Sermon for Lenten Midweek 1: "Oaks of Mamre"

+ Lenten Midweek 1 – March 4^th, 2020 +

Genesis 18:1-33; John 8:48-59

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

We’ve probably all seen or received a birth announcement before. Usually there’s a few pictures of the newborn baby boy or girl looking cuddly and adorable, their name and date of birth and so on.

Ordinarily, we receive these kinds of announcements from friends or family who are newlyweds or starting their family, you know younger couples celebrating their 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd child. But imagine that the next time you got one of these birth announcements, instead of it being sent to you by family or friends who’re in their 20’s or 30’s, it’s sent to you from your grandma or great-grandma who’s around 90 years old. “Guess what? We’re having a baby!”

Wait, is it April 1^st? Am I on camera somewhere?” You might even laugh out loud at the sheer hilarity of such a thing. “What is this, some kind of joke?” as you laugh hysterically at the sheer hilarity of attending a baby shower for your 90 year-old great-grandma. 

And yet, this is the story of Genesis 18. It’s sweltering outside. It’s the middle of the day. Abraham doesn’t have AC in his tent, so he’s outside his tent trying to cool off under the oaks of Mamre. Maybe he nods his head, fighting off an afternoon nap. He looks up. Rubs his eyes. And sees three visitors coming his way.

Now, we’ve probably heard this story before. So, we know that these three visitors aren’t just random travelers. Depending on who you ask, it’s the Holy Trinity, or Jesus and two angels. More likely Jesus and two angels given what happens in the next part of the story. Whichever the case may be, God himself appears to Abraham in human form, in some kind visible manifestation. 

But at the outset, Abraham doesn’t know that yet. These visitors are no doubt thirsty and hungry. So Abraham fires up some Hebrew hospitality. Sarah makes unleavened bread. Abraham has the fattened calf killed and prepared. Bring out the milk, curds, and meat. 

And while the three visitors are eating a little afternoon BBQ under the oaks of Mamre, they ask Abraham, “Where’s your wife, Sarah?” 

“She’s in the tent,” Abraham replies. Sounds like an unimportant detail, but it’s not. You see, Sarah wasn’t there with Abraham in chapter 17 when the Lord appeared to him and told him that the promised son of the covenant would come from his own flesh. So, the Lord repeats his promise to Abraham so Sarah can overhear it this time. 

The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” 

To say this was surprising and shocking news would be an understatement. In case we forgot, Moses reminds us that Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years, and Sarah was well past the age of child-bearing. Sarah has the only reaction that you would have if you heard news like this. She laughs. And I don’t think it’s a laughter of disrespect or doubt, but laughter at the sheer joy and surprise and outrageous absurdity of God’s grace in having the promised son born out of Sarah’s 90 year-old, barren womb. A holy hilarity at the way God chooses to bring life out of death. It’s so opposite and contrary to anything we would do or expect God to do. And yet that’s what he does. The Lord brings life out of nothing. Later when God’s promise is made flesh and born of Sarah, he’s given the name Isaac, which literally means laughter.

Now, this story of Genesis 18 may not sound like a Lenten story to you, but it is. Yes, this story tells us how the Son of God appeared to Abraham, ate and drank with him, and spoke his promises. Yes, this story tells us about Abraham and Sarah’s hospitality. Yes, this story is a birth announcement. But it’s so much more. 

It’s a life out of death announcement. It’s a new birth and new life announcement. It’s an announcement of God’s hilarious, gracious, superabundant, unexpected, surprising way of bringing life out of death. It’s God’s announcement that he will keep his promise spoken to Abraham that from his seed would come the Offspring who would bless all nations.

If by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil sin came into the world, and Satan used that tree to bring death out of life, here in Genesis 18, by the oaks of Mamre, God promises Abraham that he will bring life out of death. 

By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. ¹² Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

God works faith Abraham and Sarah’s dead in sin hearts. Then he works the same miracle in Sarah’s dead, barren womb and create something out of nothing, life out of death. God could’ve given them a child in their youth but he didn’t. God waits until they are nearly a century old to show that it’s all by his grace. That way, Abraham and Sarah have nothing to cling to but God’s outrageous promise to bring life out of death. 

Same is true for us as well. Only, instead of sending Isaac, God one-ups himself and is born, not of a barren womb, but a virgin womb, for you. God’s promise is made flesh for you; God is man for you. This is how God works for you, just as he did for Abraham and Sarah.

Out of the deadness of our wicked hearts, he creates faith in his promises. Out of the deadness of our sin, he brings forth life in his name. Out of the deadness of the grave he will raise us up in Jesus, the promised Son, the Offspring of Abraham, our Savior.

As the Lord did for Abraham and Sarah he does for us; he speaks his promises that create faith out of nothing. As the Lord appeared to Abraham under the tree of Mamre, so too, he appeared for us and for all upon the tree of the cross to give life by his death. As the Lord brought forth life from the barren womb of Sarah, so too, he brought forth new, resurrected life out of the barrenness of our tomb. As the Lord ate and drank with Abraham, so he does with us, only this time he is the host and we are his guests.

I don’t know about you, but that sure sounds like a good reason to join Abraham and Sarah in joy and praise at the sheer surprising, amazing grace of the God who brings life out of death for you.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.