July 5, 2020 - 5th Sunday After Pentecost
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Susan Sheen's Sermon: Loyalty to a relationship
Proper 9, Year A
July 5, 2020
Genesis 24. 34-38, 42-49, 58-67
Romans 7. 15-25a
Matthew 11. 16-19, 25 – 30
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them – take our hands and work through them – take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen.
When I was 12, at St. Paul’s Bloor St. in Toronto, Bishop Wilkinson laid his hands on my head and I was confirmed. I can distinctly remember thinking that I now knew everything that I needed to know about the church and faith and the Bible for the rest of my life. The arrogance – or the ignorance – of a 12 year old! At a child’s level, I knew a lot of Bible stories – I had been taught to pray – I loved singing hymns - but no one had ever spoken to me about how my life could be compared to a journey and that just as I would grow and change and mature, so my faith would do likewise. No one had ever pointed out how the great Bible stories are about people like us who are on a life-long journey of faith.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the retired chief rabbi of Great Britain, once said: “Faith is not about believing certain things – it’s about loyalty to a relationship.”
Abraham knew that – Jesus knew that – we know that. Loyalty to a relationship: our relationship to God – our relationship to Jesus – and our relationships with each other and with our earth. That’s what faith is all about.
And life – including our life of faith – is never static – we’re always on the move – physically, intellectually, spiritually - whether we like it or not.
Through most of June and now throughout July we’re reading some to the great archetypal stories from the book of Genesis. Remember – before they were ever written down, these stories were told for many centuries around the campfire and in gatherings of the clan or family – but they’ve survived because they tell us something of the human struggle to be faithful to God and to each other.
They’re like a rich tapestry of characters and personalities where nothing is hidden – we see the good, the bad and the ugly. God weaves the realities of our world from human lives – our joys and sorrows – our gifts and weaknesses – our successes and our failures – and we see that in the characters who are described in these Hebrew stories.
Our lives may be short – our human qualities may leave much to be desired – but we learn through these stories that we are important to God, who wants us - all of us - to thrive and to build a better world.
So – after two Sundays when we heard the harrowing stories of the near-deaths of both Ishmael and Isaac – today we come to a love story - the story of how Abraham arranges to find a wife for his son Isaac, and we meet Rebekah – a strong courageous young woman.
It’s a long story – a long chapter – so our lectionary selects three snapshots of what happens, so that we can experience the whole story.
First we hear how Abraham has sent a trusted servant to go to his homeland in Haran to search for a suitable wife for Isaac.
The servant is talking with Laban, a relative of Abraham and the sister of Rebekah. The servant describes how God has blessed Abraham with many possessions and now with a son. Then he describes his plan to find a suitable wife for Isaac. He’s going to wait by a well and when a young woman comes by to draw water, he’ll ask her for a drink and also a drink for his camels. If she says she’ll do that – that will be the sign that she is the wife for Isaac!
Enter Rebekah – and she does just as the servant had hoped. So he asks whose daughter she is – and when she says she’s of Abraham’s family, he gives her some jewellery – his prayers have been answered.
In the next snapshot Rebekah has taken the servant to her family – and after a family discussion, Rebekah is asked if she will go with the servant to become Isaac’s husband. She immediately says yes! So with her family’s blessing, she sets off with the servant on the long journey to Isaac’s home in the Negeb.
In the third snapshot we see the servant and Rebekah and her maids approaching the area where Isaac is living. They see Isaac walking through a field, and after veiling herself, Rebekah meets him – and the servant tells him everything that he’s done. We’re told that Rebekah becomes Isaac’s wife – that he loves her (which was not a necessary ingredient of marriage in those ancient times!)– and that having a wife comforts him as he still grieves his mother’s death. The promise of new life begins. Rebekah will be the matriarch of a new generation and God’s promises to Abraham will be fulfilled.
There’s drama in this story – will the servant be able to find a suitable young woman? Will he be able to persuade her and her family to leave and become Isaac’s wife? Will Isaac approve of the servant’s choice?
