10:30 am, Sun, June 25, 2023 - JGWhite/FBCA

(Gen 21:8-21; Ps 86; Rom 6:1b-11)

Stories from Genesis are carrying us into the summer. Next Sunday, and on into August – when we are back in these pews – we will still be reading the saga of the patriarchs and matriarchs. Today, this dramatic story about Abraham, Sarah, and their son Isaac, AND their household servant or slave, Hagar, with Ishmael, the son she had with Abraham. Talk about drama.

Looking at this familiar scene in Genesis 21 got me thinking immediately about some religions of the world. The three Abrahamic religions, as they are called: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. They all look back to Abraham and Sara. The Arabs of the world, and the Muslim faith, look to Father Abraham. Islam actually claims Abraham as the first true Muslim. Of course, he was a primordial Jew. And then, in our New Testament, we have the authors of Romans and of Hebrews (and other scripture texts) speaking of Abraham’s faith, consistent with Christian faith. In Romans 4, for instance, the Christian writer speaks of those who share the faith of Abraham (who is the father of all of us…)

But let’s take a couple minutes to reflect on this child, Ishmael, who with his mother is rejected by the Abraham-Sarah family. He and his mother survive, by the grace of God, and with a promise to be the ancestor of many people. Ishmael goes on to have twelve sons; his tribes are considered to be at the roots of the Arabs, & many Moslems.

We Christians, would we say we are kinfolk of the Muslims? With them and the Jews we are monotheistic, declaring there is actually only One God in the universe. Are we kindred spiritualities, despite what seem to be our many differences? Is it to the same God they and we pray and devote our lives? Whatever our attitude is about this, it is important how we relate to this other faith group in the world, as well as all the others. Today we saw young Isaac and Ishmael as half-brother playmates. Sarah decides this other child and his mother have to go, have to leave the household. Abraham is reluctant about this, but YHWH God assures Abe that this child will be well, in fact, will be blessed. Today, we might bless Muslims or we might curse them.

What I truly want to get to in this sermon is some dialogue about what the core things are about being Christian. Getting to know another faith can help us clarify who we are, and how we relate to God.

Islam is a world religion that is complicated, like Christianity is, but we can simplify what it means to be Muslim. They are known for their five pillars, five main things they do.

There is Bearing Witness, which in essence is that they declare the following: I bear witness that there is no god except God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God. To declare this with words is confirmed, of course, by declaring it in the rest of life.

The second pillar is Prayer. At the heart of this, for Muslims, are the prayers said five times a day, at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and after dark. Other prayer and devotion are in addition to this.

Another core practice of Islam is Almsgiving, sharing with the poor and needy. Not only are those in need helped by this, but the giver is understood to be purified from greed and attachment to material possessions.

The fourth pillar is Fasting during Ramadan, a special month in their lunar calendar, so it moves, starting about eleven days earlier each year. Other special things are done in this time also.

And the fifth pillar of Islam is the Pilgrimage to Makkah. Not everyone manages to do this of course; it involves a journey to a sacred site in Saudi Arabia, with a structure Muslims believe was set up by Abrahm and his son Ishmael!

We are not here to study this religion today; I simply mention these Pillars to reflect on what we know we might share in common with these millions of folks, and then how to be clear about what we say we Christians are. We don’t say we have five pillars, or an eightfold path (like Buddhism), but what do we say are our main things, Christians? Here is where we get to dialogue, and build our sermon together. What things we do because of our lives of Faith? What binds us together, so we are kindred spirits, in the name of Jesus?

Let me start the conversation right here, with Jesus. To take our angle on the first pillar I just stated, I’d say we are bearing witness that Jesus Christ is Lord and Saviour. And there is a lot more we experience with Christ that we explain in a lot of other ways. So much of it rooted in our scriptures. We heard today a bit from Romans 6, and a bunch of language about sin and forgiveness, dying and being resurrected with Jesus.

Maybe there are two things here. One is the idea of Christian witnessing: we have a role to let the world know this. We show and tell this. The second thing is how God helps us with all the problems of life: evil, sin, suffering, unfairness, and death. How does God help us? With Jesus, His life and everything Christ is and does. The whole story. We call this the Gospel.

OK, what are other main things that make Christians Christian? How would some alien visiting from another galaxy know you are a Christian, or not one? How do we act differently?

Prayer and worship (Ps praising) Contemplative

(Abraham, Hagar w God) Evangelical

Holiness

Service/serving Social Justice

Charismatic

Sacramental

Discipleship to Jesus: following Mtt 10:24, 25a

4 “A disciple is not above the teacher nor a slave above the master; 25 it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher and the slave like the master. We are kindred spirits, in a fresh way, when we are disciples of the Master.