Sermon Sketches: Genesis 22:1-14 ~ Passing the Test

We make a giant leap from Creation to the procreation of Abraham and Sarah. We will need to fill in the gap here for our people, but that should take less than five minutes.

God creates the heavens and earth. Humanity—the crown of God’s creation—is given an amazing garden to work and enjoy...and they are given the gift of free-will. Free-will—that which allows us to choose,  to love and hate, to do and undo. Adam and Eve decide they know better than God, and through the gift of free-will they sin. Through their sin, all of creation is marred...stained...broken. God in God’s goodness opts not to scrap it all and start over, but there is the flood-thing with Noah. But, humanity is humanity—sin and brokenness remain when the flood-waters recede. So, God decides to call one person through whom God will bring about the redemption of humanity and all of creation: Abram.

¹The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

² “I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
³ I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.”  (Genesis 12:1-3)

 

So, the blessing, redemption, healing, making-things-right will come through Abram. Not without a fair share of drama, Abram—later renamed Abraham—and Sarai—later renamed Sarah—conceive and have a son: Isaac. The promise of making this one person into a nation is being fulfilled.

Today’s reading continues the unfolding of God’s story and our story. Let’s see where the Scriptures take us today.

¹Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

² Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

³ Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. ⁴ On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. ⁵ He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

⁶ Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, ⁷ Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

⁸ Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

⁹ When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

¹² “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

¹³ Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

                                                   Genesis 22:1-14 (NIV)

 

Wow. What do we do with this passage filled with horror and hope? Where do we begin?

“Some time later God tested Abraham” (Gen. 22:1). This passage has always left me feeling a bit uncomfortable. First, I don’t want to think that God tests us—that God, who sees our hearts and knows us completely already, would lay out a plan to see if we are faithful or true. After reading this, I immediately dove into the Scriptures to find that passage in the New Testament where we hear that God does not “test” us. It’s not there. James writes that God does not “tempt” us (James 1:13)...but that’s about as close as we get. Evidently ‘testing’ is a thing.

The Hebrew word in this passage is nasa and in most cases this ‘testing’ is something designed “to prove character or faithfulness.”[1] But, doesn’t God see our hearts? (I Sam. 16:7, Ps. 44:21) Doesn’t God already know? So why test Abraham?

 

Second, perhaps this passage leaves me so unsettled because I don’t know if I would pass the test. I have a son. I have one son, Andrew. He is part of my joy in life. Andrew is funny, thoughtful, kind, and loving. He is our third child, so I wasn’t waiting around like Abraham for a first and, as we later find out, only child of promise. But, if God were to ask me to sacrifice my son, to give him up.... I would probably fail the test. I would run like Jonah in another direction and try to hide my son from God. If God tested me using this "Abraham test," I'd probably fail....

 

But, Abraham does not fail the test. He gathers what he needs—including his son, Isaac—and heads out into the wilderness to sacrifice his one and only son to what he understands God’s will to be. Of course, we see foreshadowing here of things to come—we get hints of another “one and only son” who will be led to sacrifice...and who actually dies.

Abraham must have been thinking a thousand things as he walked those three days. He must have been wondering and questioning and turning past prayers and conversations with God over and over in his mind. But, he kept walking. And then he builds the altar—stone by stone. Then he binds his son...and lays him on the altar. He pulls out his long knife. With goats and lambs, the process is easy: the legs are tied so the animal cannot run, and the neck is slit from side to side, and the blood drains quickly from the body as the arteries are severed. The animal trashes a bit to no avail and then goes still. Abraham has done this before. He has never done this to a human...and never imagined he would do this to his son.

He pulls out his long knife...and the angel of Lord appears. “Stop!”

Have I done this wrong? Did I misunderstand? What?

You have passed the test. You’re good. Untie your son. That’s it. Good job.

 

As I reflect on this narrative, as I wrestle with the idea of God testing Abraham and us, I come to a simple conclusion: perhaps this test (and any test from God) is not for God to see if Abraham is faithful; perhaps the test is for Abraham to see that he is faithful. Perhaps Abraham needed to see that he was being faithful...?

