Worship on the Father’s Day and National Indigenous Sunday
10:00 am 16 June 2024
Online & Onsite (Mixed Presence) Gathering as a Worshipping Community
Led by the Rev Brad Childs Elder: Sam Malayang
Music director: Binu Kapadia Guest Pianist: Gail Lundquist
Vocalist: Lynn Vaughan
We gather to worship God
Music prelude
Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
P: and also with you.
Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Silent preparation for worship
Call to Worship
L: It is good to give God thanks, to sing praises to the Most High!
P: We will sing for joy to God who has made us glad.
L: Let us declare God’s steadfast love in the morning,
P: and God’s faithfulness by night.
L: So come to worship God with thankful, joyful hearts!
P: Let us praise God’s holy name together.
Opening praise: O come to the altar
Prayers of approach and confession
Living God, from you come vitality, love and joy.
Your peace is our companion, your love is our strength, your Son is our hope.
Your Spirit nurtures tiny seeds of purpose and potential, hidden deep in the soil of life, to surprise us with new life.
While the earth begins to bloom around us, we bring you our prayers and praise, trusting that your Spirit will renew in us the gifts we need to serve you in faithfulness in the example of Christ our Lord.
Living, loving God, as we watch our gardens and our children grow, we confess we often resist the change growth can bring.
We form opinions about many things – and cling to them.
We fear new insights and new directions.
Forgive us when we think already know enough.
Grant us faith like the mustard seed, able to grow with your blessing to become a mighty sign of your lively kingdom among us. Amen.
Response: I will trust in the Lord
Assurance of God’s love
Hear the good news! Who is in a position to condemn us?
Only Christ – and Christ died for us;
Christ rose for us.
Christ reigns in power for us.
Christ prays for us.
Believe the good news of the gospel.
In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven
And once forgiven it is now our job to forgive someone else.
We listen for the voice of God
Children’s time
Response: Jesus loves me (373)
Story: “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” Matthew 10:40-42 (NIV)
Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer (535)
Transition music
Song: This is my Father’s world (328)
Today’s Message
Scripture reading: Genesis 22:1-4
Response: Glory. Glory hallelujah
Message: The Father’s Day
Abraham and Issac… what stranger story can be found than the story of God asking a father to sacrifice his son? But it’s not only the idea that troubling it’s also the individual verses themselves that present a problem.
See, right from the start we are told that the whole thing is just a test. It says in verse 1, “Now it came to pass that God did test Abraham” and God said to Abraham, “Abraham!” and right away Abraham responds, “Here I am”. The story continues as God speaks to Abraham and says, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love – Isaac, and go to the place of Moriah and bring him there for a burnt offering.”
Now there are a couple of problems here. See, the first one is this, God says, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love – Isaac” but the problem is simple. Abraham actually has two sons.
Long before all of this happened God had promised Abraham something. God told Abraham that his descendants would be “as numerous as the stars”. But Abraham has some trouble with this because he and his wife don’t seem able to have a child and so Abraham has a child (Ismael) by another woman. Yeah, Abraham seems to believe the promise but on his own terms. Have you ever looked at God’s promises or your understanding of them and then, tried to make it all happen on your own? I’m pretty sure I have.
But God says that this is not what he meant and tells Abraham in Gen. 12:3 that it is through Isaac (the one he didn’t plan for) that he will become the father of a nation.
See, God says, “Only son”, because by this point Ismael had been sent away. Isaac was the only son that Abraham had left. And that’s because Abraham messed up! He messed up. He tried to control the blessing and make it make sense. But it didn’t make sense. God didn’t need it to make sense.
Because of Abraham’s weak faith things didn’t get better, they got worse. And now only one child remained. And so, Isaac was Abraham’s last chance.
And so, with only one son left; without Isaac, there could be no nation (no descendants as numerous as the stars – no promise).
After sending one son away, Isaac became dearer to Abraham than we could possibly imagine. All his hopes were now pinned on this one child. Isaac was Abraham’s only son (LEFT), but more than that, Isaac was proof of God as well. He was a miracle that shouldn’t have existed at all. Abraham tried to do things on his own, but God had other plans. God didn’t need Abraham to do what God wanted to do.
Now, I just want everyone to think about this for a second. God has rejected Abraham’s attempt to do things on his own. And still, God has given Abraham a son (just as promised) and promised that he will be the Father of nations through him… that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky – but there’s a catch.
In Gen 17, God says that in order for this to come to pass Abraham must, “Walk before God and be blameless”. Isaac will be the father of many nations but ONLY if Abraham can “walk before God and be blameless”.
But we’ll get back to that.
The story continues. In verse three it says, “Abraham arose early in the morning and saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, and Isaac his son… and split the wood for the burn offering and went to the place God had told him”.
