10 Pentecost/Ordinary 17/Proper 12 Year C July 24, 2016
Luther Memorial Church Seattle, WA
The Rev. Julie G. Hutson
Genesis 18: 20-32 + Colossians 2: 6-15 (16-19) + Luke 11: 1-13
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.
Beloved community, it has not been easy to be a preacher in these days. I have grown weary of the mass killings, the calls to fear instead of faith, and the ongoing oppression of minorities and those deemed to be “the other”. My sermon preparation has taken on a new rhythm, waiting until the end of the week…and the prayers waiting to be written until Sunday morning….because who knows what might happen if I prepare earlier? I will certainly have to edit to include the latest communal outrage or heartache.
Last Sunday I said to Vicar Michael that I want with all that is in me to stand up in this pulpit and offer you….offer us….some hopeful word…I long for a word to which we might respond with an enthusiastic….Thanks be to God….or a not very Lutheran…AMEN….like Robbie might have shouted.
All this week I’ve been steeped in the reading from Genesis for today. It’s almost like I CAN’T leave it….it’s become a living, breathing story for me. Perhaps, then, it needs to live and breathe for us as well.
(Those reading Abraham and YHWH come to their microphones)
When the story begins Abraham has accompanied the visitors who came to him in last week’s reading, as they are about to go on their way. As they go….they wonder together about the fate of the city of Sodom. And our story picks up with the Lord saying that it is necessary to determine whether the people in Sodom have committed the atrocities that have been reported. What, exactly, those are, is in dispute. It is a highly disputed and unsupported interpretation that it had to do with homosexuality. Rather, the people of Sodom had been guilty of being very inhospitable to those who visited there, to the point that there had been crimes of aggression and disrespect toward their fellow human beings.
God needs to know about this and the visitors to Abraham set on their way to find out. And Abraham remains standing before the LORD.
This….this is where the story springs to life for me! Abraham remains standing. Before. The. Lord. Just imagine what that must have been like.
And while it may not have happened in just this way…hear the conversation between Abraham and God with new ears:
ABRAHAM: O Lord, I know the sin of your people. They have forgotten your call to love one another as you love them. There’s all kinds of finger pointing. He’s gay….She’s black….He’s a Jew…..Or, even worse….a Muslim. All faiths that come from my heritage, God, and are grounded in you. But oh, Holy One….Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Because what if there are fifty righteous to be found there? Will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it….even if there are fifty good and godly people in it? Why, you would NEVER do that…kill the just along with the unjust, so that the just die alongside the unjust. Why….we all KNOW you’d never do that!! You are the supreme, just God….the ruler of the whole earth….of course you’ll do what is right.
YHWH: Fine, Abraham….If I find fifty good and right people, I will forgive the whole place.
ABRAHAM: I have to say, that it would be entirely understandable, O God, if you wanted to destroy them all. There is so much violence. Man, o man….they are killing each other with giant machine guns designed for war, with huge trucks, with knives, with chemicals, and with their bare hands…just like Cain. The numbers are staggering…..little children are being shot in their classrooms. People who are just having a good time…out dancing or enjoying fireworks are taken from this earth in a horrible instant. And the grief is unbearable. You’ve heard their cries, O God. But, Lord, there are still good people. There are parents of those little children working hard to make sure it will never happen again. There are people like the pastor in Oregon who raised funds to buy a machine gun being raffled off and when he won it, had it melted down. Swords into plowshares, God….Still…. I know I have no right to ask you this, because I’m just dust and ashes, after all. But what if instead of fifty good and right people, there are only forty five? Will you destroy them all if there are forty five?
YHWH: I won’t destroy it if there are forty five good and right people.
ABRAHAM: God, I know you’ve seen all of the war. So much war. Mostly, it’s about you and whose side you are on. I can’t understand it myself, since you are on the side of all of your children. But, Lord, what if instead of forty five people there are only 40? For the sake of forty people, will you destroy them all?
YHWH: I will not destroy them if there are forty.
ABRAHAM: Ok, I wasn’t going to bring this up….but there’s a lot of talk about keeping each other out….some are even talking about building yuuuuge walls. And you are a God of bridges. So don’t be angry…but what if there are only thirty good and right folks there? For the sake of thirty will you destroy them all?
YHWH: I will not do it if I find thirty there.
ABRAHAM: God, I’m just going to take it upon myself to bring all of these matters up, while I’ve got your attention. Some of your people are very rich and they have a LOT of money and possessions. And some of your people are just getting by ok, you know, as best as they can. But, God, some of them are very poor. I’m talking no food, no shelter poor. And here’s the thing….there are good people who are helping the poor. Lots of good people. There are more good people than bad, O God. They give food and supplies and help find housing. So, what if there are twenty of those good folks there, God? Will you still destroy them all if there are twenty good folks?
YHWH: For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.
ABRAHAM: Well, this is going pretty well, so I’m going to just say one more thing, so don’t be angry, God…. And here it is…I’m not sure how many good and right people are left. Some are probably afraid to speak up or reach out because people are really quick to judge each other. So it’s possible that there could only be ten people. If there are just ten….and I hope there are more….but….O God…..what if there are just ten?
YHWH: Abraham, my faithful servant. Have you not learned that I am a God whose desire it is to show mercy? These good and right people of whom you speak are at work in the world for my sake. For the sake of the ten, my child, I will not do it.
Pastor Julie concludes:
And then the LORD went on and left Abraham standing there.
Beloved children of God….there are good people in the world. People speaking words of love and solace and hope. People doing the work of God in the broken and bruised places.
When the days ahead seem dark and devoid of any hope…stand before God with persistence. Ask….search….and knock. When words fail you, pray the prayer that Jesus taught. Believe that the Holy Spirit will be given to you for strength and comfort and that she will intercede for you when words fail.
And believe. Believe with Abraham. Believe with Paul. Believe with every person who has stood before God believing in God’s mercy. And do not lose hope… for the good and just people surround us….a vast community of faith…..and God hears our prayers and does not forsake us.
Thanks be to God and let the Church say…Amen.