Loving God, you are always ready to receive our prayers and to reveal your power and your love in our world.  Grant us the eyes to see and the ears to hear, that we might discern your guidance; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    In our first reading today we heard about Abraham’s servant (who is never named), Rebekah and her family, and Isaac, son of Abraham.  While there is plenty to learn from this servant of Abraham about faith and being on a mission, there are also a few things to laugh about in this story.

    First off, do you have any idea how much water a camel drinks?...  Apparently one camel can drink 20-30 gallons of water, and Abraham’s servant had ten of them!  And so, when Rebekah offers to draw water for the camels, this is no small feat.  She is obviously strong, generous, and hard-working.

    The other thing that doesn’t quite come through in the English translation is that Rebekah quite literally falls off her camel the moment that she sees Isaac.  It is apparently love at first sight, in spite of the arranged marriage.  And so what we have heard today is the beginning of a Middle Eastern love story, facilitated by God’s steadfast love.

    It was also, of course, facilitated by Abraham’s servant, who set out on a mission and who sought God’s guidance every step of the way.  His mission was to find a wife for Isaac from among Abraham’s relatives.  As he embarks upon this mission, it soon becomes clear that he believes that God has somebody in mind.  And so he goes about trying to discern who that person might be.

    He comes well-prepared, having brought with him all of the appropriate gifts and provisions.  He also begins with prayer, in which he asks for a sign.  This is similar to many prayers that we find in the Scriptures where the person says, “God, if this happens, then I will know that you are the one who has acted.”  In this case, the sign will be that the woman will offer to water his camels as well as give him a drink.  And so, when Rebekah comes along and does offer to water his camels, the man watches in silence and waits, still asking God if this woman will be Isaac’s wife.  When it turns out that Rebekah is also a relative of Abraham’s, this seems to be another sign, and the servant gives her the ring and the bracelets.  Then he goes to complete his mission by speaking to her family.

    As the story unfolds, the servant seems to be praying constantly, and pauses to worship God at each hint of success.  He does not hesitate to praise God and to tell Rebekah and her family what God has done.  And in the end, Rebekah goes with him, and the Middle Eastern love story unfolds.

    There is actually a lot that we can learn from this servant of Abraham’s when it comes to embarking upon a mission.  We might be searching for a life partner or for suitable employment.  We might be making decisions about what school to go to or what to do in retirement.  We might be searching for a half-time director of youth ministry or for a new congregational treasurer.  We might be asking how this particular congregation will engage in God’s mission in the world.  All of these things might be considered as embarking upon a mission.

    And so, do we approach these things with prayer?  Do we believe that God has someone or something in mind for us?  Do we watch and wait, looking for signs?  And do we pause and worship along the way, praising God for what we have seen so far, and continuing to seek God’s guidance?

    It is interesting that today in our readings we have this contrast between the mission of Abraham’s servant and the people whom Jesus is addressing in today’s gospel.  While the servant seems to be in tune with God and sees all the signs unfold right in front of him, the people in the gospel don’t seem to be able to see God at work.  Jesus is right there in front of them, doing God’s work, and exhibiting all sorts of signs of God’s power at work, and they just don’t see it.

    They look at Jesus and they see a glutton, a drunkard, and “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Mt. 11:19).  Those who claim to be wise and intelligent look at Jesus and simply don’t see how God is at work through him.  Yet, those who are referred to as “infants” are able to see and to understand, for they grasp that the love of God has been made known in Jesus.

    It seems that there are all sorts of things that get in the way of seeing God at work.  Some probably simply aren’t looking.  Some simply don’t know God well enough to be able to recognize God at work.  Some are probably blinded by pre-conceived notions about how God should work and what a proper Messiah would look like.  And others simply don’t ask to recognize God’s activity or for signs along the way.

    While most of us experience times when it feels as though our prayers are going unanswered, most people I know of who have honestly sought God’s guidance and have asked for signs along the way have seen them.  The problems come when we either don’t ask for God’s guidance or choose to ignore the signs that are all around us.

    Personally, I have experienced both things.  There have been times when I have not been as tuned in to God as I should have been and have ignored the signs that were there.  There have also been times when I have spent a lot of time in prayer asking God’s guidance, and the signs have been pretty obvious.  And sometimes signs are not even associated with major life decisions or embarking upon a mission, but simply little things that happen along the way in daily life.

    Actually there were a couple of times this past week when little things happened that were signs to me of God’s timing at work.  In fact, the one day I had even prayed specifically for God’s timing to be in evidence.  In each case, I ended up simply being in the right place at the right time.  It is little things like these that keep our faith journey going and help us to stay in tune with God at work in the world.

    However, at the same time there are those times when we are embarking upon a mission and specifically need to pray for God’s guidance and to watch for signs along the way.  There are several things that fall into this category right now in this congregation, and I invite you to continue to pray with me for God’s guidance.  May we find the people whom God has in mind for the ministries that will be needed, and may we be granted wisdom and discernment as we continue to clarify God’s purpose for this congregation.

    God has brought all of us together in this place and at this time, and God continues to be on a mission in this world.  God has also provided us with all of the gifts that are needed in order to do what God has called us to do.  Just like Abraham, we have been blessed in order to be a blessing.  Let us then continue to pray and to worship, always seeking to know God better, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Lectionary 14(A)                        Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
July 6, 2014                            Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2014 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved