The lectionary readings for today are centered on the things we fear most in life, and the
shame that often accompanies them. People of course have many common fears like the fear of death, or more specifically
the process by which we will die, the fear of spiders and snakes, heights, etc. Few people would associate those
fears with any degree of shame, although they may be reluctant to admit to them in public settings.
I'd like to begin by asking you to contemplate whether there has ever been anything you did in your life for which
you are really ashamed. Perhaps an action taken, a relationship entered into, words said, something that seemed
reasonable at the time perhaps, but in hindsight was a grave mistake? Most of us can think of something I'm sure.
To err is human as we are told, and we continue to err when we spend the bulk of our energy trying to gloss over
or deny such actions out of fear that if that knowledge was disclosed people would think less of us.
In the Old Testament Lesson Abraham and Sarah act out one of the more shameful stories in the history of the patriarchs.
Their actions are the end product of original fears that God was not going to complete the promise made to them.
For those of you unfamiliar with the story, God had challenged Abram (later Abraham) to leave a comfortable existence
in his homeland and travel to an unseen place that God was going to give him as an inheritance. God also promised
to give him a son, though the couple was advanced in years, and descendants from that son who would number more
than the stars in the heavens or the grains of sand along the shore. Abram was seventy-five when he left his home,
but he went on faith.
Ten years later he was dwelling in that land of promise, but no child had been born to the couple. At eighty-five
they "feared" they had misunderstood God, or that perhaps God had a change of mind. So they concocted
their own plan. Abram would have a child by his slave Hagar, and according to the customs of the day, if Sarai
(later Sarah) caught the child as it was born she could legally claim it as her own. And so Ishmael became the
first-born son of this elderly couple.
All was well for another twelve years. The child grew as their own, and the couple seemed relatively content. Then,
in last week's old testament lesson, they were visited by an angelic presence who promised them that a child would
be born to Sarai the following spring. At eighty-seven that seemed too much for Sarai to believe, but in truth
it happened as predicted.
The child Ishmael was now a boy of thirteen, and the story we are given for today centers on an interaction between
the two siblings. Depending on the account you read Sarai saw Ishmael "playing" with Isaac. Other accounts
read "fondling." Perhaps it was just normal curiosity or even jealousy on the part of an older child
for the new baby. It was enough to make Sarai "fear" for the future of her own flesh. She wanted her
husband to get rid of the child and his mother, to brush their "mistake" under the rug.
If you think this is an awful response which was part of some unenlightened era in history, let me tell you how
many blended families have taken the same path even today. Second or third marriages in which the new spouse cannot
deal with the children of the previous relationship(s). They want them to disappear, perhaps out of fear for their
own place, but always a shameful response.
Though "very distressing" such action might be, Abram does it. He sends the slave and her boy off with
enough provisions for a day or two and tries to get on with his life. But unfinished business will always come
back to haunt us, and that is a recurring fear as well.
The food and water run out, the mother leaves her weakened boy under a bush so as not to watch him die, and cries
out to God. If there is any "good news" to be found in this story it is in the fact that with God, no
cry goes unheard.
Even though Abram and Sarai acted fearfully and shamefully God did not abandon them. And even though Ishmael was
not part of the original plan, God did not abandon him. God never abandons us…no matter how far from the plan we
may stray.
We always want the "quick fix" but God under no constraints and has no need to hurry.
Next week Abraham will be challenged by God again. This time to see if he would be willing to take the same chance
with his second son, but this time he will be there to actually take Isaac's life, with the reality of such cruelty
totally apparent to him. And once again, God will intervene.
We must be patient because the God we serve is patient. But the patience of God is a mysterious thing that comes
in mysterious ways. We do not know how long it will last. We do not know how the solution will come when God steps
in to make things right. The only thing we know for certain is that it is very good idea to be on the right side
of God when it's time for God to act. Holy Scripture teaches us that misery is waiting for people of ill will,
but miracles happen for those who walk by faith.
And so we jump ahead to the gospel lesson where Jesus continues to paint a pretty bleak picture for the future
of those who choose to follow him. He wants to be absolutely certain that they have no reservations about the possible
cost to them, just as God has no reservations about trusting them with the task. With the cross ahead and their
rose colored glasses still in place he is asking them to confront their worst fears. Family unrest, betrayal at
the hands of trusted friends, the most
grievous circumstances and the most public disclosure of their personal weakness.
From the housetops and into the light…these are the requirements of a God who is all knowing. Why? Because even
in the best of human relationships we limit ourselves by that which we refuse to reveal. If the best of couples
still have things they feel they must hide from each other out of shame, they keep themselves from discovering
the true depth of what their relationship could be.
God will not be content with anything less than receiving us as we are. Nothing can separate us from God's love
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore Jesus can say "Fear not" the love of God, fear only those things
which we ourselves put in place to keep us from it. And sometimes those "fears" seem to be about very
good things. How many times I have heard a parishoner say something like "If something happened to my spouse
I don't think I could go on living. If something happened to my child, or my health, or my job…I would have nothing
left to live for." The reality is that something can happen to all of these very important parts of our lives.
Life is dangerous!
"Don't fear those who can harm your body," he says, "for they can't touch your soul." And he
goes on to say that God cares about even the smallest sparrow, but he cares so much more about his children that
he even knows how many hairs each one has on his or her head.
Yet Jesus said, "Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find
it." Perhaps there are some religious beliefs which we need to shed. Perhaps we carry too much religious furniture.
Perhaps if we could each discover what the very center, the very basis of our religion is, and be prepared to let
go of everything else, Jesus would be able to bring peace rather than a sword.
Such convictions empower the true Church, may God grant us the strength and faith to be a part of it.
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