On Sunday, we gathered for worship at the start of a hot summer day. We celebrated the return of our mission team to Joplin, and we prayed for the mission team from Kansas City, led by Rev. Karen Yount, that is currently in Haiti, taking our support to the clinic in Carrefour.
The sermon was the fourth in the series on the patriarch Abraham. After our consideration last Sunday of Abraham's greatest test, the binding of Isaac, we turned to some of Abraham's shortcomings in "Blinders: The Limitation of Abraham's Faith." Rooted in the story of Isaac's birth and the subsequent demand of Sarah that her handmaiden Hagar and her son (by Abraham) Ishmael should be cast out of the household, the sermon was an opportunity to admit that there are parts of Abraham's story -- like many other Biblical stories -- that make us uncomfortable and probably even strike us as wrong.
I hope that no one on Sunday thought I was criticizing Abraham or taking a "holier than thou" attitude towards the great example of faith. Instead, I was trying to point out that there are things in everyone's life that we will do wrong, that we will take for granted and never recognized as wrong. This is certainly true of all the great figures of the Bible (with the notable exception of Jesus). My hope is that recognizing this -- even when we can only guess at what those unknown shortcomings might be -- will cultivate a faith in us that is more humble, that is more tolerant, and that is more celebratory of the blessings of transformation God works through our lives.
If you missed the sermon on Sunday, if you would like to listen to it again, or if you would like to share it with someone, you can listen to an audio recording here.
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