There’s also humour. Rebekah offers to draw water from the well for the camels – but one camel can drink 20 – 30 gallons of water at a time – and there are 10 camels! Rebekah’s not only beautiful - but exceedingly strong!
And again – Rebekah’s brother Laban may be appropriately hospitable and pious, but it doesn’t hurt that he’s first seen the gold jewellery that Abraham’s servant gave his sister.
And when Rebekah, after her long journey, at last sets eyes on her husband-to-be, the original Hebrew very plainly says that she falls off her camel, even though that’s not the English translation!
It’s a good story – but what does it say about God and the life of faith?
What can it say to us today? God does not speak directly – God does not intervene in any obvious way – and yet – the God of Abraham is called upon by Abraham himself – by his unnamed servant – and by Rebekah’s family. God’s will is discerned in prayer and by observation – and God’s steadfast love – God’s covenant loyalty – is demonstrated through people’s actions. God is deeply committed to and involved with God’s creation.
Rebekah herself doesn’t hesitate to go – she’s strong, decisive, independent – and like Abraham before her, she leaves home and family to travel to a distant land she’s never seen. She’s a model of generosity, strength and courage.
Then there’s Abraham’s servant who is a model of faithful action. He’s given a difficult task, but he does what he can and leaves the rest to God.
So how do we become wise discerners in hearing God’s voice and determining where God is leading us?
Did you notice how in this story, nobody acts alone. Abraham – the servant – Rebekah – Laban and the family – together they discern God’s leading in their lives. So for us too – we’re not alone – we count on our community of faith - together we can discern God’s leading – together we can have the courage to step into the future. We need companions on our journey, trusting that God will be with us as we go forward.
This pandemic has awakened us to a new awareness of many things including a new awareness of systemic injustice in our world – the suffering that it causes - and the role that each one of us plays in these systems. The conditions of farm workers – the lives of black and indigenous people – the working conditions of PSW’s – the deficiencies in long term care – violent policing – the struggles of those who live with mental health challenges and those who live on the margins of our society - to name just a few.
The pandemic will force us to make choices as we move forward.
St. Paul reminds us of how hard it is to do what is right – how often we make selfish decisions. We’re challenged to change the question: How do I maintain my special and secure status? to the question: How can we all grow and change together? The English word “crisis” is translated by two Japanese characters: danger + opportunity. In the danger in which we find ourselves, there is an opportunity to build a more equitable and just world for all. The choice is ours to make.
On my bedroom wall I have a large print done by Johannes Boots, a Canadian artist who I am told used to live near Bowmanville. It’s called ‘Child of Vision”. It depicts a young child kneeling under a tree in front of a globe which has the countries’ borders marked in wool. The child is gradually pulling off the borders and rolling them into a ball. Where there are no more borders, the land turns lush and green.
Solidarity with the pain of our world is what it means for us to be Christians. We can only grow in our understanding of the sacredness of all life when we challenge and disrupt the forces that create anything less. We’re called to pull down the walls that separate us - to leave behind the old life and take on a new life in Christ.
Jesus says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The yoke that we lay on our shoulders is Jesus’ way of life – a life of radical compassion, of radical inclusion, of radical love. Each one of us is somewhere along that journey of life – of faith. We’re not the same people that we were yesterday because of what we have experienced today.
On one of my wilderness canoe trips in northern B.C. a few years ago, on our last day on the river - after lunch – after we had packed up and were ready to go - our leader had us stand in a circle and mention one thing that we would always remember about the trip. Then he told each of us to go and find a spot on the shore with a view of the river – and sit down and reflect for a time on how we were different now than we had been at the start of the trip. It was a profound and revealing experience – each of us was different at the end because of what we had experienced during our days together.
The ancient stories of Abraham and Isaac and Rebekah are still told because they give us examples of imperfect people who have trusted God – have stepped out in faith – and have accomplished much because of that trust and that faith. We follow in their footsteps – in a very different world – but a world that needs desperately to hear that a loving faithful God is with us and will guide us into the future – a future that is more compassionate and inclusive and loving because of what we do today. Amen.
