March 12, 2006

"When the Faithful Fall on their Face"

by Susie Bjork

It's hard to underestimate the cultural and religious impact of the epic saga of Abraham. This story of a covenant with God, the faithfulness of Abraham and Sarah, the rise of new generations of "chosen people" has been a foundational story for three modern religious traditions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Its varied interpretations throughout history (some very literal, some very metaphorical and mythic) have been sources of hope for people experiencing crisis or oppression, sources of conflict (which live on today in the Middle East and elsewhere), and sources of communal identity in both narrower and broader terms.

I have to admit, initially, I didn't want to preach on this text. Covenant was on my mind, of course, but I didn't know where to go from there. But that is the wonderful challenge of preaching with the lectionary.

So, I gave it a try and found some wisdom about the human condition and a down to earth word about the faith journey:

"Abraham fell on his face and laughed."

I have to admit, I would laugh too! I mean here we have a story about a hundred year old man and a ninety year old woman who have been told directly by a walking and talking God that they are going to have a baby. It sounds like something that belongs on the front page of Weekly World News or some other ridiculous tabloid!

Interestingly enough, Abraham's laughter is actually used to foreshadow the birth of Isaac because the words are the same in Hebrew. The name Isaac, which is mentioned for the first time a few verses later, means "he laughs." So, there is a purposeful play on words and purposeful humor in the text.

I think that Abraham's laughter is significant in other ways too, but I'll get back to that in a minute.

Let's look at names for a moment. Names and name changes play an important part in this story. Not only is Isaac's name strategically placed in this part of the story, but Abram, Sarai, and even God all get new names. Abram becomes Abraham, which means "father of a multitude." Sarai becomes Sarah, which means "princess." Both of these names describe the significance of Abraham and Sarah and foreshadow the important roles they will play as the story unfolds.

But, God also reveals a new name for God's self in this text, El Shaddai. Many versions of the bible translate El Shaddai as "God Almighty," but according to several scholars "God of Mountains" might be a better translation. Perhaps God of Mountains also offers a richer image not only of divine power and fortitude, but also of growth and dynamic ecological relationships.

All of these new names are symbolic of the covenant, the relationship, which God makes with Abraham and Sarah. Taking on new names entails new roles and a turning point in the narrative. Abraham's name focuses on his relationship to the nations, the multitude. So, it says something about the forward looking, new nature of this story. God, El Shaddai, is doing something new here.

Perhaps this is a "Still Speaking" moment?

Let's look for a minute at Abraham's response to this promise, this new covenant that God is making. Initially, El Shaddai speaks to Abraham and says "walk before me and be blameless." This is a call to faithfulness, to relationship with God, not a call for sinless existence.

Abraham's response is to fall on his face before God. This is a sign of reverence and a sign of Abraham's faith in God and agreement to uphold his part of the covenant. The emphasis here is really on keeping the covenant, that is, being faithful to the relationship with this promise-making God of Mountains. Abraham is saying that he is open to God's next move.

God then goes on about the details of the covenant, including a discourse on circumcision, which was understood not so much as required payment for the covenantal promises, but is instead a sign of faithfulness to the covenant. In other words, if circumcision was to be neglected it is not the reason the relationship would be broken, but would be a sign of an already broken relationship.

This says something about the everlasting and ongoing nature of these promises made by God. They require faithfulness on the part of Abraham and those to follow, but the promises do not go away. If forgotten, the promises of God can be retrieved.

Ok, so now after all of these new names and new promises, El Shaddai drops the big one and we're back to the headline "100 year old man and 90 year old woman proud parents of a bouncing baby boy!"

So, what is Abraham's response this time?

Once again he falls on his face in reverence and faithfulness to God. But, at the same time, he laughs! He questions God. And he doesn't believe that this crazy thing is possible!

El Shaddai restates the case, but does not scold or condemn Abraham for his disbelief.

Abraham's response is one of both faith and disbelief.

Faith AND disbelief: Is this possible?

I think too often faith gets shoved in the belief box and nailed shut!

In fact; faith is not only about belief.

