Revised Common Lectionary: Genesis 22:1-14, Psalm 13; OR Jeremiah 28:5-9, Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42
We have entered into Ordinary Time, passing over the holy days and seasons into the long stretch between Pentecost and Advent. The lectionary offers two paths in the Old Testament: the first follows the ancient sacred stories of the Penteteuch, the first five books of the Bible (traditionally called the books of Moses), and the second path chronicles the stories of the Hebrew prophets. In the New Testament, the Gospel readings are all from Matthew, and the Epistle readings are mainly of Romans, Philippians and 1 Thessalonians–the early writings of Paul–with a few smatterings of Corinthians and some others. Because Easter, and therefore Pentecost, were much later this year, there are several readings that have been skipped over, leading us to start, this Sunday after Trinity Sunday, the last major holy day–right in the middle of the Genesis story.
In Genesis, we have gone from the story of Creation right up to the story of Abraham preparing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. We have skipped the stories of the covenant with Noah and all the earth, the covenant with Abraham, the stories of Sarah and Hagar and Ishmael–we have missed that all and find ourselves right in the middle of the great drama. Abraham, who waited ninety-nine years to have a child with his wife Sarah, is commanded by the same God who promised him a child to offer up that child as a sacrifice. There are many ways to interpret this story: the common traditional interpretation is that God was testing Abraham’s faith. Seems to be a pretty cruel test in my opinion. Another traditional Christian interpretation is that God was foreshadowing the sacrifice of his own son on the cross by saving Isaac and not calling on Abraham to do it–that Jesus would take the place of the sacrifice.
This story is a test of our own faith. How far do we go in our beliefs of what God calls us to do? In Abraham’s day, child sacrifice was a common practice among ancient Canaanite peoples. Throughout the Old Testament we read of cultures who sent their children into the fire to be sacrificed to ancient deities. In the text the angel of the Lord calls upon Abraham to stop and says, “now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me” (vs. 12). It is a test of faith, and it is a test of God, trusting that this God that has called Abraham and Sarah and promised a child is not going to take that away in a cruel act of obedience. The lesson learned is that this God does not call us to sacrifice our children. This God calls us into relationship through covenant, and that we can trust God’s covenant, God’s promises, for our lives.
The test of our faith is in our trust of God–not that we are willing to give up our child as a sacrifice, but that we are willing to trust that this God, our God, does not require sacrifice. A lesson that goes against the grain of much of traditional Christian teaching. To say that God demands a sacrifice of blood is a cruel, primitive understanding that goes back to a time of polytheism and child and animal sacrifice. Instead, our Christian understanding knows that Jesus became a sacrifice, as the author of Hebrews writes, but that God offered us forgiveness in Jesus Christ before his death. Jesus came and forgave sins, offered healing and wholeness here on earth in his lifetime, giving the gift of new life that began at baptism as begun by John the Baptist when we repent and seek forgiveness of our sins.
The ancient Hebrew religion required sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins in the temple. Animals were sacrificed for various sins, grains and oils offered up as well. But the prophets foreshadowed a time when sacrifice would no longer be part of the religious practice: Amos says that God will no longer accept sacrifices and songs, but “let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (5:24). Micah says, “Shall I give the firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? God has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (6:7b-8). God does not require sacrifice but righteousness. Twice in Matthew Jesus states that the religious leaders, those still caught up in a sacrificial system and a system that keeps the poor and sick as “unclean” and outcast, that they need to learn what it means that Jesus desires mercy, not sacrifice (Matthew 9:13; 12:7).
I am treading carefully here, as this will bring some long-held beliefs for some into question, but it is clear throughout the Hebrew scriptures that our God was moving away from a God of sacrifice, like the other ancient Canaanite gods, but to a God of righteousness. Jesus came, the ultimate righteous human being, who forgave sins and restored the outcast and healed the sick. Jesus came and turned the tables on the religious thinking of his day, and for that, the religious elite found it necessary to have him killed. I believe, therefore, that Jesus was not created to be the ultimate sacrifice for all humanity by God, but that God knew that in sending him, Jesus would become the ultimate sacrifice to save humanity. Jesus chose nonviolence over violent retribution. Jesus chose to remain silent rather than rile up the crowds against the leaders in revolution. Jesus chose the cross over revenge, and in doing so became the ultimate and final sacrifice. The letter to the Hebrews tells us that this sacrifice was pleasing to God, but not because God demanded it–but because Jesus gave himself up freely for humanity, choosing the violence of the cross over the violence of retribution. We remember this sacrifice when we share the cup and the bread, remember that Christ gave his body and blood to save the world. God knew that this was the way it would happen. Jesus foreshadows this in the Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Matthew 21:33-46). This was not the plan by God, but God knew the plan of humanity–a plan of greed, power and control, that would not allow a man from Galilee preaching peace and healing to uproot the center of power and balance maintained by the Romans, the religious elite and the local government.
