Second Sunday of Lent - Sermon
Sermon
Location Faith Lutheran Church – Date 3/8/2009
Second Sunday in Lent – Year B
Primary Text: Mark 8:31-38, Gen 17:1-7,15-16
In an episode of the TV show Friends, Phoebe one of the main characters gets married and when told at the courthouse that she can change her name to anything she wants, changes it and informs her new husband that her new name is Princess Consuela Banana Hammock. His response to the bizarre choice of names is to inform her that he will also change his name, to Crap Bag. After a number of humorous encounters with Mike, now known as Crap, asking her to introduce him to people, she decides that maybe she should be more serious with her choice of names.
What is in a name? In our text today, we have two changes of names. Abram changes to Abraham, and Sarai changes to Sarah. Abram means “Exalted Father, from Ab meaning Father, and Ram meaning Exalted.” If you ever see a person with the name Abu, it means Father of. The Arab world keeps this up, when a man becomes a Father, they are known as the Father of their son. So in Arabic, my Dad could be called Abu Erik.
Abraham means Father of many nations. God does not just tell Abraham of the covenant, but changes his name to match the covenant. The power of God’s covenant is remembered in Abraham’s own name. Whenever someone hears Abrahams name, they will then know of the covenant or promise given to him. This promise to Abraham is powerful, and often repeated, each time reinforcing the covenant. This not some simple name change and run-of-mill covenant, by having it repeated so many times inforces its meaning. It is not just that Abraham will have a son through Sarah, but that that Abraham will become the father of many nations. Abraham’s wife Sarai name is changed to Sarah. Sarai means princess, or of royalty. There does not seem to be as much of a change when Sarai’s name is changed. Sarah means my Princess only the difference of a pronoun, but this is very important pronoun. It signifies that Sarah is to be a princess of a nation, but of a great nation of God. In our text, “I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
Abram was 99 years old, and had no sons through his wife Sarai. And so God promises that Abraham will be the Father of nations and that Sarah will give rise to nations. But God had already made a promised to Abraham, then Abram.
In Genesis 15 God promised that Abram will have descendents as many as the stars. Genesis 15:5 Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." Abram then has a son, Ishmael meaning God hears, through Hagar the maid of his wife, Sarai. Does this mean that they got it wrong then? That it is not through Ishmael that Abrahams lineage will flow. It almost seems that way.
But Ishmael is also given a promise by God. In verse 20 just after our reading today, God says to Ishmael. “Genesis 17:20 I have heard you; I will bless him and make him fruitful and exceedingly numerous; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.” I think that this is an important little side track, the Israelites are God’s chosen people in the Old Testament, but that does not mean that all others, ourselves included are not children of God. It was through one of God’s chosen people that God reached out to all of God’s people in Christ Jesus.
God’s promise to Sarah and Abraham is shown directly through their names. Our promise is also shown through our names in a way. We have baptismal names, in our baptisms we are called by our baptismal name. These are our given name and then a family or other favorite name. Just as the promise given to Abraham is shown in his name, the promise that we received in Baptism is also shown in our names. When we see our full names, it is a reminder that we live in the promise given to us in Christ.
As we consider how our names affect who we are, we also need to consider how we name others. We can easily be strayed by mainstream thought about other people or other groups. It is easy to settle into calling others names, but we need to remember that God created, and named them all. Everyone is one of God’s children and God wants all to have peace. Our world too easily falls into the trap of naming those different than us. Democrat, Republican, Muslim, Jew, Christian, Black, White, Male, Female. We need to remember that all of these are loved by God, and are all God’s Children. We must remember that we are all created in the image of God.
In a Calvin and Hobbes strip, Calvin is standing in his underwear looking in a mirror. “Created in God’s own image, yes sir!” Hobbes answers him, “God must have a goofy sense of humor.” Sometimes we see others and we think of them as goofy, or strange, or crazy. We wonder how it is that they just don’t get what we are saying, why don’t they do things the same way we do, why can’t they think and believe how we do and we can easily judge. We can call them goofy, or lazy, incompetent, or stupid. But does that mean that they are any less children of God. Does that mean we should not reach out to help them? It was to the least that Jesus reached out, he dined with sinners, tax collectors and cared for the leprous and the prostitute.
When we pick up our crosses and follow Christ we follow him to all in this world, regardless of name. For we all have one name, child of God. It is because of the promise given in baptism that we take up our crosses, and we work to serve like Jesus served. It is in baptism that we take up the cross of Christ, and Follow. For just like Abraham we have been given a promise, we have been promised that during the times when our cross is heavy, when we feel like we are going to fail, and when we feel weak, Christ is with us. When we lose the lives of this world, those of selfishness and greed, we see that we have gained the life of Christ, that of service and healing.
