can be given to her. Wow- think about it, when we think we are done and we are comfortable God always pulls us forward. God pulls forward to do more than we ever imagined. So when Sarah hears she will give birth at this time during her life- I think a laugh is very appropriate. So hold on this story of surprise and moving on to the unknown, while we think about our Gospel passage
In this passage from Matthew, The Disciples, or followers of Jesus, are told to go out and do some amazing things- Heal the sick, raise the dead, and as we know- take nothing but your sandals. They are to accept no payment- in other words- they are to trust God.
I can imagine that this would be hard for a Disciple to hear. It is easy to follow, it is not so easy to lead- but with support it can be doable. Could you imagine being given this type of independent duty? You’ve watched and you’ve learned, as they did- if for just one moment you could imagine yourself in their shoes- you’ve probably would have become very comfortable with a leader who is- and will continue- to save the world- God in the flesh. I mean I think I would be comfortable with this arrangement of following God, no matter how difficult the living would be. Then your support is pulled away. You’ve got to do it alone, or at least you perceive it will be alone. How do these stories of disrupted comfort apply to us? We are frequently are pulled from our comfortable places- just like Sarah and the disciples we are pulled from our comfortable and easy existences. God continues to surprise and challenge us to reach heights that we think are impossible just like he did with them- God continues to pull us from our comfort zones- and God is with us through it all.
It might help us to think of these examples from our modern times-
There are people who worked tirelessly throughout history and continue to do so today.
Take Gandhi for example, Mohandas Gandhi could have easily been a lawyer in India or South Africa, dealt with unjust laws and been prosperous and happy- he then sheds his clothes and liberates a nation. Speaking of Gandhi, there is the story of one of my favorite Anglican Priests from history, Charlie Andrews, who in the early twentieth century decided that the posh parish life in England was not what God called him to do. HE went against his ordination vows and went against the king of England and assisted Gandhi in liberating India & Pakistan, two nations that were bound by the yoke of oppression.
In America, Martin Luther King Jr was a afforded the opportunity to be a minister at one of the largest black churches in the nation, he was respected in what was considered his community by the status quo and he could have followed the example of many and been happy, complacent, and – yes- comfortable. But this was not what God called him to do, he worked to create the new Jerusalem by fighting for equality among all of God’s people and sadly he died for it. There is Mother Theresa who already gave her life to God, and could have been like the many pious people before and settled for a life of quiet service, contemplation and prayer, but she dedicated her life to bringing dignity to dying and destitute- all of them God’s children (no matter religion, race, social status, or infirmity). There is Desmond Tutu, who was a priest and a bishop who could have quietly performed the duties prescribed to his office and made no waves. But, God called him from complacency and he led a nation to justice and equality by ending apartheid in South Africa. Most importantly- there was a Jewish carpenter who decided to abandon a comfortable life in Nazareth and realize what his destiny was to be and acknowledge who he was – the saviour of the world and God’s only son who will give himself to us and the cross.
What do all of these wonderful soul stirring stories have in common? It is the throwing off of a yoke, not the yoke of oppression, but the yoke of comfort and complacency. Now, I know that we have all worked hard and I am not calling us all to go out and win the Nobel Peace Prize- that would be nice- But, I do wonder if when we enter the world beyond these doors can we take the time to notice the world around us? When we leave the comfort of our beautiful church and the warmth that the surroundings give us, we are empowered through the holy sacrament of Communion through the service of the Eucharist to change the world! Many days, myself included, we leave this comfort to quickly find the comfort of a restaurant, the easy chair, or the simple comfort of a wonderful and beautiful Sunday afternoon with family. But I wonder if we could listen to what the Spirit is saying to us, and take that empowering sacrament of the Eucharist into the world and use the strength that Christ has bestowed upon us to be the body of Christ in this world. God always is calling us to move forward, to fix what is broken in this world. Listen to what the Spirit is saying- are you being spoken to?
I am not saying that our actions have to be big! Some people are called to that- some go to Haiti, some hear God calling them to be clergy, some hear the call of God asking them to assist refugees and people in distress, some might hear the call of serving someone who is hungry a simple meal, some hear the call to assist the ill, some hear the call to mentor and help the youth of our community, some hear the call of bringing God’s beauty to our ears and eyes through art and music, some might hear the call of helping to clean a refuse filled area of God’s Green and Blue Earth. God might be calling you to write a letter, or stand and organize to fight an injustice that is taking place in God’s Kingdom. In other words, all things are big when we work as Christ’s body in this world.
So whatever the Spirit is saying to you, take the time to listen and I bet that the comfort of following God’s active direction will be much more gratifying than the comfort of complacency. In fact, I bet you’ll laugh just like Sarah-----laugh with joy.
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