Father, sometimes there's stories in the Bible, and especially for us as Canadians,
it's just really hard to understand why they're even in there,
and why you'd ask for something like this to happen.
And Father, sometimes, especially those, mainly those of us who are Christians,
we have a hard time just being honest with you, that we find it puzzling,
and that something like this would be in the Bible.
And so, Father, we come before you. You know how hard it is for us to be honest before you.
And we know, Father, that you want us to know who we really are in the context of who you really are.
And so, Father, we ask that the Holy Spirit would do a gentle but very deep work in each one of us
and bring your word deep into our hearts and rule.
And we ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Savior. Amen.
Please be seated.
So, why on earth did I say anything at all like that, especially given the text?
Those of you who aren't aware of it, we're sort of preaching through...
Here at Church of the Messiah, most of the time we either preach through whole books of the Bible or big chunks,
and we're going through the story cycle, the series of stories about Abraham in the book of Genesis.
And the reason I sort of prayed the way that I did is that we're going to look at circumcision today.
This is the story where the rite of circumcision was first given to the Jewish people.
And so, that's...
I mean, if you think about it for a second...
Like, just imagine Ricky Gervais doing a comment on the rite of circumcision.
I mean, just don't imagine it necessarily with all the foul language.
But...
Or maybe you can.
I don't know what's going on in your own heads.
But, I mean, he would make a whole routine about...
Isn't everything about this story a perfect example of why people should run away from religion?
If the religion requires, you know, cutting off part of...
Pardon my language.
The male penis.
Isn't that sort of like prima facie evidence that you should just run as fast and as far away as you possibly can from such religion?
You can imagine how he would handle something like this.
So, I don't want to trigger anybody.
But one of the things that I think we need to think about a little tiny bit before we look at this is something which is very relevant.
Because circumcision on the face of it just seems like a repulsive type of practice.
And why God demands it is...
It would be a question if we're sort of honest about it.
But I don't want to trigger anybody on this.
But I think part of the way that we need to start to think about it is to think about death.
I was at a funeral this week.
And I'm sort of bringing it right up front about we're going to talk about death a little bit.
I have no idea if any of you either here or online have just had a loved one die.
Especially I'm going to make a comment about a child dying.
And that might be very hard for you.
I don't mean to trigger anything.
But it's best actually if we talk about these things and think about them.
Because death is actually that one thing that we can't avoid.
That's going to happen.
Has happened to those that we know and love.
And will one day happen to us.
And I think if we think about death a little bit.
It's going to be easier to think about this text.
And why it is that something as weird as circumcision would be required by God of Abraham.
You know like in the funeral that I just was at.
There's a whole mixture of types of images.
And in some ways with one or two exceptions.
It sort of missed a couple of the different ways that human beings think about death.
But it sort of captured the way that most Canadians think about death.
You go to a better place.
You go to a type of a spiritual place.
Something where there's really no bodies.
You go.
You're all.
When they die.
They're sort of.
Now the person is with you still.
In some way.
When they die.
They're now sort of living in your memories.
And in your heart.
And in your strength.
When they die.
They're now part of everything that's around us.
So that when we see the trees.
Or see.
Or feel the wind.
We can remember that our loved one is now part of all of that.
And then of course.
If in a more.
Like India.
And countries like that.
Ultimately the dead person is just being reincarnated.
Somewhere else.
But the end product of all of that.
Will be that eventually they just merge with the one.
They lose their identity.
The primary analogy is.
It's like a drop of water.
Joining the sea or the ocean.
And of course.
The drop of water.
You stop having any independent type of existence.
You're all part of just the everything.
And then you have that minority.
Perfectly typified by Ricky Gervais.
Who would just say.
You don't go anywhere.
When you're dead.
You're dead.
To believe anything other than that.
Is just to be irrational.
And anti-scientific.
When you die.
You die.
That's it.
Sort of.
I don't hope I trigger other people with this.
My wife and I watched the first half of Ricky Gervais.
Controversial comedy routine.
That's on Netflix.
The only reason we watched half of it.
Is just because.