Faith is also about trust (trust, even in doubt); it is about relationship with God and with others (because relationship with God and relationship with others are not mutually exclusive); Faith is about experiential knowledge (gut intuition); it is about ethical action in the world. Faith is about the hope we have in the seeds of peace and justice which we try to sow in this life, knowing that we may not live to see them flower fully.

I would actually go as far as to say that doubt is integral to the faith journey...integral, not just an obstacle. To doubt, to question, to challenge the pat answers is to take seriously the ambiguous, difficult, challenging, simultaneously ugly and beautiful world we live in. It is to take seriously the faith journey within our modern context.

To say "we have all the answers" is to be closed off from new revelation, new experience, and new relationship.

But, we are people of the comma. We are the people of a Still Speaking God.

Like many who have gone before us, both forebears of the UCC and others, we are not content to allow this book (the bible) to be used to condone slavery and racism; we are not content to allow this book to be used to forbid women from church leadership; we are not content to allow this book to be used as the basis for exclusion of LGBT people from the community of faith; we are not content to allow this book to be used as a weapon.

To be open to new revelation, to "never place a period where God has placed a comma," to engage deeply in a faith journey that strives ever-forward towards a just and peaceful community of God is to take our questions seriously.

This is the nitty gritty, down and dirty, pilgrimage of faith.

Perhaps I should have entitled this sermon "When the faithful fall on their face and laugh, (comma)"

This past week, I (along with fellow students and staff at PSR) had an opportunity to have lunch with Ron Buford, who has headed up the Still Speaking Initiative at the National Office of the UCC.

A new Still Speaking commercial is going to be aired, beginning in April and Ron wanted to be sure to remind us to wear our commas out in public during the campaign. Perhaps, he said, we would then have a chance to engage in dialogue with people in the broader community if they asked us about that "weird apostrophe pin we're wearing."

These commercials, after all, are not for us. These commercials are not for those who have found a community of faith in which they feel at home and accepted, welcomed and loved, affirmed in their seeking and questioning. These commercials are for those who want to be a part of a community of faith and have not yet found one that is open to them "no matter who they are or where they are on life's journey."

And this campaign is getting a response. Just go to the Still Speaking website and you can read several of the stories and responses people have sent in. Here's one brief example sent in by a UCC pastor:

"During our new members' orientation last Sunday, a woman told us about growing up [in another church]. In her 20s, she left the church because, she said, "I just couldn't reconcile what I believed with what the church told me I had to believe. I was always getting in trouble for asking questions." When she saw the ad on TV... she immediately searched for a UCC church in town. "And here I am." She said. "I just wish I had known about the UCC ten years ago." At the end of the session, I asked the new members to say what excites them about becoming a member. Her response? "I finally get to ask questions."

The comma is a symbol. The comma does not replace our UCC logo; the comma does not replace the cross; and the comma does not excuse us from ecumenical involvement with other denominations. But the comma is an eye-catching way of validating the questions; a way of saying that we are open to new revelation.

And actually, this idea is something that has been a part of our denominational tradition for quite awhile. In 1620 as our forebears the Pilgrims were departing Europe, their pastor John Robinson urged them to be open to God and said that "God hath yet more light and truth to break forth out of his holy Word." That sounds to me like a 17th century way of saying "God is still speaking."

Like the Pilgrims, like Abraham and Sarah, we face new and unknown experiences. Amidst his laughter (not after he had resolved his questions, but in the middle of questioning), Abraham fell on his face before El Shaddai, showing his commitment to the journey of faith, showing his openness to and trust in the covenant with this mysterious God of mountains.

We have our concerns, our fears, our doubts, our questions. Yet we continue on the journey. We get up each day and strive to embrace the beauty of life, even when getting out of bed itself is difficult. We hope for and endeavor towards peace and justice and right relationship with creation. We open ourselves to relationship with God.

Like Abraham and Sarah, we may laugh, or cry, or question, or doubt. We may even give up for a time (or get really close to giving up), but the very fact that we are here together this morning; the very fact that we find something important for our lives in this community of faith says that we are still on the faith journey and we are open to new possibilities and new moments of grace.

Furthermore, we are not alone in this journey. Look around you. Really, look around you. Perhaps you may find the presence of God in the pew right next to you, in this community, in your relationships with these people.

Maybe God is still speaking in this place! (COMMA)