Rev. George Miller
Sept 15, 2024
Genesis 15:1-6
Last week we were in the afternoon breeze
of The Garden.
Today we are under a starry sky.
Whereas Adam and Eve were dealing with the
consequences of a tragic mistake, Abraham is living with the worry of waiting.
Waiting…one of the hardest things to
endure.
But first- let us listen to the empowering
words of Psalm 8-
1O LORD,
our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
2Out of
the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your
foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3When I
look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you
have established;
4what
are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for
them?
5Yet
you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.
6You
have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things
under their feet,
7all
sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
8the
birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of
the seas.
9O LORD,
our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
These words from Psalm 8 are absolutely
beautiful; a perfect way to walk into today’s story.
Abraham and his wife Sarah are on a
spiritual journey.
They are what we’d call in German
“einwanderungs.”
Or in Spanish “immigrantes.”
Sarah and Abraham are immigrants, sooo far
from home.
They were living in Haran when one day,
God appears to middle-aged Abraham and says “Get up and go.”
With no explanation, preparation, God tells
Abraham to leave behind all he knows.
“Get up and go, go to the land I will show
you. I will bless you; I will bless
those who bless you.”
God says “Get up and go, and I will give
you a family, and your family will transform lives.”
And somehow, someway, in a radical act of
faith, that’s what Abraham does.
He and Sarah get up and go, taking their
nephew Lot, some personal items, servants, leaving their home to never return.
Though God made this extraordinary
promise, it does not mean that things come easy to Abraham and his wife.
Days turn into weeks; weeks into months;
months into years.
There is no Promised Land, no Promised
Child, no signs of expected blessings.
In fact, there’s a series of foolish, and fear-based
mistakes. And Sarah remains without a child.
What makes this so worrisome, is that
without a child, there is no legacy to leave behind, no one to carry-on the
family name.
Abraham’s ancestral line is as good as
dead, done, kaput.
BUT, as we learned with Genesis 1- even
when there appears to be chaos and dark waters, God is still able to bring
forth life.
As we saw in John 20, even after the Cross
on Friday, we can come to the Garden on Sunday to experience Resurrection.
So, while Abraham is in deep despair, God
appears to him.
With great nuisance, the author gives us an
important detail- it is night.
How many of us know that sometimes
nighttime is the hardest time?
Nighttime can be the moment we feel the
most alone, the most confused, the most anxious.
How many here have ever experienced a
night that never seemed to end, where each minute is like an hour, and you
just…can’t…sleep?
That’s most likely what Abraham is going
through.
Here he is, an einwanderung, an immigrante,
so far from home. Nothing is going right; it feels like his family tree will
never be anything more than a stump.
And into this dark night of the soul, the
word of God comes to Abraham.
Just as God used words to say “Let there
be light,” God uses words again, saying-
“Abraham, do not be afraid. I am your shield; your protector.
You will get through this; you will
be blessed. All you’re going through
will be worth it.”
And in a perfect example of true humanity,
Abrham says “How can this be; there is no indication your promises will come
true?”
So what does God do?
God takes Abraham outside, to see the
starry sky.
Just as God walked with Eve and Adam in
the cool afternoon, God goes for a stroll with Abraham,
God redirects Abraham’s anxiety, saying
“Look, look toward the heavens. See the
stars. Count them if you can.”
Imagine how God may have said these words…
“Look.
See how they sparkle. See how
they shine.”
“Trust my promise. Trust how much you and all the world is going
to be blessed.”
And somehow, some way, Abraham believes
him. His anxiety reduces just a
bit.
He once again is willing to trust God’s
future even if the present moment doesn’t look so assured.
What we witness is how an ordinary person
having an extraordinary experience, is able to navigate the reality of faith.
It’s not that Abraham is holier than us,
or better than us, but how in his belief,
he is willing to “become” even during the
most difficult and barren of times.
This story speaks to us because Abraham
experienced so many delays, so many years of waiting, but as one theologian
said- those delays were not denials.
Abraham’s trust in God’s future does indeed
bless everyone, as he and Sarah become the Abuelos, the Grosselterns, the
Grandparents of our faith.
All because they trusted to get up and go,
to experience the journey, and find reassurance in the stars.
Why does any of this matter?
Because we see how their story shapes the
stories of others.
For example, Mary in Luke 1.
How the angel appears to Mary and says
“Greetings favored one. Do not be afraid.
For you will have a child named Jesus, and his kingdom will have no
end.”
Though she initially asked “How can this
be?” Mary says “Here I am; let it be…”
Why does today’s story matter?
Because it is a story that we can apply
today.
This is a story for anyone here who feels
as if they have been wandering; if they feel afraid. If the wait has been killing them.
It is a story for us as St. Lucas, in
which many of our founding members were immigrants who left behind their
homeland.
It is a story for us a church, as the
collective hands and feet of Christ, who have known all too well what it has
been like to wait.
Just as we have been focused on scattering
seeds, and good soil.
Just as we’ve discussed coming to the
Garden to experience God in the cool breeze.
Today we have another image to build upon-
Being the body that knows what it is like
to wait, what it is like to wonder, what it is like to know that we are called
to transform lives, and be a blessing to others.
Today, with Abraham, under the starry sky,
we are reminded once again that we are not alone.
God is indeed working. Delays are not always denials and being
fretful does not mean failure.
Those moments we experience those long,
drawn out nights?
We can turn to God and seek assurance that
we are not forgotten and we are all still in the process of “becoming.”
For that, let us say “Amen.”
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