We watch it late night.
And it was just.
We were tired.
We wanted to go to bed.
I'm not recommending you watch it.
It's very.
Filled with foul language.
He actually talks a little bit.
About the ridiculousness.
Of.
Of the different views of death.
And he makes it very clear.
As a very public atheist.
That when you die.
You die.
There's no.
Nothing.
You're just.
You're gone.
And then he shared how.
People have tweeted him.
And said.
Is that what you'd say.
To a grieving mother and father.
As they're watching their child die.
Is that what you would say.
If you were there by that bedside.
With them.
And the dying child.
And his response was.
He tweeted back.
And says.
It all depends on whether it's a pain gig.
Sir.
It was funnier than special.
In other words.
He didn't really answer the question.
But he's very unapologetic.
About.
What.
He believes about death.
The Bible is very.
Very wise.
And the Bible.
And part of the problem.
That we Canadians have.
When we read the Bible.
Is both.
It's.
Deep wisdom.
And the fact.
That it's very frank.
About the nature of life.
And talks about it.
Very frankly.
And we.
Are very used.
To using euphemisms.
And dodging questions.
And not really.
Thinking very clearly.
Although we don't realize that.
But that's just sort of.
A deep reflex.
Within us.
And so it catches us.
By surprise.
When we cross.
Come across.
Texts.
Which are just very.
Very frank.
About the human condition.
And.
And ultimately.
The Bible wants us.
To understand the human condition.
So that we will understand.
Our need for God.
The triune God.
Not the God of Canadians.
But the triune God.
The Father.
The Son.
And the Holy Spirit.
Three persons.
One God.
Forever and ever.
A God of.
Unending love.
The only God.
That you can realistically.
Say is a God of unending love.
Because.
If God is just all things.
Then that means.
God is both love.
And hate.
He's.
Life.
And death.
And corruption.
He's terror.
And he's joy.
And he's all of those things.
Equally.
And you can't really pick.
One over the other.
And if God is just the one.
Then that also just means.
At the end of the day.
He can't really be love.
If there's just the one.
If there's just the ocean.
And the ocean doesn't love.
All the things that make up the ocean.
That's not love.
That's just.
The ocean.
And if you just have a solitary God.
Then you can't really have a God of love.
Because.
Love requires.
Something outside of the person.
To love.
And only the Bible.
Only the Bible.
Describes the God.
That really is the God of love.
The God that we ultimately long for.
That from all eternity.
The Father has loved the Son.
And the Son has loved the Father.
And from all eternity.
God is good.
Why?
Well because from all of eternity.
The God has been.
The Father has been good to the Son.
And Son has been good to the Father.
And the Holy Spirit.
And only the God of the Bible.
Can truly be understood.
As a God of beauty.
Because.
From all eternity.
The Father in a sense.
Has seen the beauty of the Son.
And the Son.
The beauty of the Father.
And both the beauty of the Holy Spirit.
Because there's an other.
For.
And there needs to be an other.
For there to be beauty.
And so from all eternity.
There is this God.
Who's been a God of justice.
A God of goodness.
A God of.
Of beauty.
A God of love.
A God that we ultimately long for.
At a very, very, very deep level.
Only the Bible reveals.
Such a God.
And it's in these stories.
Even the oddest and hardest parts of them.
That God reveals.
Himself.
The reality of who he is.
To human beings.
Like us.
So what does the Bible say?
What is this odd story.
That involves circumcision.
And how can we sort of understand.
Why it's actually wisdom for us?
Well.
Turn in your Bibles.
To Genesis chapter 17.
And in the first verse.
It's going to begin like this.
And just.
If you've been following along.
In chapter 12.
God makes this base.
Fundamental promise.
That God is going to be.
He's calling Abram.
And he's going to be a bless.
He's going to bless Abram.
With children.
With land.
And God is going to bless him.
To make him into a people.
A multitude of peoples.
And that they will be a blessing.
And Abram is revealed.
As being 65 years old.
Or 75 years old.
And his wife is 65.
And they have.
They've never been able to have children.
And yet God makes this promise to them.
