Third Sunday of Pentecost

The one thing that all three of our lessons have in common is that the people in the lessons who encounter God would not be chosen for their roles by Central casting in Hollywood because frankly they’ re all pretty undesirable. Now I know what you’ re thinking, Father Abraham undesirable? But if you back up just a few verses before chapter 12 starts where we’ re first introduced to Abraham, you realize he doesn’ t have a lot to offer. He is a 75-year-old man and he and Sarah are a childless couple and and they own nothing. Last week we began the book of Genesis with God, creating the world, and that was pretty good, but frankly the rest of what follows up until chapter 12 simply depicts a world that is a big damn mess. Think about it; Adam and Eve getting kicked out of the garden. All they had to do is not eat one fruit. Then of course there’ s Cain killing Abel, then Sodom and Gomorrah and finally the Tower of Babel. It’ s just a big mess. But then the book of Genesis shifts gears at chapter 12, And although we’ re beginning with poor Abram and Sarai, who we know as Abraham and Sarah, we have a God who’ s ready to do something new out of this big mess.

Now, Abraham and Sarah are basically homeless. They are nomads that have no children. And on top of that Abraham’ s father has just died. And those are the people that God approaches? what was God thinking? Wouldn’ t you think if he was going to start something new that God would want to start in a more hopeful context with some attractive characters who show some potential.

But this God isn’ t any god; this God created the world out of nothing. And so God issues a call to Abraham, which is the beginning of the people of Israel, the people of God. God issues a call and says “ Abraham, I know you’ re homeless, you’ re penniless, and you’ re childless, but I want you to leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s house, and just go out somewhere to a land that I will show you. And here’ s my promise Abraham. I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you. I’ ll make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and the ones who curses you I will curse and through you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Commenting on the same story from Genesis, Paul, in the reading from Romans, again
reminds us that this promise from God didn’ t come to Abraham or his descendants through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. He explains that God’ s promise rests not on law, but on grace, and God guaranteed it to all of Abraham’ s descendants, not only the Israelites, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham. He says that Abraham, hoping against hope, believed that he would become the father of many nations, according to what God has said to him that he would have many children and grandchildren.

And Abraham just did it. He responded to God’ s call. He packed up his family, and they just
took off responding to God’ s call, not because some law required it, not because he had this great potential and entrepreneurial spirit. No, he just obeyed when God called and God gave him the gift of promise. How risky and scary and yet adventurous. No wonder he’ s the father of a nation.

Then in the Gospel, God in Jesus Christ, same God but different person, issues a call to
Matthew. He just says “ Hey, follow me.” And once again we’ ve got this Matthew guy. He’ s not the most attractive Beau of the Ball. In fact he’ s really a dastardly character who taxes the people unfairly and of course the Romans are using part of that tax money to build temples to pagan gods. How’s that work into God’s plan?. Jesus clearly needs some remedial work on strategic leadership. Matthw’ s no influencer. He’ s despised. And as if matters couldn’t get worse, Matthew invites Jesus home to a house full of other tax collectors and sinners. So Jesus is hanging out, not just with one undesirable tax collector, he’ s having a party with a whole bunch of them. And in the midst of that in comes one of the synagogue leaders with the news that his daughter is dead, which by Jewish standards would make him undesirable and unclean also, but he has faith and he says “ Jesus, my daughters died but if you come she will live..”. But before Jesus can even get away from this house party, some other unclean, undesirable woman, who had suffered from hemorrhages and bleeding for many many years, slips up behind him, and touches his cloak because she knows that even though the world considers her an outcast, if she can just make some connection to Jesus that she’ ll be healed. And Jesus turns and says “ Take heart daughter, your faith has made you well.”

So onto the dead girl. By the time they get there, the flute players in the crowd are out front
preparing for the normal bereavement. And when they see Jesus coming,they start laughing at him and Jesus knows they simply don’ t understand, so he shoos them away. Jesus goes into the house, takes the girl by the hand, and she gets up. She is restored to life. Old homeless,childless couple, despised, corrupt tax collectors, unclean, bleeding woman, desperate father who comes with the uncleanliness of a death scene,, and of course finally a dead girl who even when she was alive would have been powerless and considered of no importance. Are we seeing a pattern? God chooses to come to the biggest messes in the world and calls these very people to fulfill God’s work, and offers to these very people God’s promise of blessing and mercy and love. Here is where we find and experience God’s Grace. God still issues a call to noninfluencers like Abraham and Matthew. God even invites us out of the messiness of our lives to a risky, scary adventure. You may think you’ re not qualified, but you are. The gift of God’ s promise is not based on our qualifications, but on the love and the will of our God who created the heavens and earth. All we have to do is accept the gifts of God’s promise. Amen.

The Rev. Dr. Dennis Campbell