The Binding of Isaac

Gate Pa – Pentecost 3 2014

Readings:

Psalm:                                 Psalm: 13                                                       

First Reading:                    Genesis 22:1-14                                                

Second Reading:              Rom 6:12-23                                            

Gospel:                                Matt 10:40-42                                                               

What I want to say:

This is a very hard but important reading. In it we are given a glimpse of the angst within the Godhead around the Jesus event, and an image of the faith, love, trust and hope we are invited into as followers of the way. Briefly look at others who have lived out that life.

What I want to happen:

People to grow in faith, love, trust and hope

The Sermon

     1.       Introduction:

Our first reading from Genesis is hard story

hoping that when wrote theme for pew sheet I could leave it alone and focus on Matthew

as week went on

felt too hard and too terrible to ignore

seems offer picture God who requires child sacrifice

                demands too much of Abraham

pictures Abraham as monster willing sacrifice son for this god

many too hard – should be disregarded

     2.       Father Abraham

I think we need to at least note importance of Abraham for three great monotheistic faiths

Abraham seen father all those faiths

                through Ishmael for Muslims – believe spent half year with each son

                                teaching each son about the One God

                                what involved in true worship of God, and what expected how live

                Jews – Isaac

                us as Christian through Christ become sons and daughters of Abraham

      3.       This story an important story

and this particular story plays important role in each those faiths

                Mount Moriah is Temple Mount for Jews,

                Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) for Muslims

story establishes that place as holy, sacred, wahi tapu

                sacrifice of ram seen precursor temple sacrificial rites

early Christians

-          from very early on this story understood as somehow pointing to or resonating with sacrifice of The Son on good Friday  ( why this story has been one readings set Good Friday long time)

-          Abraham example faith used by writer Hebrews (11) as kind faith all called to

-                  faith against all odds.

-          some – Abrahams grief is means to glimpse within Godhead grief, angst, love expressed as God the Son came dwell among us and die on the cross for us – however we understand that.

      4.       What this story teaches about God and faith and such

This is an old story

God in this story is not all knowing – omniscient

                despite Abrahams faith up to this point – God has doubts

                                is Abraham this really the one?

                Abraham is tested

                                with all that word means

                                                assessed

                                                tested as gold is tested – through fire

                                                ascertain level purity

                so level Abraham’s faith ascertained

diffiucalt imagine what Abraham and Isaac gone through on that walk

                each shrouded in silence

                filled with doubt

                                anger

                                trust

                                hope

Abraham grieving his son – which our tradition describes as only son

                grieving the end of the promise

                grieving the end of his faith maybe – what would have happened if Isaac had been sacrificed

                angry with God at this outrageous demand after all he had gone through

                yet clearly still trusting, hoping.

Isaac

                filled with so much doubt and wonder

                has his father gone mad

                had this God gone mad

                carrying the wood on which he is to be laid

                yet in obedience – doing as father commands

                trusting

                hoping, that a lamb will be provided

      5.       Faith

This is story about faith

too often we see faith as an easy thing

in this story we see how hard faith is

                how entwined faith can be with all those emotions and more

it is a hard thing to cleave to Eternal God most high

in doing so Abraham’s faith affirmed

                name of place became

                Lord shall provide

good happy ending to this story

faith stories are not always so nice

      6.       Others who have lived this faith

over centuries many others lived out this hard faith

                St Francis of Assisi – who gave away everything, family, friends, dreams, even future father planned for him

                                embraced hard life of faith

                                                he called that perfect joy

                we can see same faith lives people life Mother Theresa – lived 50years deepest dark night of soul – not single experience God,

                                filled doubt,

                                and yet continuing faithfully give life poorest India

                                – maybe true reflection what reading Matthew is about today

                Dorothy Day – once converted Catholicism lived life among poor and abounded of New York – helped establish Catholic Worker Movement

          Dietrich Bonhoeffer – brilliant German theologian – so easily have watched events WWII from New York as lecturer at Union Theological Seminary

                instead chose return home work resistance in opposition to Hitler

                he might be part rebuilding Germany when all over

                hung days before war ended.

                Here, Henare Wiremu Taratoa

– left safety Mission School Otaki – where teacher

                                returned to be among his whanau as took up arms put down when embraced Christianity

                                stand with them – protect land, their mana, their way of life

                                working find ways limit death and bloodshed for both sides.

so many others

I am sure you could name a few yourself

people like Abraham – who show us hard faith leads to life

      7.       Followers Of Way

Early Christians called followers of way

Christianity not about believing certain things –

way of life

way shaped kind of faith shown Abraham, Francis, Mother Theresa, Dorothy Day , Bonhoeffer, Taratoa.

way that you and i invited into

not an easy way

times of doubts, fear, angst.

invited trust God of infinite love

God who is faithful, who trusts us

writers of this story to be believed

experiences same doubt, sadness, fear

but trusts us join the saints and follow the way.