No Questions Asked

Pentecost 8 (C)Genesis 18:1-10a
The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. He said, ‘My lord, if I find favour with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.’ So they said, ‘Do as you have said.’ And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, ‘Make ready quickly three measures* of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.’ Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
They said to him, ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ And he said, ‘There, in the tent.’ Then one said, ‘I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.’



Sermon
Many of you will recognize it as one of the longest-running comic strips in syndication, appearing in newspapers throughout the country on Sundays and often throughout the week. Historians and social scientists will recognize it as the first introduction many Americans have to what is known in European history as the Middle Ages, or the Dark Ages. Of course, I am speaking of the comic strip “The Wizard of Id.” “The Wizard of Id” tells the story of a small petty little king in the Dark Ages, whose main focus in life is the keep control of the throne. He defends it against the local population who from time to time riot. And he defends it against the foreigners who pour across the borders in hoards and masses.

If you understand the idea of ruling authorities defending power against local uprisings and defending it against masses of foreigners crossing the border, then you have a pretty good understanding not only of the Dark Ages but of the days of Abraham. Because the days of Abraham in the land of Canaan were a time when little kings of small city-states had to defend their rule against unruly masses. They had to defend it against the hoards of people crossing over the border. The land of Canaan during the time of Abraham was in its own “dark ages.” The old centers of power had been overturned. The borders dividing various peoples had given way. Anxiety was high. Confusion was rampant.

It’s at this time, the dark ages of Canaan, that God called Abraham to start a new kind of people. God called Abraham to be the father of a new kind of tribe. And in today’s story from Genesis 18:1-10a, we get a pretty good idea of what life for this new people is like.
There are three things in this story that I hope you notice.

The first thing I hope you notice about life in the new community is that: It doesn’t matter where you come from.

The Bible says that Abraham was at the entrance to his tent, probably dozing off in the heat of the day. In some parts of the world today they call it a “siesta.” Abraham was taking a siesta partly inside the tent, partly outside. He was just enough inside the tent to catch some shade, and just enough outside the tent to feel any breeze that might blow by. As he relaxes there, three men appear. He gets up and goes out the meet them. He asks them to stay and rest. He offers them bread and water to nourish and strengthen them. Just sit and rest. Then Abraham goes and tells Sarah to fire up the oven and open the bakery, and make her best homemade bread. And he tells the servant to grab the best cow, marinate it well, and put it on a spit. When all is ready, Abraham serves the three strangers and waits on them hand and foot.

With all that detail about Abrahams’ encounter with these strangers, there is one thing that the Bible never tells us. It never tells us where these men come from. There is no clue, no indication, no hint of any kind about where these dudes come from. Are they black? White? Olive? Are they Egyptian? What? Are they friend of foes? Are they fugitives or bandits? We don’t know? And do you know why we don’t know? Because it just does not matter.

When is comes to being a part of God’s new people, it doesn’t matter where you come from. Really, where you’ve been in the past doesn’t matter. Today, God calls you to the same tribe, the same, nation, started with Abraham and made perfect in Jesus Christ. And know this: where you came from does not matter. It doesn’t matter which side of the tracks you come from. It doesn’t matter what your accent is like. It doesn’t matter what your education is like. It doesn’t matter what the color of your skin is.

That’s good to know because we live, in this country, in kind of a Dark Age. Old centers of power have or are crumbling. There are revolts of various kinds among the local people. The borders leak like a sieve. It’s hard to know who is friend or foe. It’s hard to know what or who is real. And with all this anxiety and confusion, people find themselves in some dark places. If I was to tell the truth, and I am going to tell the truth, you and I have been in some places we shouldn’t have been. We’ve said some things we shouldn’t have said. Thought things we shouldn’t have thought. We have hung out in some dark places and loitered in the shadows.

What you need to know about where you’ve been and what you done, when you become part of God’s family, where you’ve been and what you’ve done doesn’t matter. Once you’ve entered this new people begun with Abraham and made perfect in Christ, all that past is just that . . . past. It’s not something you need to bring up. You have a clean slate.

The second thing I hope you noticed about life in the new community is that there are no questions to answer.

Abraham meets his guests and offer them meal and drink and rest. They converse, but Abraham never asks them a question. He doesn’t put them on the spot. He doesn’t grill them, interrogate them, or pepper them with questions: Who are you? What do you want? Why are you here? He doesn’t back them into a corner with a verbal barrage to make sure they are safe to be around. It wouldn’t have been out of order, you know, with how the world is. With all the robbers, bandits, and shysters out there. You never know when someone is about to pull a fast one.

My wife’s cousin came for a visit recently after two years with the Navy stationed in Japan. He told how various nations will come to port together, Chinese, Russians, etc. At some point, he found himself in a tavern with other American and Russian seamen. He said the younger Russians were fascinated by the Americans and vice versa. They engaged in frequent, fun, and loud conversations. But the older Russians, many of them trained during the Cold War, stood off at a distance with suspicious eyes wondering what the Americans were up to. The questions were written all over their faces. Of course, that doesn’t surprise us, because that is what we have come to expect in a world in such anxiety and confusion.

But what you should also expect as a part of God’s new people, begun with Abraham and brought to climax in Jesus Christ, is that there are no questions to answer. You don’t need to explain yourself, or justify yourself. You don’t need to explain why you drive the car you drive. You don’t need to defend why you vote the way you do. You don’t need to explain why you give what you give to the church, or why you missed church this Sunday or that Sunday. This is not a place where you need to rationalize for me or anyone why you part your hair where you do.

There is no inquisition here. There are no interrogations, no grilling. Just a wide-open welcome to the new people of God.

The third thing I hope you noticed was when you come to the new community you bring gifts.

After spending the day conversing, eating, and enjoying time together, the three strangers told Abraham that within a year he and Sarah would have a boy. What news! What joy! He and Sarah had been waiting for so long. He was now 99 years old and at times thought of giving up hope. This is what they had always hoped for. And to hear it now from these strangers was too good to believe. And the three men shared the gift of good news with Abraham.

When you come to the people of God, you bring a gift. There is something with you that is rare and precious. There is something of immense value and worth in your presence. Can you imagine what it would be like to be around people who looked at you with a look that told you that there was something special about you? Can you imagine what it would be like to be a part of a group where you expected wonderful things to be shared and given? That’s what life in the new community is like.

In the Dark Ages that is our own time, people are anxious and confused. They live a time when old centers of power have crumbled, where borders have spilled over into each other. People in that age are accustomed to being rejected and disqualified because of where they have been. People in that age are used to justifying themselves and defending their actions to interrogators. People in that age are used to being dismissed as having little value.

But that is not for you. Because you are part of the new people started by Abraham and perfected by Jesus Christ. Your past does not matter. You are welcome here no questions asked. And we wait with great anticipation the gift you bear.