God's Love Story; "The King and We" Edition; Sermon on 2 Samuel 5:1-5

Rev. George Miller
Oct 20, 2019
2 Samuel 5:1-5

There are many ways that you can read the Bible. You may view the Bible as a guide to salvation and how to save your soul. You may think of the Bible as a set of instructions on how to live your most heavenly life while on earth.

I see the Bible as a love story. A love story in which God creates us, frees us, leads us, and blesses us.

A love story in which God does the impossibly possible and gives us family when there is none, parts the sea when there is no way out, and cares for us when we are in the desert.

A love story in which God makes sure our jars of flour never run out, miraculous healings take place, and we are invited to sit and eat together- bread and wine, loaves and fishes.

A love story in which God makes it so simple- don’t turn God into a thing, say “Yes Ma’am” to your Momma, don’t spread false lies about others, and take time each week to relax, rest, and to humbly be one with your Creator.

But ever so sadly, the Bible is a love story in which God is constantly getting God’s heart broken.

No matter what miraculous things God does, we soon forget.

No matter what gifts God gives, we aren’t content.

No matter how simple God makes things, we find a way to muck it up.

In Genesis, God creates us so we can walk together in the cool breeze of the afternoon, only to find us hiding in the undergrowth, afraid.

In Numbers 13 God leads the people right to the Promised Land in the height of spring, when the grapes are growing and butterflies are flying, they spread lies, act in fear and refuse to step forward, which causes them to wander the wilderness for 40 more years.

In 1 Samuel 8 we see one of God’s biggest heartbreaks. The people have been living in the Promised Land for years. God’s love for them has continued even with all their missteps.

God wants to be their King, guiding them through priests and judges, visions and prophecy, through patience and miracles, and an unstoppable, unshakeable love for them.

God assures them that if they do the simple things God has asked, God will continue to provide and care for them.

But sadly, this is not enough for the people of Israel.

They look around at the other nations and see that they all have Kings, so they want the same thing to.

They feel the God who set them free, parted the sea, and gave them rest is no longer good enough.

“Give us a king to govern us!” they demand.

Their rejection breaks God’s heart. God tries to warn them “If you have a king, bad things will happen. A king will take your sons and turn them into soldiers. A king will take your daughters and turn them into servants.”

“A King will take the best of your land and the best of your crops and give them to his cronies.”

“A King will take your possessions and use them for his own satisfaction.”

“A King will wage wars, see everyone as expendable, and turn you into slaves. You will cry out and regret your choice.”

“Please, whatever you do- don’t do this.”

But the people, not caring about what God has done, what God has given, respond by saying “We know best, we want a king over us, we want to be like everybody else.”

The people had forgotten that what made them so special was that they were not like everybody else, they were not supposed to be like everybody else.

So God, broken hearted, and totally rejected, gives the people what they want- a King.

And at first the King seemed to do everything right. He won battles. He conquered enemies. He kept the people safe…but soon things fall apart.

In a moment of distress, the King makes an unlawful sacrifice, followed by decisions to starve his soldiers, disobey God, not follow the commandments, and getting caught up in things like flocks and gold, opulence and unwarranted opportunity.

Once again God’s heart is broken, yet God does not give up. A second king is anointed to take the 1st Kings place.

This 2nd King is David. And in typical God-Style, God does it in God’s own unique, unexpected way.

David is not from a big city. He’s not from the best family. He is not the 1st born. He is not the best looking or well educated.

David is the 8th born son of a farming family living in a small southern town, considered so inconsequential that his own father forgets about him.

David is ruddy and rough around the edges, but he plays a mean harp, can cast a sharp stone, and knows how to protect his father’s flock.

It is David who becomes Israel’s second king, an event has twists and turns, invokes great controversy, and more drama than a weekly soap opera such as “Dynasty” or “Empire”.

But here we are, 2 Samuel, to witness the anointing of David. It is an event that unifies the entire country, bringing the northern and southern towns together.