Again, there are two interesting things here. One is silly and bit unimportant and then the other is serious and very important.
The first (silly and unimportant one) is this: At this point in the ancient near east, a man in high standing (an important man) always took 2 servants with him as a status symbol.
Does anyone know why? …
It’s because the servants are meant to protect you… and if you only took one servant, then who would be there to protect you if that one servant might need to use the washroom? This is true folks.
It sounds crazy but this is true.
If you had money… then you took two servants with you because one servant – might have to pee. That is dead true.
And so, respectable men in high standing (like Abraham) took two servants with them when they travelled. It was kind of like a status symbol, like having a large SUV for the winter and a sports car for the summer. It’s probably not necessary but it’s nice to have. The second (the grotesque but important thing) that begs mentioning… is this: How much wood, do you think it takes for a burnt offering of a lamb? Have you ever built a fire for a small fish or a few hot dogs? How much wood does that take?
How heavy a load do you think you might need, to cook something that’s 50 or maybe 200 pounds? What would that bundle of wood be like? What strength might that take to carry that amount of wood on a long walk up the foothills? How hard would it be to bring that load of wood all the way up to the top of a mountain?
In verse 5-6 it says, “Abraham said to his servants ‘stay here with the donkey, and I and the LAD will go over there’” (and then it says this) “and WE will worship and WE will return to you.” “Then Abraham took the wood for the offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and Abraham took the fire and the knife and the two of them walked on together.”
Do you see what happened there?
Again, there are two more strange things worth noting.
First, Abraham says, “WE” will worship” and way more interestingly “WE will return.”
Now I don’t know exactly what Abraham thought would happen. I guess it’s also possible that he just attempted to lie to his servants so they wouldn’t stop him. I don’t know. Maybe he thought God wouldn’t make him go through with it. It is a crazy request. Maybe he thought God would bring Ishmael back from banishment or maybe even thought God would bring Isaac back to life.
But what I do know is that after Issac was born, Abraham never wavered. God called Abraham and Abraham responded, “Here I am” and that was it. God had told Abraham that he would be the father of a nation and that it would be through his son Isaac. And though Abraham once doubted God’s power, now he believed in it with his every fiber of being.
Second, remember Abraham has two servants.
He also has a donkey. But who carries the wood on this final part of the journey up the mountain top? Isaac!
Abraham piles it up and piles it up in Isaac’s hands and the two of them head off into the distance leaving the donkey and the other two men behind.
Something strikes me odd about this. In fact, it’s bothered readers of this story for at least the last 3,500 years. One might speculate that while Abraham calls his son a “lad” that Isaac is actually a rather large “LAD”.
Remember, Isaac is going to walk a long way into the distance; up the foothills and up the mountain with a heavy load (enough wood for a large sacrifice). That is a big LAD. And in fact, this is part of why the Jewish Talmud refers to this story not as the “Faith of Abraham” but rather as the Binding of Isaac and claims that Isaac and not Abraham is the real hero of this story.
But again… we’ll get back to that.
It’s an interesting picture, isn’t it? In fact, it’s a beautifully told story and a picturesque scene. A father and a son walk calmly off into the distance together. It’s so nice. But also, it’s not. It’s horrible. And the readers are shocked. And maybe that’s the whole point. Maybe it’s to tell the people in a region of the world where child sacrifice was common, that the true God would never make you do something like this.
When I’m on a long car ride, I talk. And when I read this story, I picture a father and son in some very important kind of conversation. And that is exactly what happens here. In verse 7 it says, “Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, ‘my Father’?” And just as Abraham responded to God in love, he now responds to his son Isaac the same way, “Here I am.” And in response, Isaac says, “Here is the fire and the wood but where is the lamb for the offering?”
Then in verse 8 Abraham answers in a very interesting way, he says, “God will provide for himself the lamb for the offering, my son. And so, the two of them walked on together”. But again, things are not always what they seem.
The question arises, where does the emphasis lie? See the Hebrew language has no punctuation. Translators are left to figure emphasis out for themselves. And this often changes the way we read the texts before us.
In other words, does Abraham say, “God will provide for himself the lamb my son” or does he say, “God will provide the lamb for himself, – My son” Does Abraham say, to his son that God provides, or does Abraham say to his son, “it’s you – my son” and Issac knows exactly what is about to happen. The story can and has been read both ways and it seems that this was the intent of the author. I think the confusion is on purpose.
I personally feel that in this one line’ Abraham tells Isaac that Isaac is the sacrifice. But I might be wrong. Still, that is what I think.
The story goes on. In verse 9 it says, “Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the alter there and arranged the wood and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the alter on top of the wood.”