The story of Abraham offering Isaac as a sacrifice is a test of our faith–do we trust God enough that we know God will not require us to resort to violence and sacrifice? Do we trust God enough to know that God has a different plan for us–a plan for life abundantly? Do we trust God enough to know that God’s ways are love, justice and peace–not violence, sacrifice, and horror?
The passage from Jeremiah compliments the passage from Genesis in that Jeremiah states to the people and the priests that God sends the prophet who prophesies peace. In the past, the prophets have told of war and destruction, disease and famine, but God always provides a message of hope through the prophets. In every prophetic book of our Bible there is always a message of hope–sometimes it is not until the very end–but there is always the hope of deliverance, the end of war, and a time of peace. Even in Revelation, which, while being a book often taken out of context, misunderstood and misquoted, there is a great message of hope–the greatest message of all! That there will be a new heaven and a new earth with no more war, disease or famine–that God’s reign will indeed join heaven and earth together. Just as we have new life now through our baptism, we can begin to build God’s reign on earth now. And when we hear bad news, news of destruction and despair, we can say along with Jeremiah, “Amen! But listen now to this word…” and hear the words of hope, of peace, of God’s love and reign forever.
Psalm 13 is a psalm crying out for deliverance, a psalm that sings of the trust of God. Again the message of both Genesis and Jeremiah today is about trusting God, even through the most difficult times. Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18 sings of the faithfulness of God’s covenant, and that those who trust in God will know the protection and strength of God and the joy of being in God’s presence.
Matthew 10:40-42 contains Jesus’ teachings on welcoming and righteousness. “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” When we welcome and embrace each other, we welcome God into our lives. When we welcome and embrace and show hospitality to the stranger, we welcome and show hospitality to God. This is righteous living, this is how we are called to live as faithful Christians.
Romans 6:12-23 goes deeper into righteous living–that we have to cast out sin that is in our lives because we will become a slave to it. Paul speaks of obedient living. We need to be careful not to take this too the point of rules, because sometimes the Christian faith can be watered down into a set of rules of “this is bad, this is good,” when it is far beyond a set of rules but about a way of life, the way Jesus taught us to live–a way of peace and hospitality. Righteousness is right-living. Sin leads us into a life of brokenness, of being weighed down, and ultimately leads to death. Righteousness frees us to live our lives as God intended–holy, and whole-y–in the fullness of all our God-given potential. When looking at the passage from Genesis, we indeed learn that it is not only about obedience to God’s call, but more importantly, about trusting God in our daily lives that leads to righteousness.
Call to Worship:
Leader: The wind rustles through the leaves
People: We feel the power of the Holy Spirit move through us.
Leader: The sun shines even as the rain pours down
People: We feel the power of our Creator in the earth and all around.
Leader: A rainbow peaks out through the clouds
People: We trust in God’s covenant and God’s promises to all.
Leader: We hear the words, “Come, follow me.”
People: We trust in Christ’s commandment, to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Leader: Come, let us worship our Creator, be moved by the Holy Spirit, and follow the call of Christ on our lives.
People: Let us worship our God.
Prayer of Confession:
Holy One, we confess that we have watered down our faith. We want to make things easy so we believe we are doing the right things for us and ignore the cries of others. We want to just follow a simple set of rules rather than changing our lives as Christ called us to. We want to say a simple prayer to be saved rather than feeling the transforming power of God’s love. We confess that we do not always want to change. We confess that we like our way of life too much at times to give it up for You. Forgive us, O God, when we want to justify our own way of life and forget the poor, the hungry, the war orphans, and the sick. Forgive us, O God, when we want to be content with the way things are rather than risk to bring change into our world. Forgive us, O God, when we accept the feeling of powerlessness and accept the status quo. Call us into the new life You have promised us, call us into the transformation of knowing Jesus as our Savior. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon (from Romans 6:23):
The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. We are forgiven, set back on the right path, and with God as our Shepherd, we will seek God’s guidance in our new life. Amen.
Prayer:
Almighty God, we give You thanks for this Ordinary time, this time between holy days, these days of rest and relaxation. Help us to slow down from the busy pace of the world and find sabbath rest in You. Call us away from mindless time consumption and into the beauty of Your Creation. May we find Your Spirit in the waving trees in the wind, the lapping waves upon the shores, and the gentle breeze that cools us. May we know Your presence is all around us as we breathe in the beauty and joy of summer days. May we seek You in all we do, in all our time. Keep us to Your path, and help us to trust You in our daily lives, as we walk with You day by day, moment by moment. May we know more fully Your Loving presence and trust Your guidance in our lives. In the name of Jesus, our companion on this journey of faith, we pray. Amen.
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