ABRAHAM A MAN OF DEEP FAITH

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1 The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, July 2, 2017 Christ Episcopal Church, La Crosse, Wisconsin The Very Rev. Canon Patrick P. Augustine, D.Min. DD., Rector Genesis 22:1-14, Psalm 13, Romans 6: 12-23, Matthew 10: ABRAHAM A MAN OF DEEP FAITH This week our nation celebrates Independence Day July the fourth. This year we celebrate our nation s birth on the 241st anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. On this day, we give thanks to God for the inestimable blessings of religious and civil liberties we all enjoy. We, also, need to remember that our role as Christians is not to be simply endorsers of all that government does. We are to be the moral vision that salts the nation but does not endorse its actions whole-heartedly just because the government provides the freedom to do so. We remember our nation in our prayers and ask God s guidance for those who lead us. May God bless America! For the last two Sundays, we have been hearing readings from the book of Genesis about Abraham. Abraham is a man of deep faith who surrenders his will to obey God. The story of Abraham and his family have, of course, been given significant consideration by the Jews, Christians and Muslims known as the Abrahamic faith communities. Abraham should be a uniting factor among Jews, Christians and Muslims but, on the contrary, it has caused divisions and turf wars. In 2004, I visited the city of Hebron in Israel. In Hebrew Hevron means friend, and in Arabic the other name of the city is El Khalil, The Friend. It is twenty-five miles south of Jerusalem. This is a city where all three faiths agree that Abraham bought land there. Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah are all buried here. Jews, Christians, and Muslims have struggled for control of the site for generations. For the last century Hebron has been one of the most dangerous towns on earth, a center of fanaticism. While I was there I heard sniper shots around the clock with Palestinians, Israeli soldiers and Israeli settlers engaged in shooting each other. Amidst all the chaos, fighting and acts of hatred, we can read what God had promised to Abraham: I will make your name great, And you shall be a blessing.

2 I will bless those who bless you And curse him that curses you; And all the families of the earth Shall bless themselves by you (Genesis 12: 2-3). On this Sunday, we remember all three faiths of the Abrahamic community to have a spirit of grace and fortitude to work towards reconciliation. In fact, I have my own Abraham story I would like to share with you. In 1982 while serving as Rector of Christ Church, Rawalpindi-Islamabad, Pakistan, I received an invitation from the office of the President of Pakistan to attend a reception in the President s House. This was the grand occasion of Islamic Eid Al- Adha or Festival of Sacrifice. It marks Abraham s willingness to sacrifice his own son as an act of obedience to God. The story in the Bible relates it was Isaac, while Muslims say it was Ishmael who was presented for sacrifice. On this day Muslims give sacrifice of animals. In the President s House at the reception there were Pakistani Generals, Governors, diplomats particularly from Muslim countries and cabinet ministers gathered to celebrate this grand religious festival. On the lush, green lawns of the presidency I joined a circle of Ambassadors from the Middle Eastern Countries. I was the only clergyman present there in my black cassock and clerical collar. During the conversation, the Saudi Ambassador asked me: Why does the story in the Bible have a different name for the son of Abraham than Holy Qur an? This was not a time for Christian-Muslim dialogue. In disagreement with the Saudi Ambassador I could have been charged with blasphemy for which the punishment is death. Realizing the grave situation of his inquiry and what kind of trouble I could land in, I simply said, Your Excellency, the biblical story about Abraham was written 3,500 years ago. The story in the Qur an was revealed 1,400 years ago. I beg you to do some historical research, and we can meet at another time for discussion. I politely thanked him and moved quickly to another circle of guests. The story of the sacrifice of a son presents challenges for many in the church, especially in this time when the abuse of children has screamed its way into our modern consciousness. Several scholars have claimed that this approach is a misuse, even gross abuse of the text. Jon Levenson, a Biblical scholar, will say that we need to understand this text in its religious-historical context rather than in the context of modern North America. Here the text speaks of Isaac as a burnt offering (Genesis 22:2) to God. Leveson says that there is a deeper truth in this text for us to understand. All we have, even our lives and those of our

3 dearest, belong ultimately to God; His claim must be honored; God s promises are often painfully at odds with empirical reality. 1 God in this story initiates the test to gain divine certainty about Abraham s faithfulness. There is another example in the book of Deuteronomy 8: 2-3 in which God tested Israel in the wilderness in order that He might know whether they will be true to the relationship. We must understand that such commandments of God are not there for us to fail on God s part. It was a genuine command given to Abraham for a particular moment, a onetime event; it is not intended to be applicable in an ongoing way or to any person other than Abraham. Abraham s total trust, that God will provide, becomes the experience of all Israel as God led them through the wilderness. Christians can look at this story and say, This is what God did when He sent Jesus who died on the Cross. The sacrifice was a Lamb that God himself provided. Behold the Lamb of God, John the Baptist said as Jesus appeared on the banks of River Jordan (John 1:29). In this biblical story, we learn about the power of faith. Faith for a Christian is the power to give ourselves up to God. St. Ignatius Loyola prayed, Teach us good Lord to give and not to count the cost. In my own personal life, I have learned over and over, that my faith in the faithfulness of God has consistently proven to be what s best for me. This is true not only in the spiritual realm, but also in the relational, marital, and vocational areas of my life. For me, choosing to place faith in the risen Christ has proven to be the best way to live. Abraham s story demonstrates the certainty of God s promises to help us examine the strength of our own faith. There was once a sign in the outback of Australia that read, Choose your rut carefully, you will be in it for 2000 miles! Well, similarly, choose very carefully whom you are going to follow, because the implications are crucial, and you will be on that journey for many miles. May you and I choose our faith to serve Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit to be the light of Christ, and to be healing hands of Christ with his grace to embrace all God s People. Amen. 1 Jon Levenson, Abusing Abraham, Pp

4 Visit to Hebron April 2004 Father Patrick in Hebron meeting an elderly Arab man on the road Tomb of Patriarchs Hebron 2004

5 Father Patrick at the Tomb of Abraham- Muslim side called Haram al-khalil On the Jewish side Me arat ha-machpela- Hebron

6 Father Patrick meeting with General Zia Ul Haq-The President of Pakistan, President House, Rawalpindi, Pakistan 1982.

Written by David Self Sunday, 03 February :00 - Last Updated Thursday, 31 January :14

Written by David Self Sunday, 03 February :00 - Last Updated Thursday, 31 January :14 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview February 10, 2008 "Do You Obey in Faith?" Background: Genesis 20:1-23:20 Lesson: Genesis 22:1-6, 9-18 Motivation: Sin, testing and faith are certain themes of almost any