Sacrifice, Grace, and Welcoming the Prophet's Voice
(Free Version)- Fifth Sunday After Pentecost- Genesis 22:1-14; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42
This week’s readings can be found here. There are so many threads to pull on as a preacher this Sunday. I have emphasized themes like radical trust, identity, and hospitality. But there is much to explore. The Old Testament reading alone has been discussed at length (with angst!) throughout church history. Below is a simple summary of the three readings. In the “Deep Dive,” I explore many of the layers.
Speaking of the “Deep Dive,” some have asked if there is a monthly payment option for that. The answer is “yes” but we have to work around Substack. Reach out to me and we can make it work!
As Christians, we must begin to do the world of untangling our false identities from who we are in Christ. We have to untangle our political and national identities, our vocational identities, and all the false things we believe about ourselves.
The good news for those in the pews on Sunday is that baptism means that you have a new identity! This is also good news for those yet to be baptized. God’s love has been drawing you, and you are invited to jump in, because the water is fine! We all tend to sense that there is something beyond the way you’ve defined your life. Resurrection is real and you get to be part of it!
This new identity does not mean that life will be easy. No, it is so difficult because we live in a broken world. Life is still messy. We are living by the true story in a world of lies. We are a garden of resurrection in a country of death. But God will provide and He is always with us.
Our Old Testament reading (Genesis 22:1-14) is among the most challenging in scripture. Abraham, in all of his missteps and lack of trust, has grown in his intimacy with God. He knows God’s heart and knows that he can trust him even when he is given the strangest command: to sacrifice his son (and the promise that God has given him all along). This is because Abraham has had an identity shift which is rooted in God’s character and promise. He knows God and God does indeed provide.
Our epistle reading (Romans 6:12-23) is a proclamation of liberation. We have been a slave to sin, bound by our whims and desires, which will always lead to death. But now, we are free. And this freedom means that we are a “slave to grace.” Is it true freedom if we are still bound to anything? Yes, because we will always take our cues from somewhere, will always be driven by something. To be bound to grace and righteousness is to be connected to God, and therefore to be truly free.
In our gospel reading (Matthew 10:40-42), Jesus closes his charge to the disciples as he sends them into the world by saying that they are truly his messengers. Whoever welcomes them, welcomes him; and whoever welcomes him, welcomes the one who sent him. There is always a reward attached to welcoming prophets and righteous people. This is the call to humility, to be radically open, listening, welcoming those who, even those who are “little” or lowly, that they might be speaking the very words of God.
When we step into this new identity we have in Christ, when we live by grace and radical trust, it changes how we view “the other.” The Kingdom looks at those who vote differently, act differently, see the world differently from us, even our enemies and see them as image bearers.