It is an event that involves both God, the people and the King.

And look at the words that are used in this story: we, shepherd, covenant.

So simple, yet so powerful.

This event becomes one in which it seems possible as if all the wrongs will be made right, as if all the lessons have been learned from their mistakes, as if this time God’s heart will be made happy.

“We.”

The elders realize it is not just about “I”, it is not just about “you”, it is not just about “Everybody else” but it is about “us”; it is about “we.”

“We are your bone and flesh,” they say to their new king. Meaning we are not alone, we are not apart, we are not separated, but we are all in this, together, untied.

And not just us, doing it alone, but with the Lord, beside us, guiding us.

“Covenant.”

The people and King David make a covenant with one another. It is not just a business deal. It is not just a worldly transaction.

It is a holy agreement they chose to make before the Lord, a heavenly promise they enter into, in which they trust David to be their leader on the ground while God will be their leader from the cosmic control room.

“Shepherd.”

Such a simple world, yet revolutionary.

Whereas all the other kings ruled by fear and domination, this new king was expected to rule via care and compassion.

Whereas the kings of the world forced their people into back breaking work, crushed their spirits and filled them with fear, King David was expected to guide the people into prosperity, calm their souls, and use his strength as a source of comfort.

While other kings preferred to starve their citizens, twist justice into punishment, and rule with hateful anger, King David was expected to make sure the bellies of God’s people were full, kindness and mercy prevailed, and decisions were based on righteousness and care.

In other words, as a shepherd, King David was being called upon to lead the people through green pastures, comfort them in times of distress, and try his best to remove whatever metaphoric briars and brambles, thieves and bears may come their way.

How awesome that this is the model of leadership that God desires for the people. That what God wants is what’s best for all.

With this model of covenant, using words like “we” and “shepherd”, and including the Lord, it seems as if things are off to a good start, and perhaps now God’s heart will no longer be broken, and the people can be happy.

Will it work? Will kindness and compassion prevail?

Will the people God created, delivered, and blessed finally learn how to trust and obey, work as partners, and believe?

Like any good love story, like any good television soap opera….

…you’ll have to tune in next week to see what happens. Amen.

Sabbath Rest; Oct 6, 2019 Sermon on Deuteronomy 5:1-21

Rev. George Miller
Oct 6, 2019
Deuteronomy 5:1-21

Today we continue our journey through the Old Testament with our Impossibly Possible God.

We were right there to witness how God created us out of earth and breath.

We were there to hear Sarah laugh, to watch Jacob wrestle, and to see Shiphrah and Puah bravely stand before the king.

Now, we join the Israelites as they listen to a sermon from Moses, being reminded once more of just how much we are connected.

Thanks to his trickster mother, Moses is one of the Hebrew boys who survived the pharaoh’s holocaust.

He has risen to be an unlikely liberator, leading God’s people to freedom, crossing the Red Sea, and surviving the sands of time.

We are now just a step away from entering the Promised Land. Before that happens, Moses wants us to be prepared.

His sermon reminds the people of who they were, who they are now, and all that God has done.

His sermon gives instructions on how to live their best life possible and how to stay connected to God, to the land, and to one another.

How to be a community that flourishes.

The instructions are so simple so clear: don’t tell lies, don’t kill, don’t steal.

Don’t use God’s name as a curse, don’t turn God into a thing.

But there is one commandment that seems to be the simplest and yet the most possibly impossible of all- take one day a week to rest, to not work, and to just….be.

Sabbath.

I have a deep fondness for the Sabbath. Back in seminary I wrote a paper on the sabbath, and as part of my “research” I took every Saturday off for a month.

It was exquisite.

I began each Sabbath by preparing a crock pot with pot-roast and putting it on a timer, cleaning the apartment, and setting aside my assignments.

To welcome the sabbath on Friday night, I’d go to the local synagogue with friends for worship and prayer.