When I was 12, at St. Paul’s Bloor St. in Toronto, Bishop Wilkinson laid his hands on my head and I was confirmed. I can distinctly remember thinking that I now knew everything that I needed to know about the church and faith and the Bible for the rest of my life. The arrogance – or the ignorance – of a 12 year old! At a child’s level, I knew a lot of Bible stories – I had been taught to pray – I loved singing hymns - but no one had ever spoken to me about how my life could be compared to a journey and that just as I would grow and change and mature, so my faith would do likewise. No one had ever pointed out how the great Bible stories are about people like us who are on a life-long journey of faith.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the retired chief rabbi of Great Britain, once said: “Faith is not about believing certain things – it’s about loyalty to a relationship.”
Abraham knew that – Jesus knew that – we know that. Loyalty to a relationship: our relationship to God – our relationship to Jesus – and our relationships with each other and with our earth. That’s what faith is all about.
And life – including our life of faith – is never static – we’re always on the move – physically, intellectually, spiritually - whether we like it or not.
Through most of June and now throughout July we’re reading some to the great archetypal stories from the book of Genesis. Remember – before they were ever written down, these stories were told for many centuries around the campfire and in gatherings of the clan or family – but they’ve survived because they tell us something of the human struggle to be faithful to God and to each other.
They’re like a rich tapestry of characters and personalities where nothing is hidden – we see the good, the bad and the ugly. God weaves the realities of our world from human lives – our joys and sorrows – our gifts and weaknesses – our successes and our failures – and we see that in the characters who are described in these Hebrew stories.
Our lives may be short – our human qualities may leave much to be desired – but we learn through these stories that we are important to God, who wants us - all of us - to thrive and to build a better world.
So – after two Sundays when we heard the harrowing stories of the near-deaths of both Ishmael and Isaac – today we come to a love story - the story of how Abraham arranges to find a wife for his son Isaac, and we meet Rebekah – a strong courageous young woman.
It’s a long story – a long chapter – so our lectionary selects three snapshots of what happens, so that we can experience the whole story.
First we hear how Abraham has sent a trusted servant to go to his homeland in Haran to search for a suitable wife for Isaac.
The servant is talking with Laban, a relative of Abraham and the sister of Rebekah. The servant describes how God has blessed Abraham with many possessions and now with a son. Then he describes his plan to find a suitable wife for Isaac. He’s going to wait by a well and when a young woman comes by to draw water, he’ll ask her for a drink and also a drink for his camels. If she says she’ll do that – that will be the sign that she is the wife for Isaac!
Enter Rebekah – and she does just as the servant had hoped. So he asks whose daughter she is – and when she says she’s of Abraham’s family, he gives her some jewellery – his prayers have been answered.
In the next snapshot Rebekah has taken the servant to her family – and after a family discussion, Rebekah is asked if she will go with the servant to become Isaac’s husband. She immediately says yes! So with her family’s blessing, she sets off with the servant on the long journey to Isaac’s home in the Negeb.
In the third snapshot we see the servant and Rebekah and her maids approaching the area where Isaac is living. They see Isaac walking through a field, and after veiling herself, Rebekah meets him – and the servant tells him everything that he’s done. We’re told that Rebekah becomes Isaac’s wife – that he loves her (which was not a necessary ingredient of marriage in those ancient times!)– and that having a wife comforts him as he still grieves his mother’s death. The promise of new life begins. Rebekah will be the matriarch of a new generation and God’s promises to Abraham will be fulfilled.
There’s drama in this story – will the servant be able to find a suitable young woman? Will he be able to persuade her and her family to leave and become Isaac’s wife? Will Isaac approve of the servant’s choice?
There’s also humour. Rebekah offers to draw water from the well for the camels – but one camel can drink 20 – 30 gallons of water at a time – and there are 10 camels! Rebekah’s not only beautiful - but exceedingly strong!
