Faith and trust

 Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Romans 4:13-25; Mark 8:31-38

As I was reading and rereading these texts for today, I began to imagine them as actual conversations: Abraham with God, Paul with some folks in Rome, Jesus with the disciples and the crowds.

So, Abraham and God. They have had other conversations about the same topic, about this calling. But Abraham and Sarah have been waiting years and still no baby. They will wait still longer. This conversation is a renewal of God’s commitment to Abram and Sarai. “You will be my people, and I will be your God.”

I imagine the conversation going something like this:

Abram … You know, God. You promised us long ago that we would have thousands of descendants, and we’re still waiting for the first baby! Sarai gave me her servant Hagar, and I have a child with her, but now you tell me it’s got to be with Sarai. We’re both tired of waiting and frustrated that it’s taking so long.

God … Yes, I know it seems like a long time to you. But I have plans you don’t and can’t know about. It will be soon, I promise! To show you how sincere I am, I want to give you new names. I will now call you Abraham, father of nations. And Sarai will now be Sarah, a princess, and she will be the mother of nations.  

Abram … Yes, God, I believe you and trust in your promise.

God … You are a faithful, righteous man. The covenant between us is still valid. Please wait a little longer. You’ll see.

It was about a year later that Isaac was born.

 
… It’s true that Paul may not have been able to meet with the Roman congregation because he was arrested and tried and executed once he got there, but still, it’s interesting to imagine that individuals were able to see him in prison. Paul refers to Abraham’s faith to make the point that we don’t have a relationship with God by doing things according to the rulebook. We have a relationship with God simply by having faith and trust in God.

Parishioner A … Paul, are you saying we don’t have to obey the laws for God to be our God?

Paul … Yes, that’s what I am saying. Just as God and Abraham had a covenant, a promise, to be faithful to each other, that’s all it takes for us, too. Abraham promised to trust God, and God said, “That’s righteousness!”

Parishioner B … What do you mean when you say ‘God gives life to the dead?’

Paul … I meant that to be a play on words. I think you know that, right?! First, since Abraham was almost 100 years old when 90-year-old Sarah gave birth to Isaac, they both were almost dead. And the play on words also included God’s raising Jesus from the dead.

Parishioner A … I think I’m beginning to see that faith in God is what makes us righteous.

Paul … You are right! Keep on trusting in God and you will be righteous in God’s eyes.

 

… Now, let’s think about the disciples talking with Jesus and the crowd listening in. There is no talk about Abraham here, but there is the same measure of trusting God to know what God is doing, even when the plans seem all wrong.

Jesus … The Son-of-Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by all the leaders. He will be killed, executed, and after three days be raised from death.

Peter … No, Jesus, that can’t be the plan! Didn’t we just talk about you being the messiah? The messiah can’t be killed before getting started. That’s not how this is supposed to work!

Jesus … Peter, you are speaking like Satan, like my adversary. You need to let God’s plans work here. Divine plans are very different from human plans!

John … What do you mean? We all thought you were part of God’s plan to change the world. Or at least, to get rid of these Romans! That’s why we are following you.

Jesus … Listen to me closely. If you want to be my followers, you must be ready to die for it. You must trust me, that my way is better. I promise that in the end, it is God’s true plan.

… So, these conversations are about trusting God and what happens when we do. Abraham and Sarah trusted God for 25 years before Isaac was born. That’s a lot of trust! They weren’t perfect in their trusting, and they had lots of adventures along the way, some of them risky to life and limb. But on the whole, they trusted God and believed the promises made to them.

Paul uses the example of the imperfect trust by Abraham and Sarah as the way we can all trust in God and believe God’s promises. Abraham’s faith is used as a model for those who believe in Jesus. Paul says we can trust in the promise that our relationship with God is based on faith, not on how well we obey the rules constructed by religious leaders.

Jesus, however, puts faith and trust at a wholly new level. When we believe and act upon our belief, we can get killed for it. Just think about this as an advertising campaign: Come one, come all! Believe in Jesus and get crucified!

And yet, there were uncounted thousands of people who did just that! You may have heard the story of Perpetua and her maid Felicity and their companions. They lived in Northern Africa in the early 200s, a time of severe persecution of Christians.

The daughter of a Christian mother and a pagan father, Perpetua has an infant son. She is an educated noblewoman, who wrote her own experience in a journal. We don’t know who the father of the baby is, or where he is. It’s easy to assume he has already been arrested and executed for believing in Jesus.

Her father tries hard to get her released from prison, but she insists on remaining there to demonstrate her trust in God, her faith in Jesus. Perpetua keeps her son with her until the day she is sent with Felicity and others to the arena to do battle with the wild beasts and then the gladiators. Their feast day is March 7. Something to look forward to celebrating!

… While persecution for being Christian does happen in some parts of the world today, mostly Christianity is the dominant religion. But there are many interpretations of what it means to be Christian. Our faith in Jesus and belief in what he stood for can put us at odds with people who support other interpretations of what Jesus wants from us.

If we believe Jesus sends us to stand up for the rights of oppressed people, we might do some of the following:

·       We might put a little library on the corner near the bus stop,

·       We might visit Baker Detention Center and provide comfort to the refugees held there.

·       We might participate in voter registration drives and encourage all citizens to vote.

·       We might sign petitions that guarantee access to medical care for all women.

·       We might make it known that we welcome ALL people at UELC, young and old, straight and gay and other, white and black and brown, abled and differently-abled, and so forth.

But, our faith and trust in God might lead us to do things that put us at risk of disobeying the law, or at least angering some of our neighbors.

·       We could include some of the books banned by conservative folks in the Little Library.

·       We could provide cash for the labor of undocumented immigrants, so they can have housing and food for their families.

·       We could participate in demonstrations that advocate for justice for an oppressed group.

·       We could hang a rainbow sign or flag high on our property for all to see.

·       We could have a porta-potty installed and maintained in an appropriate spot on our grounds, while we advocate with the city for public restrooms and safe housing for the homeless.

I guess it comes down to how much you believe what Jesus said is important. And how much you trust God to make all things work according to God’s plan.

If one of these ideas upset you, try to understand why you object, and what Jesus might say about it. Then refer to Matthew 25, where Jesus insists that whenever we aid those in need, or refuse to do so, we are doing it to Jesus himself.

If one of these ideas intrigue you, ponder and pray about how to make it happen. And then place your trust in God as you make plans to follow through.

And, since many – but not all – of us are over 65, our task may be to pray and encourage those who are younger.

However we plan to be involved, let’s trust that God has a plan and Jesus has our back. Amen