Saturday morning came and I didn’t study, didn’t wash dishes, didn’t go to the library stressed out over the never-ending class work.

Instead I did things like go outside, play frisbee, sit in the sun, watch Gone With the Wind from start to finish.

It was an enlightening experience, learning how to let go, to trust God, to believe that no matter how busy I was, no matter how fast the world seemed to be going, that life would continue with one day off.

This gift of Sabbath has transcended time to my current life situation.

As many of you know, my Mom in AZ has been facing major health problems. The past 4 weeks time has been the most wibbly-wobbly of things.

Literally, I’ve been dealing with 3 different times zones, communicating with people in 8 different states, all working together to do what is best for Mom.

Time takes on a whole new essence when your 9 am is someone else’s 6, and someone else’s 8 pm is your midnight.

So, I’ve been ever so grateful for today’s reading, because this scripture has been my sanctuary and calm in the storm.

Why? Because today’s reading is a reminder that we all need a time of rest.

Because of this reading, I have found a way, each day, to create my own sabbath, be it shutting off the phone for an hour, escaping with a tv show, sitting with a friend, being in the yard, or having a true heart-2-heart with God.

Sabbath.

It is such a valuable expression of faith.

By why? Why would God invite us, to take one day off and to just….be?

If you recall, this commandment was given to the Israelites, who were once slaves. For centuries they had worked under the oppressive rule of the Pharaoh, told what to do, when to do it.

All they had known was hard oppressive work.

That may have been the way of Earth’s King, but the Lord of Heaven wants them to experience something new- the chance to enjoy the beauty of the earth, to enjoy one another, and to enjoy being with God.

Sabbath is a way for the people to rediscover the connectedness they were meant to have when created.

But there is something perhaps most beautiful, most elemental about the Sabbath…and it’s about time.

Time is one thing that belongs to all people, everywhere.

Time is not like space; it cannot be owned, it cannot be bought and sold, it can’t be built upon, which also means it can be torn down.

Right now you are each inhabiting your very own space in this sanctuary. You are there, and no one else. Where you sit belongs to you and only you, exclusively.

But time…time is not exclusive.

We are all sharing this same time, this same moment no matter who we are, no matter if we are old or older, black or white, founding member or 1st time visitor.

We are all sharing this same moment of time as everyone who is here, everyone who is outside our walls, and everyone around the globe.

We can not purchase time, prevent time, or rewind time.

It is the great equalizer; but scripturally it is more than that.

When we study scripture, we discover that it is time through which God acts.

Whereas other gods were believed to be attached to idols or statues, things or individuals, the Israelites viewed God through the lense of time and events.

That’s why Genesis begins with “In the beginning” and not something like “In the garden.”

Time belong to God, and time is a gift from God.

According to today’s reading, if we wish to honor God, we will set aside time each week in which we will let go.

We will let go of the very human need to have and to own, to possess and control, to subdue and figure out.

To just spend time with God; to allow time to be a sanctuary in which we can breathe and be, rest and restore, to listen and to hear what our Creator may be trying to say.

This notion of experiencing God through rest and time set aside is so beautiful and so holy.

And it does something so wonderful.

Think of the things we often associate with faith. We have preachers, we have buildings, we have books, we have tables, we have candles, we have bulletins.

But preachers are just people and they can disappoint, buildings can be blown away, books can become mildewed, and candles can burn down.

But time continues doesn’t it?

Think of the all realities of life. People move, people age, people get hospitalized, go to war, get imprisoned.

Spaces, places and faces can all change in a moment due to an act of nature, an act of the enemy, an act of the economy.

But time? Time continues. No matter what, time continues.

In that notion there is to be comfort in the Sabbath.

Observing the Sabbath means that no matter who we are, no matter where we are on life’s journey, no matter what we face, no matter what we endure, God has established a way in which we can always be connected with God.

And it’s not through a person, place, or a thing. But it is through time.