Now let’s go back to something for a second. God tells Abraham that he will have a child. Neither Abraham nor his wife believe and say, “We are far too old”. Abraham and wife make other arrangements. Ishmel the first child is sent away. Years later we are told that Isaac was born, and Abraham is now said to be 100 years old (when Isaac is born). Now while numbers in the bible may not always be exactly what they first appear, one thing is for sure – we are being told that this guy is Very Old. That’s when Issac was born. By the time that this story takes place, Isaac is called a “LAD”.
The term, “lad” can have a variety of meanings in Hebrew. It is used for a small boy but also describes a newlywed. The first-century Jewish historian Josephus claims that Isaac is 25 years old, and the Jewish Talmud (an ancient commentary on the Jewish texts) says that Isaac is 37. The idea that Isaac is a young boy is relatively modern. But most ancient commentators agree that Isaac is most likely at least in his late teens or early twenties. What’s more, he’s a farm boy; not some city slicker.
Isaac’s a guy that grew up knowing how to put in a hard day of manual labour and he is big enough to carry all that wood through the foothills and up the mountain for his elderly father. Does anybody here want to do the grouse grid with a 50lb pack? And then Abraham is said to have just casually tied Isaac up and laid him on the altar??? No, no I don’t think so. I think we are meant to read something else into this story. I think we are supposed to see between the lines.
I think not only did Abraham respond to God “Here I am” and Abraham respond to his son “Here I am” but Isaac too responded to His father and to his God in the same way. I think Isaac might be the hero of this story. I think Isaac also said, “Here I am!” I think the conditions of the covenant had been met, that the test was over; that the two of these servants had indeed Both – “walked with God” and had been “found blameless” as the covenant commanded.
In verse 10 it says, “Abraham stretched out his hand and took his knife to slay Isaac” but then the angel of the LORD called out from heaven “Abraham, Abraham” to which Abraham responded one more time, “Here I am”.
The story concludes, “And God said, ‘Do not stretch out your hand against the LAD and do nothing to him; for I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld even your son, your only son, from me.’ Then Abraham looked and saw behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns and Abraham took it and offer the ram instead of his son.” Because of this they named the place, God provides.
Our world is full of tests. Some are easy. Some are more than a little challenging. Some like Abraham and Isaac’s seem downright impossible. And the tests we face in life will be different for all of us. But no matter what the test might be, like Isaac and Abraham before us we are called to walk with God and called to be blameless. And when God calls out to us, we should respond just as they did. Whatever the test, “Here I am” is the answer. “I’m ready”. Because if we stay true to God, God still provides.
May we all walk with God, calling out always “Here I am” and may we be found blameless in all the tests of life. – Amen
Song: My shepherd is the King (691: vss. 1-4)
We respond to serve God: Our time of giving
Reflection on giving: Dayspring is empowered to carry out our mission of worship, service, and care by generously given volunteer time, talent, and treasure. Many thanks to all who give so generously!
Prayer of gratitude and for others and ourselves
O Eternal one, we thank you for the record of the biblical witness which documents your love affair with our humankind. We thank you for these words of Jesus which remind us of our need to be welcoming. We thank you that you continually stretch us to reach beyond ourselves.
Stretch us to widen our souls to include others of your children whom we might naturally exclude.
Stretch us to grasp for more than we can reach.
Stretch us to believe in ourselves and others.
Stretch us to support and encourage others.
Stretch us to offer a cup of cold water, food, shelter and a safe haven in your name.
We pray that we might learn the lessons of Christian community. Help us to be instructed by the errors of the past in order that we may be saved from repeating them. Help us to learn exciting new behaviours and new ways. Temper our penchant for holding resentments.
Teach us that life does not have to be marred permanently by resentments.
Teach us that life is much more positive and meaningful and satisfying when it is focused on love.
Teach us that forgiveness is not a sign of weakness but of strength.
Teach us to build more expansive souls which can reach out and embrace the least of your little ones.
Send your peace and love and overwhelm and transform all of the bitterness and anger which we so often want to hold close. So lead us in your higher way.
For all who suffer and need your special grace we lift up our prayers today. Amen
Song: Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us (647)
Sending out with God’s blessing
May you go out into the world
Blessed and ready to bless
Fed and ready to feed
Forgiven and ready to forgive
Tested and found blameless and faithful
Response: God to enfold you
Music postlude
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Numbers in brackets after a song/hymn indicate that it is from the 1997 Book of Praise of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Those and other songs are being used in accordance with the specifications of Dayspring’s licensing with One License (3095377) and CLC (A735555).
The Rev. Brad Childs retains the copyright (© 2024) on all original material in this service. As far as Brad Childs is aware, all of the material that has not been attributed to others is his own creation or is in the public domain. Unacknowledged use of copyrighted material is unintentional and will be corrected immediately upon notification being received.