David Bahn - Reflections

If we're consumed with our own desires, and constantly worried about getting our due, we'll forfeit joy. If we see the good things others experience as testimony to God's goodness and grace, rather than resenting them for their good fortune we'll begin to touch the edge of joy. When we celebrate God's goodness to others with them, we come even closer. And when we see that God's goodness is the source of every good gift, we will find true joy.

I hope you join the laughter and the celebration. God is good!

When was the last time you laughed because God brought joy to your heart? It need not take bearing a child at the age of 75 to bring joy. In fact, joy is a byproduct of hope, community, and grace. When God's grace visits us, and we enjoy that grace in the community of others who know the blessing of grace, hopes are kindled for a better tomorrow. And that brings true joy.

Perhaps we need to reclaim such joy. That's God's gracious gift. It's best shared in community ("everyone who hears will laugh..."). It brings us hope for a future pure and eternal joy founded in Jesus and celebrated together with all who see God's gracious hand at work in our lives.

Much of this Abraham and Sarah narrative is not about the delivery of the promised child. It is about the struggles, foibles, and setbacks that come along the way. Life is not a series of yay God days, one after the other for most people. We can easily identify with Abraham and Sarah in their times of testing, waiting, struggling, questioning, and nearly giving up hope. The Bible is clear about that.

The biblical record is also clear about God's good will and trustworthy nature in those times of waiting. God will make good on the good things he has promised.

There is no hiding the fact that sin had been committed. Although Abimelech had not "approached" Sarah, there had been deception, and a dangerous path was afoot. And everyone had excuses for his behavior. Nevertheless Abimelech did what he could to rectify the situation. He returned Sarah to Abraham, and provided gifts meant to show his and Sarah's innocence.

On some level you'd have to say that Abimelech made it right. And God healed Abimelech and his wife and the women of his household. Because Abraham prayed for him, much had been and subsequently was set aright.

This is the goodness, righteousness, faithfulness, justice and mercy of God. And although we may not need to be in a 12 Step program, we all have hurts and addictions small and great that need God's touch of grace and healing. You may need to start with step 1, grapple with steps 4 and 5 (cuarto y quinto), help someone in the same manner you have been helped, or somewhere in between. There is a path to walk with God and he will be with you every step of the way.

One of the foundational truths of God’s word is that he is creator of all that exists. His creation is fallen, broken, and corrupt(ed). The devil has been at work and had his way with us. And whenever we give into the temptations of the evil one, our own sinful flesh, or the world’s allure, we sin against God.

Maybe that’s not profound to you. But it is to me. I need God’s forgiveness. And so do you. For all my sins, great and small. Sometimes God prevents us from sinning, just as he did with Abimelech. But sometimes we run right past the roadblocks and warnings he posts. When we do, we confess with David, “Against you, you alone, have I sinned.” And we thank God that he forgives sin. And has done so in Jesus, his Son, who never ran past the roadblocks or warnings. But died with the weight of the world’s sin on his heart and shoulders. In him we have redemption and forgiveness. I need to hear that again and again. And I thank God that it is a message I am able to proclaim again and again. Whew! I really needed that. You?

Sunday's message at Fishers of Men Lutheran Church, Port Isabel, Texas

Abraham and Sarah succumb to the same temptation that is recorded in Genesis 12:10-13. Now more than 25 years later, they try the same scheme. Abraham's and Sarah's fear and forgetfulness conspire to take this path of deceit. Thankfully that path is cut short by God. His intervention takes the form of the dream of Abimelech, and the stern warning to him. Why not Abraham? Why not Sarah? It is not clear. What is clear, however, is that the intervention works and Sarah is restored to Abraham, and this episode passes. Another chapter in the long saga of a fallen man of faith.

God's people are sinners. They are forgiven sinners. And they are also the ones God uses to intercede for others. We serve the Father as broken vessels of God's grace. And if, once in a while, our brokenness becomes evident, we can be thankful that God's grace abounds. And perhaps it will leak out from us and be a source of blessing and favor to others.

We will certainly not place ourselves in this story as the One who orchestrates it all. We're not the One to whom everyone else must answer. We are not the One who holds life and death in our hands. We are not the One who saves and destroys.

We are, however, his. And that identity is most important of all. We are the children of God. His beloved. His redeemed. His precious. His delight. His joy. And from whomever else's perspective we may view the events in this account, our true identity is found in his loving kindness toward us and our place of delight in his heart.

The sins of the world in which we live do not escape his attention. And this is where we live. This is no fairy tale world. Whether it's the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the horrific destruction of earthquake, famine, or hurricane, God's people are not exempt from life as it really is. These may be direct acts of God's judgment or the real and harsh consequences of life in a fallen world. But in any case these are God's call to repentance and fair warning of a more grave and ultimate judgment.

Thanks be to God that there is a place of safety in our Zoar: Jesus Christ our Lord. In him we have redemption, rescue, life, and salvation. We can hold to that hope in the midst of all of life.