June 5, 2011
I am indebted to Julia Bush, a Chaplain at Goodwin House, for this teaching. She gave a good part of this teaching at the memorial service for the mother of my good friend Nancy Blanton. I was so blessed that I wanted to share it with you.
Genesis 18:1-10
"The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. 3 He said, ‘My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant.
4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.’ So they said, ‘Do as you have said.’ 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, ‘Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.’ 7 Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate. 9 They said to him, ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ And he said, ‘There, in the tent.’ 10 Then one said, ‘I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.’
Sometimes, when we read a story, we become privy to know information that perhaps the characters in the story do not know yet. We get the all access, a behind the scenes look, so to speak.
This principle applies in this story of Abraham and his encounter with the three strangers. As we just read, the story begins with the author telling us that the LORD (capital L) appears to Abraham in the image of these three strangers. However, this is something that Abraham does not know, at least for now; instead he sees three people that he does not know. Now to set the stage for this encounter, we are told that it is a hot day. I imagine that it was about mid-day, where the sun is at its hottest, and a person can not do anything but sit and try not to add to their own discomfort. Abraham, as the text reads, is sitting by his tent, probably trying to escape this suffocating heat, much like one would find respite on a porch when it is too hot to be in a house without air-conditioning. He probably had his head rested back, trying his best to relax and not do anything that might cause himself to get hotter. He is at rest, lost in his own thoughts and concerns. It is then that he sees the three strangers standing near him.
We have all been in this role of the stranger at sometime or another in our lives. When we move to a new community, attend a new place of worship, or become involved in a new activity. And sometimes it’s scary to be the stranger, to not know the proverbial ins and outs. If there ever was a place where it is difficult to be a stranger, it would be here at Church of the Saviour. Remember when you were a stranger in this community? First of all, our vocabulary is strange. We don’t have all the acronyms that are prevalent in DC, but we have hidden meanings of words: “Call.” “Commitment.” “A Teaching.” Even the word “Membership”. Unlike most organizations, it is impossible to know the hierarchy in this community – who is in charge? It isn’t as though there isn’t a hierarchy; there is. But it is subtle, and it changes depending on the activity or the subject. Who is in charge of the budget? Who is in charge of the mission groups? Who is Elizabeth Ann, again? And how to Mary and Gordon fit into 8th Day? And why is 8th Day still worshiping in a coffee house after 30 years? It is all very confusing.
In 8th Day, we try to make a special effort to reach out to the stranger. There is a genuine interest in the notion of welcoming. Julian Nichols was especially gifted at that. He was interested to know what the stranger in our midst had to say – had to tell us. John Mohr and Dixcy continue that tradition. Years ago I remember having a discussion in our members meeting about the need to reach out, and some of the introverts among us expressed the concern that they just did not know how to talk to a stranger. One of us suggested that they write a couple of questions on their hand just to remind themselves what they could ask. Funny, but this reveals our desire to welcome the stranger.
When we turn our attention back to the scriptures, we read that this same desire to welcome the stranger is what Abraham displayed. He sees these three men and, without knowing who they are, arises to greet them. He gets up out of his own comfort and welcomes with open arms these people that he did not even know. The story reads that Abraham literally gets up, runs to meet them, then bows in front of them, addresses them as lords (with a lower case L) and acknowledges himself as their servant. Can you imagine this scene? Perhaps it would be easier to understand if he was greeting long-lost friends or family, but these are people that he knows nothing about. And yet, even though he does not know them, he greets and addresses them with respect and dignity. He welcomes them as venerated guests into his home and invites them to stay for a while for reprieve from the hot day.
The story continues by saying that Abraham tells the men that he will take care of them. He offers them a little bit of what he has to share. He says that he will get a little bit of bread, a little water, and will wash their feet before they continue with their journey. They agree to his hospitality--after all it was a hot day--and Abraham then goes into full preparation mode beyond that which he initially offers. He goes into his tent and finds his wife, Sarah and tells her to take the best flour and make it into cakes. He then looks out at his herd, which was more or less his own livelihood, and picks out his best calf for slaughter. He then gathers curds and milk to drink and brings the entire feast to his guests, the strangers, so they could eat and drink and be replenished. Abraham does not just give them a little of what he has, but rather takes the absolute best of what he has and gives it to people he doesn’t even know! The three strangers receive the meal they are offered, they eat and drink, and they rest under the shade of the oak trees. The entire time Abraham stands guard, tending to them. The passage goes on by saying that it is after the strangers finish eating that they inquire about Abraham’s wife, Sarah. When Abraham tells the strangers that she is in the tent, one of them responds by saying that when he returns Sarah will have a son, an heir. The stranger blesses Sarah by telling her that she will have a child. Sarah laughs at this, because she says that she was too old to have children, and the strangers then question her faith by asking if “anything was too difficult for the Lord!” She does not respond. And as you know, it is recorded that Sarah and Abraham do indeed have a child and name him Isaac.
The focus of this story is on the fact that Abraham welcomes these three strangers into his home and offers them the best of what he had. He did not know that they were messengers of God. And because of his hospitality and kindness, God’s promise was fulfilled and the couple that had thought they were too old to have a child-- did. We know and see that Abraham did not share this amount of hospitality because he knew it would result in the blessing of a child, but because they were weary travelers in the hot heat that were in need of rest and refreshment.
The Chaplain said that she had heard Abraham’s hospitality to these strangers described as the “Abraham Awareness”. Abraham was able to welcome these strangers into his house because he had developed the awareness to recognize the presence of God in every person. To see that humanity is formed in the imago Dei--the Image of God--and that in order to say that one loves God, that humanity must first love each other, because each and every person is an expression of God. Abraham knew that we all are called to honor each other, to recognize the divinity that is apart of our DNA, and realize that each person--no matter who they are--is worthy of respect, love, and care.
When I think about this “Abraham Awareness,” I think of members of this worshiping community. We have made “welcoming the stranger” a major tenet of who we are. Look around. We see here a reflection of different countries, different cultures and languages, and even of different faiths within the Christian tradition. We are able to see God in those around us. We welcome the stranger not in expectation of something but in genuine care and love. And what is the result? We ourselves are loved. We are enriched by each person who enters the door and further enriched by those who stay to live among us.
In this biblical story, and in our own community, we see that it is relationship that provides mutuality of blessing that does not stay strictly between the two people involved but extends outwards into the world at large. So, I am able to go to my work at OAR and welcome the stranger there and foster and support that welcoming spirit among my staff. One of my favorite community stories is the one about Ann Barnet, founder of The Family Place, showing up for a Family Place party and the participant welcoming her at the door as a stranger. The culture of the Family Place is one of welcoming, and the participants, having been so genuinely welcomed, in turn welcome others – see God in others.
As we think about recommitment and what it is that each of us is being invited to recommit to next Sunday, think about “Abraham’s Awareness.” Can you make a commitment to join a community that is intentional about welcoming strangers among us?