And again – Rebekah’s brother Laban may be appropriately hospitable and pious, but it doesn’t hurt that he’s first seen the gold jewellery that Abraham’s servant gave his sister.
And when Rebekah, after her long journey, at last sets eyes on her husband-to-be, the original Hebrew very plainly says that she falls off her camel, even though that’s not the English translation!
It’s a good story – but what does it say about God and the life of faith?
What can it say to us today? God does not speak directly – God does not intervene in any obvious way – and yet – the God of Abraham is called upon by Abraham himself – by his unnamed servant – and by Rebekah’s family. God’s will is discerned in prayer and by observation – and God’s steadfast love – God’s covenant loyalty – is demonstrated through people’s actions. God is deeply committed to and involved with God’s creation.
Rebekah herself doesn’t hesitate to go – she’s strong, decisive, independent – and like Abraham before her, she leaves home and family to travel to a distant land she’s never seen. She’s a model of generosity, strength and courage.
Then there’s Abraham’s servant who is a model of faithful action. He’s given a difficult task, but he does what he can and leaves the rest to God.
So how do we become wise discerners in hearing God’s voice and determining where God is leading us?
Did you notice how in this story, nobody acts alone. Abraham – the servant – Rebekah – Laban and the family – together they discern God’s leading in their lives. So for us too – we’re not alone – we count on our community of faith - together we can discern God’s leading – together we can have the courage to step into the future. We need companions on our journey, trusting that God will be with us as we go forward.
This pandemic has awakened us to a new awareness of many things including a new awareness of systemic injustice in our world – the suffering that it causes - and the role that each one of us plays in these systems. The conditions of farm workers – the lives of black and indigenous people – the working conditions of PSW’s – the deficiencies in long term care – violent policing – the struggles of those who live with mental health challenges and those who live on the margins of our society - to name just a few.
The pandemic will force us to make choices as we move forward.
St. Paul reminds us of how hard it is to do what is right – how often we make selfish decisions. We’re challenged to change the question: How do I maintain my special and secure status? to the question: How can we all grow and change together? The English word “crisis” is translated by two Japanese characters: danger + opportunity. In the danger in which we find ourselves, there is an opportunity to build a more equitable and just world for all. The choice is ours to make.
On my bedroom wall I have a large print done by Johannes Boots, a Canadian artist who I am told used to live near Bowmanville. It’s called ‘Child of Vision”. It depicts a young child kneeling under a tree in front of a globe which has the countries’ borders marked in wool. The child is gradually pulling off the borders and rolling them into a ball. Where there are no more borders, the land turns lush and green.
Solidarity with the pain of our world is what it means for us to be Christians. We can only grow in our understanding of the sacredness of all life when we challenge and disrupt the forces that create anything less. We’re called to pull down the walls that separate us - to leave behind the old life and take on a new life in Christ.
Jesus says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The yoke that we lay on our shoulders is Jesus’ way of life – a life of radical compassion, of radical inclusion, of radical love. Each one of us is somewhere along that journey of life – of faith. We’re not the same people that we were yesterday because of what we have experienced today.
On one of my wilderness canoe trips in northern B.C. a few years ago, on our last day on the river - after lunch – after we had packed up and were ready to go - our leader had us stand in a circle and mention one thing that we would always remember about the trip. Then he told each of us to go and find a spot on the shore with a view of the river – and sit down and reflect for a time on how we were different now than we had been at the start of the trip. It was a profound and revealing experience – each of us was different at the end because of what we had experienced during our days together.
The ancient stories of Abraham and Isaac and Rebekah are still told because they give us examples of imperfect people who have trusted God – have stepped out in faith – and have accomplished much because of that trust and that faith. We follow in their footsteps – in a very different world – but a world that needs desperately to hear that a loving faithful God is with us and will guide us into the future – a future that is more compassionate and inclusive and loving because of what we do today. Amen.