And that they're called.
And there's.
And then.
This part just before this.
Sarah.
Gets tired of waiting.
For God.
To do something.
So she tries to fix it.
According to the cultural wisdom.
Of her day.
By allowing her servant.
To start sleeping.
With Abraham.
And all that does.
Is it produces a baby.
But all it does.
Is produce chaos.
And hatred.
And resentment.
And it's a whole thing.
Is a mess.
And it's in that context.
Of everything being a mess.
That chapter 17 begins.
And it goes like this.
It says.
When Abraham was 99 years old.
The Lord appeared to Abraham.
And said to him.
I am God almighty.
Walk before me.
And be blameless.
That I may make my covenant.
Between me and you.
And may multiply you greatly.
Now just sort of pause there for a second.
Some of us who have been Christians for a long time.
You've probably seen.
Or posters.
Or sung songs.
That mention El Shaddai.
And that's the word here.
God almighty.
Is the word in Hebrew.
El Shaddai.
So that's where it comes from.
In fact.
Actually one of the things.
Which is interesting about this story.
Sort of a geeky moment.
Is you'll notice it says.
When Abraham.
Verse 1.
Was 99 years old.
The Lord.
That's sort of the covenant name for God.
Appeared.
And then God is revealed.
Not just his Lord.
Yahweh.
The covenant God.
But as El Shaddai.
The almighty one.
And then throughout the entire rest of the story.
The word for God.
That's used.
Is the most abstract word for God.
The most transcendent.
Distant.
God.
That's over all things.
Is the.
So three different names for God.
Mentioned in the text.
That's a bit of an aside.
But here's the thing.
God says.
I'm going to make a covenant with you.
He's already inaugurated the covenant.
In chapter 15.
And he's reminding Abraham.
That he's going to make a covenant with him.
And what a covenant is.
Is.
It's a.
It's in a sense.
A bound.
Relationship.
Of two persons.
It's a bound.
Relationship.
Of two persons.
Or in this particular case.
Of more.
A secure.
Relationship.
That's not really to come to an end.
And is to be characterized.
By a deep relationship.
With things like love.
And intimacy.
And presence.
And.
And if you think about it for a second.
As I was describing.
How.
Only the Bible describes a God.
That can realistically.
Be understood.
As a God of love.
As a God of goodness.
Of a God.
As a God of beauty.
Only really.
A God of truth.
As well.
Because.
The Father is always true to the Son.
And the Son.
Is true to the Father.
And they know each other truly.
There has to be something.
Other than God.
For God to truly be a God of truth.
And.
And so.
Only the Bible has a God.
That's a God of goodness.
Of.
Of love.
Of beauty.
Of truth.
Only the Bible has that.
And in a sense.
It's.
It's out of this.
It's also in a sense.
If you think about it.
If there's a Father.
The Son.
And the Holy Spirit.
Three persons.
One God.
Forever and ever.
That.
That's already.
God.
God doesn't need.
Any human beings.
Because he's lonely.
But.
As we all know.
In the best of human beings.
It's of the very nature.
Of love.
It's of the very.
Very nature of love.
That love be extended.
Beyond.
It's like.
The very nature of goodness.
That love be extended.
Beyond.
I am now.
In day nine.
Of having no hydro.
There's a couple of us.
In the congregation.
Who've now.
There was one.
A fellow.
At the eight o'clock service.
He might be here as well.
And.
We've now.
We're now on day nine.
With no hydro.
And.
One of the things.
I can tell you.
About this odd experience.
Is that neighbors.
Have never talked to each other.
More than they have.
Than during these nine days.
I've had my longest talks.
With my next door neighbor.
Since this has happened.
And in very.
Very helpful.
And friendly ways.
These conversations.
Have been.
Have been going on.
And.
You know.
The fact of the matter is.
That we.
We long to have.
Some type of a community.
We long.
To have some type of a relationship.
Which is very stable.
We live in a world.
Where relationships.
Aren't stable.
Where many marriages.
End in divorce.
Where many.
Parents.
Don't treat their kids.
Very well.