Which means that no matter what, we have the ability to connect with God. No matter where, we have a way to connect with God.

We do so by setting aside time to just be present with the Lord.

To put away things, to put away the lawnmower, to put away the bills.

To set aside time to just be with God, to connect.

And as long as there is time, it means the people can always experience God.

You can be in jail, you can be in war, you can be in a hospital bed, but if you set aside a moment, that moment can be filled with God.

Today’s reading not only helps us with how to be better neighbors and stewards of the earth but how to keep that connection with God.

This is God, saying to us “It doesn’t matter where you are or what you are going through, if you are wandering across a wilderness, or wrestling with the unknown, or if you have found your Promised Land surrounded by milk and honey…if you can find time to just be…I am there.”

“From Back Bay to Highlands County, from your home here or your home up north, if you can find time to just rest…I am there.”

“You don’t have to possess or own, build or control…You simply just have to be in the moment and allow the moment to be in you, and I AM there.”

This notion creates a great freedom, another way to be connected, and I hope it creates a great sense of comfort for you, as it has for me.

Amen.

Stepping Out of Line with Shiphrah and Puah; Sermon on Genesis 1:8-21

Rev. George Miller
Sept 29, 2019
Genesis 1:8-21

Last Sunday, at the Emmy Awards, Alex Bornstein won the Emmy for best supporting actress in a comedy.

She ended up telling the story about her grandmother, who was a concentration camp survivor.

Her grandmother was on line to be shot. She turned to the guard and asked what would happen if she stepped out of line.

The guard said “I don’t have the heart to shoot you, but another guard will.”

So she stepped out of line…

Today we continue our journey through the Old Testament and our Impossibly Possible God.

We were reacquainted with our spiritual ancestors- Grandmother Sarah who laughed and father Jacob who dared to wrestle with God.

Today we remember our aunties, Shiphrah and Puah, who chose life as opposed to death.

I have a deep fondness for this story, and a deep love for Shiphrah and Puah. They are perhaps my favorite biblical characters and who I most want to be when I grow up.

Shiphrah and Puah are Hebrew midwives, women who are called to assist in the delivery of newborns.

But they are more than that- S & P are tricksters; they are common, every day individuals who have learned how to use their wit, their wisdom, and their inner strength to survive in a world that wishes to silence or ignore them.

Shiphrah and Puah are part of a long lineage of tricksters.

Tricksters are characters in stories told largely by oppressed and persecuted people. Tricksters are characters who are smooth, slick, and do what they need to do to survive and resist.

Jacob, from last week’s reading, was a trickster.

As the 2nd born son, he had no access to certain resources, so he smoothly found a way to trick his brother, his father, and his uncle into giving him what he desired.

Brer Rabbit and Bugs Bunny are classic tricksters, doing what they need to do to outwit Elmer Fudd and Brer Fox.

Lucy Ricardo was a laugh-out-loud trickster, using every tool she had to be in the show, meet John Wayne, or sneak cheese onto a plane despite what Ricky or the other authorities said.

And Jesus, in many ways, was a trickster, telling parables about women who hide yeast in flour, slipping away from murderous crowds, and standing before authorities and answering their questions with more questions.

When stakes are high and opportunities low, it is often the trickster who finds a way out of no way.

So let’s take a look at today’s story. The Israelites have been living in Egypt for a long time. They came there as immigrants, following the success of Joseph, the great-great grandchild of Laughing Sarah, and the son of Wrestling Jacob.

Sarah’s descendants are something else. They have been blessed by God, they are living their best life, working hard, making love, having baby after baby after baby.

Their fertility and otherness scare the heck out of Egypt’s king, so he comes up with a plan- if we enslave these foreigners and work them real, real hard, they’ll be too tired to make more babies.

….Silly King- don’t you know that love will always win?

So, he comes up with a new plan- if I tell the Israelite midwives to kill the male babies, then I will never have to worry about them growing into men who can rise up and defeat me.

