Slideshow image

I am going to use a sort of collage of readings to create my sermon this week.  I am beginning with next week's Psalm

"Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name; make known his deeds among the people.  Sing to him, sing praise to him"  (Ps 105:1-2)

It really is great to be able to give thanks to God, to sing out, to speak out, to make God known.  I have lots to be thankful for.   In this past passage of time:

I have good health and energy, I have a great and growing family with a dozen great grandkids, I have gardens to mess about with, I have friends and neighbours that care about me, I have these opportunities to preside at worship services, to be in church every Sunday, and I have daily opportunity to sing praises to God.

You also have so much to be thankful for, to have to hold dear, and to be able to be  a part of and to sing praises to God.  Individually and as a Parish we have so much for which to be graeful for.

It is summer an it is a great time to count our blessings.  As we count our blessings as we gather week by week, we have the opportunity to also hear and reflect upon God's Word.  The Sundays of the summer have been bringing us some of the best stories, best messages, best testimonies of God's deeds being unfolded to us human beings.

Now summer is also the time that people take time away from being here in church.  Some are vacationing.  Some are travelling to distant places.  Some are just taking time off, vegging out on Sundays at home.  You know, time off.

Clergy take time off as well, getting a well deserved break from months of labouring in God's vineyard.  Clergy and Parishioners alike, away on Sundays from church, miss some pretty interesting and pretty important readings from the Bible.

Those of us attending over the summer should not be smug about it.  I dare say if I was to ask you what the lectionary readings said over the past few weeks, or even last week's, some of you would be hard pressed to recall what you heard proclaimed.  No, I am not going to quiz you on this point.  I will just give you a partial refresher course.

During the summer days of worship in this Season of Pentecost the lections connect one week to the next. They tell a sweping story of God's deeds among humankind.  Let me share with you some of the Hebrew scripture story we have been sharing since the 7th of June.  We have been reading in the Book of Genesis.

Abraham and Sarah, as elderly leaders, as wandering folk, provided hospitality to God's messengers.  This old couple was rewarded with the birth of a child.  The son is named Isaac.  Abraham has another child already by Hagar. Sarah is now jealous.  Hagar has to take her child away.  God does not abandon her or the son Ishmael, who will have descendants forming a nation.  

It is Isaac who recieves the attention of Abraham.  We hear about Abraham's near sacrifice of Isaac, but the Lord provides the sacrificial lamb.  Abraham receives a new blessing, a covenant that will be an eternal blessing to all the nations.

A week later we heard that a wife is found for Isaac. Rebekah gives birth to Esau and Jacob.  "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall  be divided; the one will be stronger than the other, the elder will serve the younger." (Gen 25:23)

The next passage told us that Esau sell s his birthright for a bowl of soup.  This was shortsighted and impulsive behaviour.  I thought this only existed in our 21st Century.  Nope, the Bible tells us we are not unique in intrigue.

Responsibilities come and go with the decisions we make, and some decisions are eternal...

Next we have Isaac giving Jacob the great blessing, Jacob receiving by slate of hand, and Jcob becomes the one to carry the irrevocable blessing of God.  Esau of course is a bit ticked with this outcome.  He has murderous intent.  Jacob flees for his life.

Now Jacob is a secular kind of guy, not terribly relgious even though he has Isaac's blessing.  In his fleeing we read that Jacob has a dream at Bethel.  Jacob's dream is of a ladder reaching up to heaven and down to Earth.  Angels are ascending and descending.  God is revealed to Jacob.

It is Jacob's turn to get married.  He pays seven years labour for a wife, a daughter of Laban.  She is the wrong woman as it turns out.  Laban is generous and offers a second daughter, the one Jacob is keen on, and he will need to serve another seven years of labour.  Jacob gets used to marital bliss.  Jacob gains substantial wealth in the process.  As usual, wealth inspires others to be jealous.  Again, Jacob flees.  In his fleeing Jacob ends up wrestling with God.  He prevails and the reward is a  broken hip, and yes, a new blessing which comes with a new name. Jacob is now Israel.

Soon on summer Sundays you will hear about Jacob's favourite son, Joseph of the tecnicolored coat.  Jacob will be depicted as a bit of favourite of his dad and this does not please the other brothers.  These fine lads seize an opportunity to get rid of this upstart younger brother... stay tuned to hear of this well intentioned episode...

This story is the beginning of part two of this monumental story of God's involvement in the affairs of humankind.  The selling of poor old Joseph should have been the ending.  In the weeks to come we shall find out that this is just not so.

This has been a recalling of the many bits of the Hebrew story in this summer of Year A 2026.

What should we make of this story telling?  For one thing, we should take a look at ourselves.  The characters depicted in this saga of God's people are us.  We are the same.  We have the same traits, the same qualities of goodness and badness, of chance and cunningness as did Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, the twins Esau and Jacob.  Are we not like the offspring of Jacob?  Do we not envy the one who has the many coloured coat?

We also need to meditate upon of God's place in these human dramas of the Hebrew people. the dramas of our every day life.  The descending and ascending of angels, the messengers of God, they are confronting us as well.

We should also pause this summer to be in touch with, to realize the presence of the awesomeness of God's blessing upon humankind.

This is why we are here on Sundays during the summer. We are here to be reminded of God's blessing upon us.  We are here to stay connected to the story that is God's blessing given to us in Jesus the Christ.  We are here to know that God through Jesus reaches out to us, is the hand that saves us in our tiny journey of faith.  We, like the ancient people of Hebrew scripture, hear the voice of Gd through Jesus saying, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."

We have been invited to share in the feeding of the five thousand, to share with brothers and sisters of faith over generations in the feast of the kingdom of God.  We are to enjoy the generosity of God as we gather at the Lord's table.

"Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name, make his deeds known among the peoples.  Sing to him, sing praises to him."  Amen.

Fr. Art Turnbull