Sermon: “Behind the Laughter”, Genesis 18:1-2, 8-15 (September 17, 2023)

I have to confess that I’ve abbreviated today’s reading quite a bit from the original text given by the Narrative Lectionary. The full reading includes verses 3-7, plus Isaac’s birth in chapter 21. It wants us to focus on Abraham’s hospitality and to tie up the story with a nice big bow: the impossible promise being fulfilled. But framing the story in this way is unfair to Sarah. So much of Sarah’s story is overshadowed by her husband and HIS relationship with the Lord. Although she’s as much a part of God’s covenant as he is, she remains relegated mostly to the background, silent and alone, for much of the story. I’m tired of her experience being rendered invisible, and so – at least for today – Sarah will be at the center of this story.

Liturgy: God Promises the Impossible, Genesis 18:1-2, 8-15 (September 17, 2023)

*You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Call to Worship (based on Genesis 17:17, 18:12)

Leader: God promised, and Abraham laughed.
People: It is hard to believe the impossible.
Leader: God promised, and Sarah laughed.
People: It is hard to let hope enter a grieving heart.
Leader: Open our hearts, O God, to the unexpected.
People: Let us worship the Lord!

Sermon: “Let Us Build a House: Laying the Foundation”, Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16/Luke 1:57-66 (December 5, 2021)

(This is the second sermon in our Advent and Christmas series, "Let Us Build a House", based on the Advent theme from A Sanctified Art. The first can be found here.)

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More than 400 years ago, Shakespeare put pen to paper and asked, “What’s in a name?” His character, Juliet Capulet, was trying to convince herself that names really don’t matter in the grand scheme of things…but unfortunately, she didn’t actually have much support for her hypothesis. Not only did her family hold a dramatically different opinion on the matter, but pretty much everyone else in the world would disagree with her, too. Across time and cultures, names have always been central to human identity, and we’ve always put great care into choosing them. Even surnames, which had been passed along according to the same archaic customs for centuries, have recently been subject to more careful discernment than ever before. Because, contrary to what Juliet would have us believe, the fact is that our names DO matter.