"Laughing at God"

Pastor Laura Guy

June 22, 2008

Here's an instant replay of what happened in worship:

We continued our summer sermon series of Old Testament stories by looking at the rest of the story of God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 18:1-15.
We thought about how long Abraham had waited for God to fulfill that promise - 25 years! When the three mysterious strangers arrive, Abraham and Sarah are almost 100 years old.
We realized that the promise was given to Abraham only, but now that it is about to be fulfilled, the divine visitors ask, "Where is Sarah?" This announcement is one that she needs to hear, too. But when Sarah hears them say that she will have a son within a year, she laughs to herself. The idea of a 100-year-old woman giving birth seems ridiculous to her. But the Lord asks her, "Is anything to hard for the Lord?" Other translations say, "Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?"
We heard Sarah lie about her laugh when confronted. Her behavior is so typical of all of us, especially children, when we're caught doing something we shouldn't be doing. Yet, instead of being angry with her or shaming her, God simply says to her, "Yes, you did laugh." God was saying to her, "Sarah, I know you - inside and out. I created your body, and I can give you a son. I hear when you laugh to yourself, and I know why you laugh. Sarah, do you really believe I can do this? Do you really trust me?"
We wondered, if we heard this story while sitting on God's lap, if it would lead us to the question, "Do you really know everything about me, too, God?" And God would slowly nod. God knows us, inside and out, what we're capable of - good and bad. There is no thought or action we can hide. Yet this God who knows us so deeply is also the God who loves us so deeply. Jesus is God's ultimate answer to all our words, thoughts and deeps that pull us away from God.
We heard the story of Pastor Laura's daughter Bethany who is studying abroad in Copenhagen this summer. When Bethany went to church last week, she liked the service a lot, but when she realized they weren't going to have communion, she said she almost started crying. The rhythm and routine of taking communion every week may not seem important to us every time we take it. But it does something to us, sharing that bread and cup with others at the table of Christ. When it is missing, we feel its absence. We shared communion together, remembering all our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.