Today, in a Christian world, on the other side of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, I do not know if God puts us to the test—at least like this! Paul seems to be fairly convinced that we are ‘tested’ (I Thess. 2:4) and there are other mentions of testing (though usually not by God) throughout the epistles of the New Testament. Perhaps we are tested from time to time—not for God to see if we are faithful, trusting, believing but for us to to be reminded that we are faithful, trusting, believing. 

Abraham is willing to put everything on the line--his whole reason for being. How far are we willing to go in order to live out our faithfulness? Are we willing to endure a bit of discomfort? Are we willing to sacrifice some of our precious financial resources? Are we willing to give up toxic situations and relationships? Are we willing to say “yes” when our usual answer is “no,” and are we willing to say “no” to something we’ve too long said “yes” to? I don’t think God will ask us to sacrifice our first born child. But, if God puts us to the test, I do believe it is more an opportunity for us to find out how faithful, trusting, and believing we are than some arbitrary act for God to find out if we're faithful or not. And, if we fail a test, I’m pretty sure we’ll have a re-take opportunity along the way. That's part of the grace we find in Jesus' message.

In the end, this is a jarring, unsettling account from the life of Abraham. Yet, when we stand back and hear the story again, afresh, we hear and see the hero of our story moving slowly, intentionally...purposefully...trustingly and faithfully. Though he may not have understood the why behind God's call, Abraham was willing to walk forward. That is the writer of Hebrews' very definition of faith: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Heb. 11:1). Abraham lived with confidence in God, certain that God would somehow make a way. That’s the other piece of this story—God will make a way. After all, this is the Lord who provides.

 

Jon A Herrin (Th.D.) is a pastor, teacher, and author living and serving in S. Texas on the US/Mexico border. He is author of Making Sense of It All: Reflection on the Ancient Narratives of Genesis and A Journey through Suffering: A New Reading of Job in the 21st Century.

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[1] John R. Kohlenberger III. The NIV Exhaustive Concordance, 3^rd Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan (2015), p.1441,

Sermon Sketches: Colossians 3:12-14 ~ The Well-Dressed Christian

 

What is a well-dressed Christian?

My earliest memories of going to Sunday worship are not memories of songs or Sunday School. I don’t have strong memories of the preaching or even the people. I remember the clothes I had to wear. Monday through Saturday, I wore what I wanted. Well, sort of. Growing up in the Caribbean meant we wore our school uniforms during school hours, but school got out at 1:30pm. Once I was home, the shoes were gone, and I slipped on some shorts and a t-shirt…sometimes. Barefoot, shorts, and freedom. Then Sunday would roll around. This was some years ago…when we still wore starched and ironed clothes. I remember stiff shirts and hot pants (not to be confused with ‘hot-pants!). And, I had to wear my “Sunday shoes”—something synonymous with ‘foot torture device.’ I mean, I wore them one hour, once a week—they never had a chance get broken in.

When I would get to church, someone would say, “Looking sharp there!” or “Oh, you look nice today, Jon.” I think that was what we were supposed to say to each other. Looking back now, I think that the complements were consolation prizes for enduring the stiff shirts, hot pants, and uncomfortable shoes.

 

What is a well-dressed Christian?

During one of my dad’s mid-week Bible studies in the small mission church on what was then Terrell Street in St. George’s, Grenada, a commotion began at the door at the back of the chapel. Dad walked back to see what was happening. One of the men of the church, a good man with best intentions—I’m sure, was telling a woman that she could not come in “dressed like that.” (From time-to-time we come across those self-appointed ‘gate-keepers’ who want to keep everything ‘just so.’) The woman, wearing jeans, flip-flops, and a perhaps too flattering blouse, was saying, “But I just want to come in a sit on the back row and listen.” Dad told the fellow it was fine…and she came in.

Seven years later, that woman—dressed perhaps questionably—Margorie James, was elected to be the national Sunday School director.

But where did these ideas of dressing up for worship come from anyway? It all started in the 4^th Century with Constantine the Great—the Roman emperor who was probably both the best and worst thing that ever happened to the Christian faith. After having a vision of a cross and winning a decisive battle under the sign of the Cross, Constantine legalized the Christian faith in the Roman empire—with the wave of his hand. An illegal and persecuted religion became ‘most favored’ overnight. Suddenly, pagan temples tossed out the idols, erected crosses, and became churches…and pagan priests took off their strings of bones and hung a crucifix around their necks…and became Christian priests (yikes! We’re still recovering from Constantine’s edict).

