3 Pentecost, Proper 6: Genesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7); Psalm 116:1, 10-17; Romans 5:1-8; Matthew 9:35-10:8
Abraham is hanging out at the entrance to his tent. It’s hot, he’s not doing much. Three men appear, and he bows to them: he knows they are important. He invites them to rest under the tree with some refreshments, and to have their feet washed. Then he goes to Sarah, and tells her to make cakes; to a servant to kill a calf; and adds curds and milk. As told in Genesis, this doesn’t take much time, but preparing the calf, and making the cakes is not happening in five minutes.
Abraham somehow knows these are important men, so he stands while they eat. Sarah stays in the tent, outside the social world of men. Then they ask for her, and one of the men makes a promise, that “your wife Sarah shall have a son”. And she “laughed to herself”, wondering if “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?”. The writer of Genesis is very frank about bodies and sex here: Sarah is old, long past menopause. And they are old, so apparently not having sex. But many societies assumed that women needed to have orgasms to conceive, so Sarah is wondering about that.
The Lord (now identified as one of the visitors) asks Abraham why Sarah laughed, and asks, “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?” Sarah denies her laughter, afraid. But after her son is born, Sarah says “God has brought laughter for me.” Laughter moves from doubt to rejoicing.
I have always loved this story. In it we have two responses to the Lord: Abraham knows it is the Lord, and treats the Lord as an honored guest. Sarah, back in the tent preparing cakes, not part of the discussion (never even addressed directly) laughs at the thought she would have a child. She places herself in the story. Abraham acts with certainty, Sarah expresses doubt.
Paul tells us that we “are justified by faith”. Because they had faith, the disciples followed Jesus’ instructions to go out to “cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons”. Like Abraham, they just do it.
We can respond to God with certainty, but many of us are more like Sarah, astonished by the promises that have been made to us. We may doubt; but we too can be astonished by what God has done for us.