Note the irony of today’s story- the King thinks that only men could be a threat to his plan; he never once considers that 2 middle-aged midwives could be his biggest adversary.

The Pharaoh failed to realize that Shiphrah and Puah loved the Lord more than they feared him, and therefor they let every boy-child lived.

When you are connected to God and connected to one another, death and evil are not so strong.

The King can’t understand. How can this be? He calls S & P before him and ask “Why? Why have you allowed life to live?”

To which Shiphrah and Puah, having everything, EVERY THING, to lose, stand firm in the faith and knowledge of good and evil, and say “Because….”

“Because they are not like all the others.”

Pay attention to what they next say, and how brilliant it is “The God-Strivers are more vigorous and give birth faster than we can arrive.”

You ought to wonder- are they lying, telling the truth, or are they taking the King’s fears and prejudice and using it against him?

If he thinks the Hebrews are nothing but rampant baby makers, let’s play to his beliefs so that our people can live.

Tricksters, tricksters, tricksters.

So brilliant, smart, and brave.

Shiphrah and Puah have everything to lose and they end out outplaying the most powerful person in the world.

The King of Earth demands death, but as Citizens of Heaven, Shiphrah and Puah chose life.

Can you begin to comprehend how radical our faith truly is, and how threatening it can be to governments, businesses, and organizations?

That those who truly, truly follow God and claim Heaven as their Kingdom have ability to disrupt injustice, preserve life, and change the world!

Is it possible that the bravery of Shiphrah and Puah inspired Harriet Tubman to free over 300 men and women from slavery?

Is it possible that the trickery of S & P is what empowered the Van Peel family to hide Anne Frank for over 2 years?

Is it possible that the spirit of Shiphrah and Puah empowered 16-year-old Greta Thunberg to stand before grown men and verbally fight for her life and the life of the planet?

Was it in solidarity with Shiphrah and Puah that Alex Bornstein’s grandmother stepped out of line?

What would Auntie Shiphrah and Auntie Puah do today if they heard the gunshots at Marjory Stoneman or saw the children in Homestead?

Shiphrah and Puah join the likes of Wrestling Jacob, Laughing Sarah, and Imprisoned Paul as our long line of ancestors who dared to stand up for life when the world would rather welcome death.

Shiphrah and Puah demonstrate that as Citizens of Heaven we have a different calling than what others expect.

They also remind us that no matter how bleak, no matter how dark, no matter how dangerous, God is there.

God is King.

God is ready and able to bless.

We ought to be willing to play our part, laughing, wrestling, or choosing to say “yes!” to life and to the promises of tomorrow.

We can do all things through He who strengthens us, and nothing is too difficult for our Impossibly Possible God.

Amen.

Wrestling with the Impossibly Possible God; Sermon for Sept 22, 2019

Rev. George Miller
Sept 22, 2019
Genesis 32:22-30

2 weeks ago, we began our study of the Old Testament and our Impossibly Possible God.

We made the claim that Genesis 2 teaches us that we were created to be connected to one another, connected to the earth, and connected to God.

Well, you can’t be anymore connected to God than in a good old-fashioned wrestling match in which your arms are entwined, your feet are firmly planted on the ground, and you’re sweating like a farm hand at 3 pm.

But first-some back story.

Jacob is the impossibly possible grandchild of Sarah- she who laughed at God’s promise.

His mother is Rachel, his father is Isaac, and his twin-brother is Esau.

Jacob’s birth was a wrestling match of its own kind. His parents had a heck of a time conceiving, and when they did, Jacob and his brother would toss and turn inside their mother’s womb, causing Rachel great distress.

Esau was born first, but Jacob was holding tight onto his brother’s heel, trying so hard to be the 1st born.

Esau was what you’d call a man’s man- burly, hairy, swarthy and a real out-doorsman.

Jacob was more what you’d call a momma’s boy- introverted, preferring the indoors, and he was smooth; not just hairless smooth; but smooth as in slick, cunning, and a trickster.