But, what affected the way folks dressed was his practice of showing up (with his mom) unannounced at worship services. Soon, word got out, and people got ready: “The Emperor might show up today—look your best!” So, rather than dressing for the King of Kings, people dressed for the King of Rome. In the centuries that followed, the way folks dressed became a status symbol…and, unfortunately, an element of division. And, it almost kept Margorie out of church.

 

What is a well-dressed Christian?

Jesus doesn’t really help us with his life and teaching. I mean, we don’t have any passages saying, “And Jesus went home and put on his Sabbath clothing to attend synagogue.” Nope…nothing like that. And his teachings? Well, if he mentions clothing, he is usually dropping warnings about being dressed too nicely. To the Pharisees, he says, ““Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness” (Matt. 23:27,28). Yeeesh! Harsh words. In other places, he warns the religious leaders about their “flowing robes” and desire to be seen (Luke 20:46).

So, Jesus doesn’t tell us how to dress; he just warns us about how not to dress.

What is a well-dressed Christian?

Paul is the one who finally comes to our aid, who finally helps us figure out how to dress properly. Paul—the planter of churches all over the Mediterranean, all over the Roman empire—he finally tells us how to be a well-dressed Christian. Paul lays it out so clearly for us:

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.                       Colossians 3

 First of all, Paul points out very clearly here that dressing this way is a choice. “…Clothe yourselves…” – we choose to clothe ourselves this way. We choose whether or not to wear these garments of faith. In the verse prior to these, Paul shows us what others chose to wear, things he calls us to “put away”: “anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips” …lying (Col. 3:8,9). How we dress our lives is our choice.

Then, these garments of faith, my friends—thankfully—are not just “Sunday clothes.” This is our everyday wear. Tomorrow morning, you and I are going to get up and start our day, and we will invariably ask that question or be asked that question: What shall I wear today? What shall put on this morning? And, as Christians, we already have the answer to this question. It’s right here: clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…

Imagine, if you will, showing up dressed like this—with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love...

…at the office…walking in wearing compassion and kindness.

…at school…coming into class—teacher or student—wearing gentleness and patience.

…at the family reunion…showing up wearing patience and forgiveness.

…at the breakfast table…sitting down wearing kindness and gentleness

...at church on Sunday. What would our worship be like if we were to actually clothe ourselves this way and walk into our time of worship with compassion for one another, with intentions of kindness, wearing humility, wrapped up in gentleness, patience draped around our shoulders…?

What would things be like on Sunday if we all came together dressed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…and if there were…

No more emphasis on starchy shirts…or a need to ‘look sharp.’

No more desire to impress the emperor…or anyone else.

No more ‘flowing robes’ or “beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.”

If we showed up on Sunday clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…oh, we would be sooooo beautiful, so radiant…and the world would sit up and notice.

So, what are you going to choose to wear next Sunday? What are you going to wear tomorrow? What are we going to choose to wear out of here…today?

Some years ago, my wife, Jeanne, and I were heading to our church “Annual Conference.” We had been getting everything together for ourselves and our three kiddos. It was a conference for me but a time of relax and vacation of sorts for the family. We were scrambling as parents often do when they’re juggling three children. When we arrived some hours later to the city for the Conference and we began to carry things in to the hotel, I realized that I had left all of my hanging clothes in our room at home.

We got on our laptop (this was pre-cell phone days), found a Ross’s, and hurried over. I found some clothes, pulled aside a shirt and pants from the selected clothes, stepped into the changing room and put on the dockers and button-down shirt…pulled off the tags…paid for it all, and wore some of my new clothes out of the store and straight to the conference.

In the same way, we can put on these clothes on right now. We can “wear them out of the store.” And, we don’t need a changing room; all we need is a prayer closet…the one in our hearts.

May we be well-dressed Christians…beginning now, today…and every day. Let us pray….

Amen.

 Jon A Herrin (Th.D.) is a pastor, teacher, and author living and serving in S. Texas on the US/Mexico border. Author of Making Sense of It All: Reflection on the Ancient Narratives of Genesis and A Journey through Suffering: A New Reading of Job in the 21st Century.