sermon excerpts: Starstruck (Genesis 15: 1-12, 17-18)

... Abram is facing a similar kind of mid-life crisis. He’s depressed and feeling that his life has been a waste, that for his faith and trust in God, he’s still come up empty. He has no heirs, no homestead to call his own. We get a glimpse into society at the time as Abram offers his objection to God. Eliezer, a slave, would receive the inheritance.

Is that such a bad thing? For Eliezer who has laboured for him for so long, why wouldn’t he be entitled to benefit from his loyal service for his master? It wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen. But then again, I’ve never owned a slave or lived in a world where such practise was accepted.

Abram’s another one of the lucky ones who get to interact with God, one-to-one. He can complain directly and receive a response. God reminds him of previous promises of innumerable descendants and a prosperous land. Look in the night sky and try to count the stars. Such will be his family and the unending heavens the scope of their influence.

That’s us; we are the stars, descendants of Abram, the product of his faith in God’s promise. We glimmer and shine, filled with the light of infinite care and compassion. If only it was that simple.

We are not the only descendants; the human family is diverse and diffuse. Jews, Muslims and Christians all lay claim to Abram as forefather. This means we share a wonderful connection through the ages and a common history with millions of other faithful people of the Holy God, Yahweh, Allah.

But the world being the way it is, we also believe God reserved the Promised Land for us not them. Three major faith traditions lay claim to the entirety of the Holy Land from Egypt to the Euphrates River of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait into the Persian Gulf. It was an impressive promise made to Abram at the time, but it is fraught with conflict and turmoil today as those three sets of descendants all seek to benefit from this promise.

This covenant promise was sealed amid the butchery and bloody task of preparing a cow, goat and sheep, as well as a couple birds as sacrifice. Some circles of thought base the phrase of “cutting a deal” on this ritual. In such a ritual, the two parties of a covenant walk together between the two halves of the animals as a pledge that they are now one, that they would face the same consequence if they were to break the covenant agreement.

It is important to note that only God, symbolized by the fire, passes between the sacrifices. Abram merely watches; it is a one-sided deal. All the action, all the obligations, were on the part of God. Abram didn’t have to do anything to receive this promise.

... Such is his legacy. What would ours be? We can relate to Abram’s struggle; even as churches, what impact has our ministry made in the world? What would happen if we ceased to exist? Would anyone notice?

The questions that the scriptures today ask how do we respond to unanswered prayer? How do we approach a difficult task that means personal harm and vulnerability? How do we receive a gift that surpasses anything that we deserve or could repay?
...

We know there is profound delight and joy in the promise of children, in being home. That is God’s promise to Abram and we are part of that star-spangled promise. There are too many stars in the sky to count. I remember when a million used to be a big number. It still is. My 8th grade teacher told us if we spent $1000 everyday, it would take almost 3 years to spend a million dollars.

Millions of stars in the night sky, of descendants for Abram. The immensity of God’s promises amaze and astound us. Yet they don’t often present themselves in ways we expect. Knowing what we know now about the stars, the vast expanses of the universe, those pinpoints of light as the galactic anchors of other worlds, we can find ourselves feeling very small. When we pause long enough in our daily routines and ask the big questions about life, meaning and existence, it can get overwhelming. Which is maybe why we don’t contemplate the magnitude of all creation and our wee part in it.

That is, until we remember that we are the stars. We are part of a larger covenant and an eternal promise that will shine on through all ages and in all places. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.