Jacob was like the male, Palestinian version of Scarlett Ohara.

He tricked his brother Esau out of his birthright.

He tricked his father Isaac into giving him the family blessing.

He tricked his uncle into giving him specific sheep and lambs that allowed him to grow in wealth.

Jacob deceived and tricked every man in his family.

But now Jacob, the heel-clutcher, the Scarlett Ohara of his time, has met his match, and it is God.

And if Jacob is to get a blessing this time, it cannot be with lies, deceit, or agricultural voodoo, it’s gonna have to be through:

-strength and perseverance
-fighting and striving
-By keeping on, holding on
-And standing on the promises.

Jacob not only receives a blessing, he receives a brand new name and a new identity- Israel; loosely meaning “He Who Strives With God.”

What an elemental story of how the beloved children of God got their name. What a testament to who we are and where we come from.

Look at Israel’s name and how connected it is to the Creator- to strive with God, to struggle with God, to go toe-to-toe with God.

…now note what the new name Israel is not-

It does not mean “To pick dandelions while dreaming your day away.”

It does not mean “To be in blissful ignorance.”

Nor does it mean “To lose faith,” “To give up easily,” or

“To lower the bar so you don’t have to succeed, discover what you’re capable of, and trust that grown folk will do the right thing.”

Nor does Israel mean “To make excuses for others.”

“To set yourself up to fail.”

Or “To fight amongst yourselves because you’re afraid.”

Israel means “To strive with God.”

Connectedness; just as it’s supposed to.

To face the difficulties of life with God.

To trust that even though sorrow may last all night, joy comes in the morning.

THIS, sisters and brothers in Christ, is where we come from.

This is who we are, reborn by the river in the darkness of night.

This is the heavenly spirit of faith that flows through our soul and waters our very being.

This Jacob who wrestles with God all night long until he is blessed and transformed, is the very core of our identity.

We, as citizens of heaven, are warriors.

We are wrestlers.

Why do you think Paul had the audacity to say, from prison, that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”? (Philippians 4:13)

Why do you think the prophet Jeremiah could dare to purchase land when a war was waging on?

As descendants of Israel, we are supposed to have the courage and the conviction to confront God, to hold on, and to ask for what we need and to expect to be blessed.

Now, this does not mean everything will go our way; it does not mean everything will go as planned.

Nor does it mean that we will leave unscathed.

Just like Israel, after we wrestle with God, side by side, arm in arm, connected, we may leave with a limp.

We may have a bit of a hobble. We may not move as fast; we may be a bit out of breath; we may be tired.

But if we have truly strived with the Impossibly Possible God, we will find that we are moving forward and not back.

We will find ourselves moving ahead as opposed to being stuck in a rut.

We will discover that even with the battle scars, we are still very much alive.

As Citizens of Heaven and Children of Israel, we are resilient.

And we have so much more story to live.

Jacob had a wrestling match with God in which he had to be 100%, authentic, real.

Connected.

He could not lie, cheat, trick, or act all smooth.

He had to be strong. Stand his ground, and not let go.

He had to be honest; forceful; unafraid.

And in return he was blessed.

He experienced the Impossibly Possible God.

His persevered.

And just like Scarlett Ohara, he lived to see another day.

And so can we; connected to God, connected to the earth, and connected to one another.

Striving, surviving.

For that, we can say “Amen.”

Impossibly Possible God; Sermon on Genesis 18/21

Rev. George Miller
Sept 15, 2019
Genesis 18:1-15 and 21:1-7

As many of you know, I was in Arizona this week to be with my Mom.

She had fallen a few weeks ago and wasn’t discovered until 3 days later. Due to long term diabetic conditions, she had to have half her leg amputated.

While in Arizona I had the tasks of talking with doctors, working with the social worker, chaplain and agency officials, coming with up with a plan and locating a place for Mom to receive wound and short-term care.

