Living in the Spirit
June 19, 2023
Scripture Reading: Genesis 21:8-21
The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. So she 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.’ The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, ‘Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named after you. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.’ So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. –Genesis 21:8-14
What is of God, and what is of culture? How do we weave culture into our faith while letting faith be the driving force in our lives? In Abraham’s culture, a wife held a higher status than a slave. Sarah had failed to have a child, and descendants were necessary for that culture, so Sarah used her slave to conceive a child for her. He was named Ismael. Years later, Sarah became pregnant and had Isaac. The first child inherited the family business in that culture, and Sarah wanted that inheritance to go to her child, Abrahams’s younger child.
While this story may seem odd to us, we, too, must deal with what is of God and what is of culture and how we weave the two together. We deal with these issues every day. I recently read in the newspaper that the Southern Baptist Church announced that women could no longer be pastors in their churches. That decision was based on their understanding of the Bible. Some of that culture was shaped by the ancient cultures of people like Abraham that are still past down to us today. I am not sure there are any pastors described in the Bible. The Jewish religion had Rabbis and prophets. The word Pastor only appears in one place Ephesians 4.11: The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers (NRSV). Strongs uses the word Evangelist instead of pastor to translate the Greek word euaggelistésas, someone with a vocational calling from God to announce the good news of the Gospel*. I believe we are all called to announce the good news of the Gospel; some are called by God to make it their vocation. I also appreciate the saying, Preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary, use words (attributed to St. Francis).
*https://biblehub.com/greek/2099.htm
Prayer: Lord, you call us each to serve in many ways. Give us the courage to find the best outlet for your calling and to fulfill it with all our hearts. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.