Join us for service at 10 am.  Coffee to follow

Rev. Marlene Notes:

“So, she (Sarah) said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” Genesis 21:10

This passage vividly depicts the raw jealousy of Sarah toward Hagar, the Egyptian slave and Hagar’s son, Ishmael, who had been fathered by Abraham. Division and conflict fracture Abraham’s household, as the quarrel between Sarah and Hagar escalates, and nearly results in the death of both Hagar and her child in the wilderness. Fortunately, as Ishmael lay dying, God took pity on Hagar, and sent an angel telling her, “Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.” Then, God opened Hagar’s eyes; she saw a well nearby, and they were saved.

Repeatedly, the text reminds the reader that Hagar is Egyptian, as Sarah labels the enslaved woman and her son a foreign threat to Abraham’s lineage. Reminding us that the people who populate these stories are flawed—they are our ancestors of faith—but human too. They felt and acted on their fears, and their prejudices. They fought amongst one another, plotted to their advantage, did silly things; they were vain and fragile, loved, mourned, succeeded, and failed. Yet, all the while, God is with them through every badly thought-out decision. Whether selfish, noble, or dignified, God is by their side as they struggle with their own vulnerability; interceding in God’s life-giving way; and continuing to create transformation in God’s beloved community.