Let us pray,
God of Love, we call you by many names, and we know that you are good and work to give peace to all. We ask you to be with all of your children, of all races, creeds and names, and help them see that you desire peace for all. Remind us of the promise given to Abraham, to Sarah, to Ishmael, and to us, that we may work to serve you, taking up our crosses and following the way of your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen
Location Faith Lutheran Church – Date 3/8/2009
Second Sunday in Lent – Year B
Primary Text: Mark 8:31-38, Gen 17:1-7,15-16
In an episode of the TV show Friends, Phoebe one of the main characters gets married and when told at the courthouse that she can change her name to anything she wants, changes it and informs her new husband that her new name is Princess Consuela Banana Hammock. His response to the bizarre choice of names is to inform her that he will also change his name, to Crap Bag. After a number of humorous encounters with Mike, now known as Crap, asking her to introduce him to people, she decides that maybe she should be more serious with her choice of names.
What is in a name? In our text today, we have two changes of names. Abram changes to Abraham, and Sarai changes to Sarah. Abram means “Exalted Father, from Ab meaning Father, and Ram meaning Exalted.” If you ever see a person with the name Abu, it means Father of. The Arab world keeps this up, when a man becomes a Father, they are known as the Father of their son. So in Arabic, my Dad could be called Abu Erik.
Abraham means Father of many nations. God does not just tell Abraham of the covenant, but changes his name to match the covenant. The power of God’s covenant is remembered in Abraham’s own name. Whenever someone hears Abrahams name, they will then know of the covenant or promise given to him. This promise to Abraham is powerful, and often repeated, each time reinforcing the covenant. This not some simple name change and run-of-mill covenant, by having it repeated so many times inforces its meaning. It is not just that Abraham will have a son through Sarah, but that that Abraham will become the father of many nations. Abraham’s wife Sarai name is changed to Sarah. Sarai means princess, or of royalty. There does not seem to be as much of a change when Sarai’s name is changed. Sarah means my Princess only the difference of a pronoun, but this is very important pronoun. It signifies that Sarah is to be a princess of a nation, but of a great nation of God. In our text, “I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
Abram was 99 years old, and had no sons through his wife Sarai. And so God promises that Abraham will be the Father of nations and that Sarah will give rise to nations. But God had already made a promised to Abraham, then Abram.
In Genesis 15 God promised that Abram will have descendents as many as the stars. Genesis 15:5 Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." Abram then has a son, Ishmael meaning God hears, through Hagar the maid of his wife, Sarai. Does this mean that they got it wrong then? That it is not through Ishmael that Abrahams lineage will flow. It almost seems that way.
But Ishmael is also given a promise by God. In verse 20 just after our reading today, God says to Ishmael. “Genesis 17:20 I have heard you; I will bless him and make him fruitful and exceedingly numerous; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.” I think that this is an important little side track, the Israelites are God’s chosen people in the Old Testament, but that does not mean that all others, ourselves included are not children of God. It was through one of God’s chosen people that God reached out to all of God’s people in Christ Jesus.
God’s promise to Sarah and Abraham is shown directly through their names. Our promise is also shown through our names in a way. We have baptismal names, in our baptisms we are called by our baptismal name. These are our given name and then a family or other favorite name. Just as the promise given to Abraham is shown in his name, the promise that we received in Baptism is also shown in our names. When we see our full names, it is a reminder that we live in the promise given to us in Christ.
As we consider how our names affect who we are, we also need to consider how we name others. We can easily be strayed by mainstream thought about other people or other groups. It is easy to settle into calling others names, but we need to remember that God created, and named them all. Everyone is one of God’s children and God wants all to have peace. Our world too easily falls into the trap of naming those different than us. Democrat, Republican, Muslim, Jew, Christian, Black, White, Male, Female. We need to remember that all of these are loved by God, and are all God’s Children. We must remember that we are all created in the image of God.
In a Calvin and Hobbes strip, Calvin is standing in his underwear looking in a mirror. “Created in God’s own image, yes sir!” Hobbes answers him, “God must have a goofy sense of humor.” Sometimes we see others and we think of them as goofy, or strange, or crazy. We wonder how it is that they just don’t get what we are saying, why don’t they do things the same way we do, why can’t they think and believe how we do and we can easily judge. We can call them goofy, or lazy, incompetent, or stupid. But does that mean that they are any less children of God. Does that mean we should not reach out to help them? It was to the least that Jesus reached out, he dined with sinners, tax collectors and cared for the leprous and the prostitute.
When we pick up our crosses and follow Christ we follow him to all in this world, regardless of name. For we all have one name, child of God. It is because of the promise given in baptism that we take up our crosses, and we work to serve like Jesus served. It is in baptism that we take up the cross of Christ, and Follow. For just like Abraham we have been given a promise, we have been promised that during the times when our cross is heavy, when we feel like we are going to fail, and when we feel weak, Christ is with us. When we lose the lives of this world, those of selfishness and greed, we see that we have gained the life of Christ, that of service and healing.
Let us pray,
God of Love, we call you by many names, and we know that you are good and work to give peace to all. We ask you to be with all of your children, of all races, creeds and names, and help them see that you desire peace for all. Remind us of the promise given to Abraham, to Sarah, to Ishmael, and to us, that we may work to serve you, taking up our crosses and following the way of your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen
Comments