My brother is there with her until October 19, with the goal of moving her to MO where he and his family live.

In the meantime, my brother is cleaning her condo, preparing for it to be sold.

Mom has a lot of work, exercising, and resting to do in order to walk again and prepare for the next chapter of her life.

Being in Arizona was not easy for me. The emotional and decision-making process was draining. Being in her cluttered and tiny condo was not helpful.

Perhaps most difficult, for me, was how brown Arizona is.

So very, very brown, with its dry earth, yards full of rocks, and bare mountains that rose to the heavens.

I longed for my Cozy Cottage with its green grass, purple flowers and the blue of Lake Jackson.

It was an emotional and spiritual relief to fly back to Florida and to see from the plane’s window the rivers, the canals, the Atlantic, the lawns.

While driving back from the airport I marveled at the thought that 10 years ago I had 1st come to Sebring to interview for the pastoral position here.

Back in 2009 I couldn’t comprehend what I was seeing. Everything appeared so foreign. The amount of rain. The humidity. The palm trees. The tiny, tiny squirrels. The giant bird that flew in front of the windshield.

The orange groves. How cool they first appeared…but then they went on for miles and miles….and miles.

I felt like I had landed on Mars, and yet now this place is home.

When first coming to Emmanuel, things were different. We had the tiny kitchen, the empty nursery, and the Parish Nurse office that wasn’t being utilized.

Sunday Fellowship only took place twice a month. Our weekly programs consisted of a Bible Study and the TOPS group.

Years later we now have a big, beautiful kitchen. In addition to TOPS and Bible Study we now have Sit and Stitch, The Diamond Café, AARP, and the thriving Shepherd’s Pantry.

Though Harvest Home has taken a break, we have a multitude of food-based events, like the upcoming Oktoberfest.

For 7 years we offered a Vacation Bible School, for 5 years we’ve had trips to Back Bay Mission, and in this month alone we had the Doula Project and Indivisible offering community programs here.

Not to mention we now have the gifts of Carnide and Ari and the addition of violin to our worship.

There has been a lot of thriving and new growth, yet in many ways we are also in a dry place. The beloved members who have died, moved away, or moved on to other places of worship.

Not to mention our financial reserves are now virtually dry.

On Tuesday we’ll meet for our 2020 budget planning, and the truth is that we are down to a bare bones budget and facing the possibility that 2020 may be the last year we can afford a full-time pastor.

So, we, as a church, have many decisions to make. Who God is calling us to be; what we are being challenged to do, and if we are to continue with a full or part time pastor.

Many, many options. Options, just like my Mom has.

But when financial reserves are low, or part of a leg is missing, things can seem just too hard, too difficult, too impossible to do…

…That’s why, thank God, we have the Bible. To teach us, and encourage us, and to remind us again and again that even in the face of impossibly laughable situations, there is truly nothing too difficult for the Lord.

As Genesis chapter 2 reminds us, God is not far away, God is not distant, God is not aloof, but God’s is hands-on, right in the mud and muck with us, willing to get God’s hands dirty, sweaty and grass stained.

So let’s take a look at today’s reading.

We have left the Garden behind. Our call to be connected to God, connected to the earth, and connected to one another continues.

It continues in the story of Abraham and Sarah, who receive a call from God to go, leave behind their past, and trust God’s promise that they will have new land and a family.

What makes this seem so impossible is that Abraham and Sarah are quite along in their age. They’ve been married for decades and have had not any luck in having a child.

In a culture in which leaving a legacy in your offspring is everything, their reality is devastating.

Without a child, it means their particular family tree has been cut off; it’s a stump.

Which means they are as good as dead.

But if you’ve noticed, God doesn’t really deal with dead ends; God much prefers to deal with life and new beginnings.

So, into the unbearable heat of the day, God enters into the life of Abraham and Sarah while Abraham seeks refuge under the oaks of Mamre.

