June 19, 2005

Fifth Sunday of Pentecost

Genesis 21:8-21

Matthew 10:29-32

Worthy of Trust?

     Father’s Day reminds us to think of our fathers and maybe we’d do that anyway on most days, but today we might remember him more than we usually do.  If we are fortunate enough to have a father who is still living, we can give him with a card or maybe a phone call.  And if we still live at home with Dad or if he doesn’t live too far away, maybe we can spend some time with him today. 

     Christina is going to do some daughter-father bonding with her old Daddy today – as soon as church is over, we’re taking off for Litchfield and an old VW car show!  And maybe Matt will come over this evening and Kay will get the chicken ready and I’ll send up a burnt offering from the grill behind the house.  Jon will probably call at some point today (as of Thursday, he now lives in Virginia).  And this evening I’ll give my father a call, too.  He and my mother turn 81 next month.

     It’s good to do these things and to honor the people in our lives who have attempted to be good parents.  “Attempted” is probably a good word to use because that’s about the best any of us parents can do.  There are plenty of books and CD’s on parenting these days, but when you really get down to it, it’s mostly a seat-of-the-pants, learn-as-you-go kind of thing.  I still remember my father offering some sage advice when I was complaining about the little ankle biters we were trying to raise.  He said, “Just love ‘em.”  An over-simplification maybe, but he was right.  If we spend our time parenting trying to figure out how to best love our kids, we’ll probably do all right.

     I like Bill Cosby’s perspective.  He says we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves when it comes to parenting.  After all, if God had a hard time of it, who are we to think we should have it any easier?  God told Adam and Eve, “Children, you can enjoy the garden, but don’t eat the fruit on that tree over there.”  Of course, as soon as the heavenly Father turned his back, that’s exactly what they did.  And when God found out, the kids tried to hide and then blame it on each other: “She made me do it!”  Just then, God heaved a mighty sigh, the first parent-sigh that has echoed down through the centuries in every family that has ever lived.

     The lectionary we read from each Sunday makes no attempt to follow our national holidays, but it’s a neat coincidence that the story from the Hebrew scriptures this morning is about parenting.  It’s an example of how parents aren’t always sure what to do and how they can make mistakes.  It’s also about trusting God to work through us in spite of us.

     Abraham and Sarah messed up big-time.  They were a downright dysfunctional couple.  God promised them they would have a child and eventually be the parents of a great nation, but they grew impatient over the years and decided to take matters into their own hands.  Sarah offered her servant to Abraham and he and Hagar had a son, Ishmael, the one through whom the Arab people trace their lineage.  Abraham and Sarah’s trust had faltered, but God still came through (as you may remember from last week’s lesson) and Sarah finally gave birth to Isaac, the one through whom the Jewish people trace their lineage.  So you can see things got a little complicated. 

     According to Hebrew custom and law, Ishmael was the firstborn son and thus, the rightful heir, but Sarah had other ideas.  She wanted her son to be the heir and she had a miraculous conception to back up the claim.

     We don’t have a record of the unhappy exchanges that must have been heard in Abraham and Sarah’s tent, but we do know that things were bad enough that Abraham became so distressed that he decided to send Hagar and Ishmael into the desert.  Essentially, this was a death sentence.  Hagar and the child nearly died of thirst, but God intervened and provided for their needs.  God was trustworthy even when Abraham and Sarah failed to be.  God was trustworthy even when Abraham turned his back on his own son.

     We all lose sight of what God wants for our lives at times.  Maybe we grow impatient with God and with the people in our lives.  We make mistakes and we do things that are hurtful.  No one is perfect.  Sometimes we are not worthy of the trust that is placed in us. 

     I know I’m not a perfect father.  I can look back and think of many things I’m thankful for, but also some things I wish I’d done better.  My goal has been to be a better father than my father was and I hope my children try to improve on the job I’ve done, too.  Somewhere down the line, one of us might actually get it right! 

     Probably not.  None of us are perfect, but we can still trust the One who is.  God is the One Jesus points us to as the Rock upon which we can build our lives.  Jesus tells us that if we trust God, everything else will fall in place.  “Don’t worry about your life,” said Jesus, “Look at the birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.”  And in today’s lesson from Matthew he says, “Not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from your Father.  Do not be afraid, you are of more value than many sparrows.”

     It’s an awesome thought – the Great Mind behind the universe, Creator of all that is, cares for every living thing, especially cares for each of us.  Jesus came to bring this fact home, to reassure us of God’s compassion.  This is why, time and time again, the first words out of the Savior’s mouth were “Peace be with you.”  Jesus wants us to know God can be trusted and since God values us, everything will be all right.  Even when we are not trustworthy, God is always worthy of our trust.

     When Jesus gave his life for us on the cross, it was his expression of absolute trust in God.  Jesus knew that even in death, God would not fail him.  He said, “Into your hands, I commit my spirit”, and his spirit lived.  And Christ’s trust became our hope, a gift of forgiveness, a reassurance that God is with us now and in the end God will give us everlasting life, too.

     We can live with hope and peace in all things, come what may, not because we have it all figured out or that we are perfect, but because our heavenly Father is perfect and we can trust God’s sustaining and renewing love.  And with such assurance, maybe we can be more forgiving of our parents’ mistakes…and our own. 

     We can go forward with hope, thankful for the love we have known, seeking to be better people, knowing all the while that God will accomplish good things through those who trust him.