Where bosses.
Don't often.
Treat their employees.
Very well.
Where companies.
Go in and out of business.
The idea.
That in the 50s.
Somebody might join a company.
And be with it.
For 30 or 40 years.
Is sort of an idea.
Of the past.
We.
We live in a world.
Where all of these relationships.
Seem to be very.
Very just.
Impermanent.
And yet.
For.
For each of us.
We.
We long.
To have something.
Which is permanent.
It's like.
One.
It's very interesting.
The way.
Many Canadians.
Will talk about.
The person.
That they'd like.
To live.
To spend the rest.
Of their time with.
Is that.
The rest of their life.
Is they're looking.
For a soul mate.
They're looking.
For something.
Or someone.
That is so close.
To them.
In their soul.
That there could be.
Never really be.
A break.
Of that.
We have this desire.
For a.
A covenanted.
Relationship.
And what the Bible.
Says.
Is that the God.
Who from all eternity.
Was seen.
The beauty.
The father.
Seeing the beauty.
Of the son.
And the son.
Seeing the beauty.
Of the father.
And the.
Both.
Seeing the beauty.
Of the Holy Spirit.
And the Holy Spirit.
Seeing the beauty.
Of them.
And the goodness.
And the love.
Etc.
That that God.
Desires to have.
A relationship.
With human beings.
Like you and me.
And not just.
A fleeting.
Relationship.
He doesn't want to have.
A one night stand.
With human beings.
He doesn't want to hook up.
With human beings.
He doesn't want to look up.
A human being.
On tinder.
And then discard.
That human being.
What Bible.
The Bible.
Is revealing here.
Is that the God.
Who really does exist.
That we'll discover.
Throughout the rest of the Bible.
Is in fact.
Almost in a sense.
A community.
In a sense.
With the father.
The son.
The Holy Spirit.
Three persons.
Yet one God.
That that God.
Desires to have.
A relationship.
Of love.
And intimacy.
And presence.
With ordinary.
Human beings.
Like you and me.
And that's not.
A romantic view.
Of the world.
That's the real view.
Of the world.
That's the truth.
And that's what we see here.
Look at the text again.
The first couple of verses.
When Abram.
Was 99 years old.
The Lord appeared to Abram.
And said to him.
I am El Shaddai.
Walk before me.
And be blameless.
And walk before me.
Implies that.
That the God almighty.
El Shaddai.
The Lord.
The transcendent God.
Desires to actually.
Be with you.
And he wants you to walk.
Not as if.
There is no God.
Not as if.
You are a God.
But to walk.
And spend the day.
With you.
And the word.
Blameless.
It does have a tiny bit.
Of a moral aspect to it.
But it's fundamentally.
A relationship word.
It's a word.
Of maintaining relationship.
To use sort of.
A marriage analogy.
It would be as if.
You know.
Louise and I.
Have been married a long time.
And it's definitely.
Not the case.
That we've never had a fight.
Or that.
That we've never been.
Unhappy with each other.
Or definitely.
She's never been.
Not the case.
That she's never been.
Unhappy with me.
But the goal of the marriage.
Is in a sense.
To be blameless.
That the relationship.
Is never severed.
And that it's restored.
And that's the idea here.
And that's the fundamental thing.
That God is offering.
To Abram.
And he's already inaugurated.
In chapter 15.
You can go back.
And listen to the sermon.
Where God takes upon himself.
All of the obligation.
To make this work.
And now.
The covenant.
Which was inaugurated.
In chapter 15.
It has to be confirmed.
Abraham has to say.
Yes to it.
And then after.
Abram says yes to it.
God in chapter 22.
Is going to make.
His final confirmation.
Of the whole thing.
But that's sort of.
Jumping ahead.
And you look at it.
In verse 2.
I am El Shaddai.
My desire.
Abram.
Is that you'll walk with me.
That you'll be blameless.
That we have a relationship.
That I may make.
I will make.
My covenant.
Between me and you.
And may multiply you greatly.
And God is saying this.
To a man.
Who's just said.
Is 99 years old.
And his wife is 89.
