Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 is the First Reading appointed for the 2nd Sunday in Lent in the Year of Mark. As such it is the second OT reading around the theme of covenant. Last week we saw God's covenant with Noah and all creation; this week we see the personal covenant God makes with Abraham and Sarah to bless all the families of the earth. The announcement of this covenant has many ties to our baptismal covenant as followers of Jesus. It will be the preacher's task to celebrate our covenantal God.
(The following questions have been developed to help the exegete discover the way the Word functions in the text. This is crucial since the way the Word functions is the way the sermon must, at least in part, function. This concern is one of the foundational principles for Law and Gospel preachers. For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)
1. How does the Word function in the text? Since the text is almost all promise, the Word is functioning here primarily as Gospel. The Word is announcing God's desire to make an everlasting covenant with God's people.
2. How is the Word not functioning in the text? There is no word of Law, no word that exposes our need for a Savior, no word that calls to repentance.
3. With whom are you identifying in the text? We have the privilege of identifying with Abraham and Sarah. We, in baptism, receive a new name, a new vocation, and an eternal hope, just as they did.
4. What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text? The end of verse 1 is a clear call to obedience: "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless." This is the call to all followers of Christ. "Live in my presence continually, and live in integrity."
5. What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text? Without a Law element to this text, we must use our imaginations to provide a couplet. Some suggestions: barren/fruitful; alone/belonging; without hope/eternal hope; without a purpose/divinely appointed.
6. Exegetical work: It is very important to note that this is not the first time God has made covenant with Abraham. There are at least five occasions when God makes promises to Abraham: a) 12:1-3, "I will bless you and make your name great;" b) 12:7 "To your offspring I will give this land;" c) 13:14-16, "I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth;" d) 15:1-6, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them... So shall your descendants be;" e) 15:17-21, "To your descendants I give this land." In short, the covenant in chapter 17 is not the initiation of a covenant between God and Abraham's family, but the culmination of God's long desire to accomplish this. The call to obedience, then, in verse 1 is the call to live into the reality of this covenantal relationship. Nahum Sarna, in his exhaustive commentary, makes this clear: "[The call to 'walk in my ways'] takes on added dimension. Allegiance to Him means to condition the entire range of human experience by the awareness of His presence and in response to His demands." (The JPS Torah Commentary, Genesis, p.123). Walter Brueggemann states eloquently the results of this covenant: "It is the covenant which offers to Israel the gift of hope, the reality of identity, the possibility of belonging, and the certitude of vocation." (Interpretation series, Genesis, p. 154).
7. Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic? I always appreciate Henry Mitchell's insight that every sermon should include celebration. This sermon is certainly no exception as we give thanks to God for the covenantal love we know through Jesus Christ. This is also a clear opportunity to celebrate the covenantal promises we have in baptism.
Blessings on your proclamation!
No comments:
Post a Comment