They are reminded of the promise God had made many years ago- that Sarah will have a child.

The first time they heard the news it is Abraham who falls on his face laughing at the impossibility of it all.

Now, it is Sarah’s turn.

She’s in the tent preparing a meal for their heavenly guests when she hears the news that within a year she will have a child.

Sarah, considered too old for such a reality, can’t help but to laugh at how foolish it is.

“After I’ve grown old, am I really supposed to experience new joy?”

God hears her chuckle and asks her this life-changing question- “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?”

If this line sounds familiar, it is, because last week the prophet Jeremiah said the same thing when he purchased that plot of war-torn land.

“Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?”

Other translations switch it up and use the word difficult, hard and impossible.

“Is anything too difficult for the Lord?”

This is perhaps one of the 10 most important statements in the Bible.

How you respond, and what you think is the answer can make all the difference between life…and death.

Sarah laughs.

Thank God. I personally see this as such an honest, human reaction to God’s Good News.

Sarah doesn’t try to hide her feelings. She doesn’t try to stifle her initial reaction. She allows herself to be fully, truly present and in the moment.

Sure, when questioned about it, she tells a little white lie, but at this moment we see Sarah doing exactly what any of us would do if we were beyond the age of parenthood and told our whole world was about to change.

Sarah doesn’t try to act all pious. Sarah doesn’t immediately fall in line or make herself into a martyr.

She is not Pollyanna about this; she is not pie-in-the-sky. She is realistic.

Sarah responds as almost any of us here would have.

“Really?” Really God, you’re going to take what seems like the end and turn it into a new beginning?

You have got to be kidding!!!

And good thing that Sarah responds this way, because her honest reaction allows a deeper, more personal conversation with God.

It allows the heavenly testimony to be made known – Is anything too difficult for the Lord?

That’s the question we should all have on our mind each and every day.

And of course, the Bible goes to great lengths to give us the answer.

God is the perfecter of making the impossible possible.

After all, Genesis 2 shows us how God took mud, breathe and a side order of ribs to make human life possible.

Exodus shows us how God parts the Red Sea.

The prophet Jeremiah reminded us that even in the midst of war that houses and farms can be restored.

On Easter Morning God raised Jesus from the grave and beyond the shame of the cross.

Throughout Paul’s letters we see how God changed the heart of the church’s number 1 persecutor into its number 1 worker.

Any of these situations would have elicited laughs from anyone who cares to think logically and within the confines of what is and is not possible.

But of course, none of these difficult deeds of the Lord would have been truly fruitful if the human participants weren’t willing to play their part.

Adam and Eve had to be willing to care for the earth, working as equals side by side.

The Israelites had to be willing to bravely step through the parted sea to make it to the other side.

Jeremiah had to be willing to put his money where his mouth was, placing down 17 shekels to buy the land.

God may have resurrected Christ, but it took Mary Magdalene to go out into the world and make the Good News known.

Paul’s heart may have been changed, but it took him learning how to publicly embrace and live out the changes within him.

Sarah laughed at the impossible, but in the end she did conceive new life and begin another chapter in her life.

My Mom has the ability to heal, to walk again, and to begin again in Missouri, surrounded by green grass, robins, and family…but first she will have to do the work.

She will have to want it, fight for it, exercise, rest, let go of her past, and to learn how to welcome the help and care of others.

Here at Emmanuel, we can meet our budget and continue our ministry, if that’s what we feel called to do.

But we must also be willing to fight for it, exercise our faith, move into our future, dream of new ways, and welcome the help and care of others.

Is anything too wonderful or too difficult for the Lord?

Scripture tells us that nothing is too difficult, but scripture also makes it clear that we can’t expect God to do it alone.

Like Eve, like Adam, like Jeremiah, like Paul, like Abraham, and like Laughing Sarah, we all have a role we can play.

We all have a part in making the Impossibly Possible a possibility.

For that, we can say “Amen.”