Waiting with Abraham

July 17, 2016


FIRST LESSON: Genesis 18:1–14 [Abraham receives 3 visitors who promise him a son.]
And the Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on— since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”
And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.”
And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
L: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.

Today let’s visit the home of Abraham and Sarah. They will be entertaining other guests today, but we will not bother them. It is the heat of the day and Abraham is sitting at the entrance of his tent, in the shade of a big oak tree at Mamre. As he sat there, he was surely wondering about his life. God had promised him a son, even a nation, but all he could see sitting there were his flocks and herds. Abraham and Sarah were old, and Sarah was long past the age of childbearing. Years ago when God told Abraham to move to the Promised Land, he was filled with hope and eagerness, but now time was running out. As he sat in the shade by his tent in the heat of the day, he was also watching the road when he saw three men. There was something about these three men. Was it their dress or manner or that they seemed to appear suddenly? Abraham somehow knew that they were messengers from God! Even though he is an old man, he jumped up, ran to them, and bowed down before them! He invited the travelers to take a rest in the shade under a tree, and offered them a drink of cool water and a snack, a “morsel of bread,” he said. And then he prepares a feast for them: roast veal beef, fresh bread, some cheese and milk.

Abraham was eager to hear what the strangers had to say, because he knew it would be a word from God. We too are eager to hear a word from God. We have our hopes and dreams. Perhaps we think our plans are in the plans of God and we wait and struggle with promises that are yet unfulfilled. We sit on the front porch in the summer heat and begin taking things off our bucket list and start putting them in the trash can.

Sometimes even Abraham surely doubted the promises of God. We do, too. We do not have to be as old as Abraham to give up on God. Even when we are young, we wonder if the love of God is really for us. We do not want to wait around. It is hot and boring. Why do we have to wait any longer for our dreams? Should we give up or should be continue waiting for God to come and visit us like he visited Abraham? Has God given up on us? What really is God’s purpose for our lives?

And so I think we can understand Abraham as he sits at the door of his tent. I think we can also understand his eagerness to greet these visitors. He hoped that they had a message from God. And they did! They renewed the promise of God. In a year’s time Sarah will have a child, the promised son, Isaac. He will be a child of joy and laughter. God has not forgotten Abraham or his promise. God will never give up on his people.

This is one of the greatest themes of the whole Bible: that God does not give up on his people and will always keep his promises. These are the promises given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David; and given to Mary and Joseph in Nazareth by the Angel Gabriel, to Saints Peter and Paul and John by the Holy Spirit; and finally given to us in the Word of the Bible, spoken by those messengers called pastors and teachers and friends. The promise is in the baptismal font, the communion cup, and in the read and spoken word of the Bible.

This is the message of the New Testament. John the Baptist and the people of Israel were waiting for the promises of the Messiah. And then Jesus came with his wonderful announcement: The Kingdom of God is near; the promise of God will be fulfilled. People were filled with new hope and faith. God had given his Son to the world. The sin and hate and disappointment and unbelief of the world were put upon this Son, which were forgiven and overcome in his death and resurrection. And in that resurrection new hope was given because we know that God does indeed remember and keep his promise.

In the heat of the day, when Abraham saw the travelers, he leapt to his feet and ran, yes, the Bible says he “ran” to meet them. He “ran” to the herd and selected a calf, tender and good to be prepared for them. This old man ran with new energy because he was motivated by the hope that they had a message from God for him. And they did!

That is what faith and hope can do for us, too. It can give us new energy to trust the promises of God. Our lives are filled with generous hospitality and love. We know that God has prepared for us an eternal feast.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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