Loving God, just as you called Abraham and Sarah to be your very own, so you make us your very own in baptism.  By the power of your Spirit, strengthen us in our faith this day, helping us to live into your promises, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    If you have ever experienced broken promises or despaired that all of your hopes and dreams were never going to come to fruition, today’s reading is for you.  If you have ever drifted toward hopelessness, or have ever wondered if any of God’s promises were actually true, today’s reading is for you.  If you have ever desperately wanted a child, or have ever thought that all of your best years are behind you, today’s reading is for you.

    It is important to know that before we ever get to today’s reading, some years have already passed since God first appeared to Abram.  At that time, Abram was 75 years old, and his wife Sarai was 65, and they were promised many descendants, and the land, and that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through their offspring.  At the time, they had zero children, and they still don’t have any by the time we get to today’s reading.

    They are already that much older, and Abram feels as though time is running out.  Is God ever going to bless them with a child?  It’s hard to blame him and Sarai for having their doubts.  We hear Abram’s frustration come through in today’s reading, as even the mention of great reward seems empty to him.  It’s almost like he says, “What reward could I possibly want when we still don’t have any children?”  That’s how it is when you want that one thing more than anything else in the world.

    That’s when God takes Abram outside and shows him the stars.  “Look up,” says God.  “Count the stars, if you are able.  That’s how many descendants you will have” (Cf. Gen. 15:5).  And in that moment, as he looks up at the heavens, Abram believes.  He believes God’s promise, and that faith wins favour with God.

    While there are moments like these where Abram seems to have great faith, there are just as many moments where he does not seem to be particularly faithful.  In fact, by the very next verses he is doubting God’s promise about inheriting the land (Gen. 15:7-8).  So there are times like these when he is doubtful or despairing.  There are times when he shows great faith, like when he leaves his homeland to go where God will lead him.  There are times when he takes matters into his own hands, like when he has a child with Sarah’s slave, Hagar, or when he goes to write out a will with Eliezer of Damascus named as his beneficiary.  And there are times when he even gives his wife to other men, passing her off as his sister because he is afraid.

    In other words, Abram is quite human, and so is Sarai.  They are not perfect by any means, and neither do they always show good judgement in the things that they do.  However, this is not so different from any of us.  There are times when it is easy for us to believe and when we catch a vision of the future that God has in mind for us.  There are other times when we have a lot of doubts, or when we really wonder about God’s promises.  It is all part of being human, and it is all part of living as people of faith.

    At least one Bible teacher has made the comment that we really shouldn’t talk about heroes of the Bible or even heroes of the faith.  Instead, he insists that there is only one hero in the Bible, and that is God (Dr. Harry Wendt).  Particularly through the stories about Abraham and Sarah, there are a few things that we learn about God.  For one thing, absolutely nothing is impossible for God.  When Abraham and Sarah finally have a son, Sarah is 90 years old and Abraham is 100.  God is the one who did that!

    At the same time, we learn about God’s faithfulness.  Even though many years pass before they come to fruition, God’s promises of the land and of a blessing to the nations are fulfilled.  It is more than 600 years later when Abraham’s descendants enter the land of Canaan and take possession, and it is almost 2000 years later when a blessing for all the nations is seen through Abraham’s descendant, Jesus.  God’s promises are not always fulfilled right away, but God is faithful.

    When we see the bigger picture of the biblical story in this way, it gives us reason to believe and to trust in God’s promises.  One of the biggest promises associated with baptism is this: “The one who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mk. 16:16).  There is also the promise of new birth through water and the Spirit, forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance of eternal life.  We are set free from the power of sin, death and the devil.  These promises are connected to two things: baptism and faith.  In other words, baptism isn’t magic.  Unless there is faith that goes with it, the seed that God plants in us can shrivel and die.

    However, by the same token, producing faith is not all up to us.  In fact, it is the Holy Spirit who produces faith in our hearts and who helps us to continue to learn and to grow in our life of faith.  What God asks of us is to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit and to nurture the gift that is within us.

    This means stepping out in faith like Abraham and Sarah and continuing to figure out what it’s going to mean to live into God’s promises.  This means approaching God in worship in order to seek and maintain a right relationship with God.  This means looking for opportunities to learn and to grow in our faith so that our spirit is nurtured and refueled.

    For God’s part, God does not renege on promises.  God allows us to reject them, but will never stop loving us or desiring that we might have life through Jesus Christ.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Pentecost 18 (NL 3)                            Genesis 15:1-6
September 18, 2016
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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