Sacrifices, Stories & Promise

I doubt there is a Veggie Tales version of this.

Let me begin with a thank you to all those who asked questions last week. As we move through the fall you are encouraged to join the conversation.

We have moved from a cosmic level in the story of creation to a very personal one with family and clan of Abraham. We have had the fall, and the flood, and the generations of begetting, and the promise to Abraham and the fulfillment of that promise in his son Isaac, and finally we come to the binding of Isaac. Now, let's just be honest, this isn't the most family friendly story with the Old Testament. Not quite Judah and Tamar but not really fit for the kid’s story book either. Who wants to read a story about when God almost had a child murdered? I actually had a Sunday school teacher who was so disturbed by this story she would skip the whole binding of Isaac part and so what we got was a story about Abraham and Isaac finding a goat. Imagine our surprise when we heard "the rest of the story". 

But I can't blame her; it's a very disturbing tale. God asks Abraham to kill his only son to prove how faithful he is to God. I know, I know God doesn't mean it, it's just a test and in the end Isaac is spared, but that's a messed up test isn't it? And considering that God had made this promise to Abraham that he would be a father to a nation, a nation of people. To ask him in his very advanced to kill his one true miracle child is nothing short of cruel. So I admit, I have never liked this story, not even a bit. I was not thrilled it was on the Narrative Lectionary list and seriously thought about switching it out. It's a softball story for critics of Christianity and even for some Christians. The famous or infamous atheist Christopher Hitchens described it this way, "Believers praise Abraham for being willing to hear voices and then to take his son on a long and rather mad and gloomy walk. And then the caprice by which his murderous hand is finally stayed is written down as divine mercy." Now certainly I don't agree with Hitchens on almost anything, but I can see why he picks this story as a target. Of course the normal Christian response is that this is a story about Abraham's faithfulness. God is great and Abraham is one of the greatest men he created and this story proves it. I don't know if that's an explanation I can really say Amen to, but it's a legitimate one. Another is that this sacrifice pre-figures the sacrifice of Jesus. Abraham is willing to sacrifice his son and so God actually does. I don't really by this one because the redemptive death and resurrection of Christ is the plan from the beginning not something that suddenly seem like a good idea after Abraham does it. (1) So then what are we to say about this story. Where is the Gospel,  for us today?

What really helped me as I studied and prayed and prepared for this week was the good work of two particular scholars. One is the Rev. Dr. Craig Koester of Luther Seminary, who helps the reader understand the story in its own time and place instead of seeing it through our 21st century moral and cultural lens. Ritual child sacrifice is totally foreign to us today, but in Abraham's day and his Ancient Near East neighborhood it was the norm. Our studies of cultures then show there were other Gods and religions that required and practiced child sacrifice. So when the God of Abraham asks him to do the same, he may be greatly upset but not nearly as surprised as we might be. So then what happens according to Koester is a radical rejection of worldly model of murder and God reveals a new and better way of being faithful that never involves sacrifice human life (2). God shows in the most radical way possible, that I, the Lord am different and I will never call you to give up your children and more importantly, I will not break my promises to you even for the sake of worship and obedience. You might ask "Couldn't he have just told Abraham that?" And you're right, but I think the experience is important because the words of God become an immortal story rather than just another commandment. We may not like this story but it's about impossible to forget. It allows God to say in the most dramatic way, "This is not who I am, I am not the God of death or war or sacrifice, I am the true God, the God of life and promise."

The other writer is Dr. James Goodman a professor of history and creative writing at Rutgers. In studying this particular story he writes about how the Orthodox Christian church has interpreted this story and it's worth considering. They have always seen this as a story of sacrifice as Goodman puts it, "the sacrifice of something precious and sacrifice is something that everyone one of us, orthodox and even atheists does every day" and he's right. Okay we don't make burnt offerings and I will never harm my children on behalf of God but we sacrifice things all the time. Money, time, our health, for families well being, and not so far back in our history yes, our children. It's estimated that close to 2 million soldiers in the civil war were under 18. Before the rise of child labor laws and workers rights, we sacrificed thousands of children in presses, looms and factories across Europe & the US. Now no one willing joyfully made these sacrifices, they like Abraham probably saw it as necessary and felt they had good reasons. Today millions of workers sacrifice years of their children's live in offices, commuting and traveling. For better or worse they spend years away from their children and families one day at a time and sacrifice relationships, trust and knowing really who their kids are. 

I'm not judging, there are realities to life, the cost of supporting a family and we all make the best choices we can. But since we are talking about sacrifice, it's worth asking the question what sacrifices are really worth it? If God says to Abraham and us, "You will not sacrifice what is most precious for my sake," then we should examine and ask why do we sacrifice then. I have no easy answers or a nice chart of step by step process you can take home with you. I know that I make sacrifices and sometimes they are probably the wrongs ones. Today though, in this disturbing story, we can take some hope and Good news. The good news that God will never break his promises and God will never call us to sacrifice our children or our loved ones in order to worship him. God would rather die and did die in the person of Jesus to bring an end to that sort of thing. So then we are set free. Set free to live in the abundant life given and free to judge for ourselves what is worth sacrificing for and what isn't. 

I hope that whether you are a parent or not, whether you care for a child or are one, you will live into this freedom offered by God. When the world says ,"You must sacrifice" don't buy it automatically. You are a child of God aren’t bound by the same set of rules of the same set of demands as the rest of the world. You will have hard choices, no doubt, but because you are God's you will also have freedom. Freedom to live differently, freedom to sacrifice differently and freedom to trust in the promises made by our Creator. It's a freedom given in baptism and freedom guaranteed by the death and resurrection of Christ our Lord. Amen.

So what are the sacrifices you make? Why are they worth it? What are the sacrifices you'd rather not make and how might you change things so that you no longer make them?

1. While I mention his work later, this article by James Goodman really helped inform this previous paragraph as well. He is repeating teachings I have heard previously but his explanations are really concise and helpful.

2. These helpful insights from Dr. Koester came courtesy of the Working Preacher Podcast and former students discussing the texts on facebook. Many thanks for his work and the brilliance of my fellow pastors.