And they've never been able.
To have children.
And for many of you.
You weren't interested.
In that other relational.
Stuff stuff.
You were sort of stuck.
At how on earth.
It can possibly be.
That Abram was 99 years old.
And have a baby.
Once again.
I just was thinking.
About it this week.
Because I watched.
The first part of.
This Ricky Gervais.
Special.
Hard to watch things.
When you have no hydro.
And often.
The internet's not working.
At our house as well.
Actually.
That's a whole other.
You know.
A whole other thing.
But I could just imagine.
What Ricky Gervais.
Would say about a story.
Like this.
George.
You actually believe.
Like you're so stupid.
You actually believe.
99 year old man.
Can make an 89 year old.
Woman pregnant.
I mean.
He probably.
Actually.
He might say.
He probably.
Not say stupid.
He'd say something.
Which was more colorful.
Which I can't say.
In church.
He'd call me.
A variety of names.
For being so stupid.
To believe it.
Well.
We're going to get to that.
I'm not going to dodge.
This particular issue.
But let's look.
And see now.
What God.
Going to actually do.
This is what his desire.
Is for Abram.
And look at all of the things.
That God makes a claim.
A promise.
That he's going to do.
It begins at verse 3.
Then Abram fell on his face.
Now.
By the way.
Here.
It's not clear.
Whether Abram wanted to fall on his face.
In worship.
Or whether.
Just.
Being in God's presence.
And hearing God speak.
Made him fall on his face.
Maybe it's both.
Doesn't matter.
But Abram just goes down.
And God said to him.
Behold.
My covenant is with you.
And you shall be the father.
Of a multitude.
Of nations.
No longer shall your name.
Be called Abram.
But your name shall be Abraham.
For I.
Have made.
You the father.
Of a multitude.
Of nations.
By the way.
What happens sometimes is.
When God wants to do something.
In these original languages.
When there has to be a promise.
Of the certainty.
Of the future.
They use the past tense.
To communicate.
The certainty.
Of the future.
No longer.
Verse five again.
No longer shall your name.
Be called Abram.
But your name.
Shall be.
Abraham.
For I have made you.
The father.
Of a multitude.
Of nations.
And I will make you.
Exceedingly fruitful.
And I.
Will make you.
Into nations.
And kings.
Shall come.
From you.
And I will establish.
My covenant.
Between me and you.
And your offspring.
After you.
Throughout their generations.
For an everlasting covenant.
And here.
The word everlasting.
Basically.
It's.
Into the future.
Without end.
That's sort of the.
The idea.
In the original language.
Sort of captured.
In the old prayer book.
When it says.
A world without end.
That phrase.
Those of you.
Are familiar.
With the old prayer book.
When they'll.
They'll often say.
Things world without end.
That's actually.
Capturing the Hebrew.
Idea.
Which is expressed here.
To be.
Sorry.
I'll read verse seven.
Again.
And I will establish.
My covenant.
Between me and you.
And your offspring.
After you.
Throughout their generations.
For an everlasting.
Covenant.
To be God.
To you.
And to your offspring.
After you.
And I will give.
To you.
And to your offspring.
After you.
The land.
Of your sojournings.
All the land.
Of Canaan.
For an everlasting.
Possession.
That's a world.
Without end.
Possession.
And I.
Will be.
Their.
God.
And that's the heart.
Of what God is.
Notice all of the things.
Abram has no children.
He has no land.
He has no.
He's not.
The head of a nation.
I will make nations.
Come from you.
I will give you the land.
You have no.
Children.
I will give you children.
Or a child.
And you will multiply.
And most importantly.
I.
Will.
Be.
Your.
God.
So God looks to the unlikely.
The unqualified.
The unsuitable.
The childless.
Ninety nine.
Year old man.
And he makes these very.
Very concrete.
Real.
Promises.
About community.
About nation.
About family.
About babies.
And about land.
Now I'm going to circle around to that.
Why circumcision.
In fact.
Actually.
There's sort of three questions.
Around this text.
If you think about it.
The first one is.
How on earth.
Could a ninety nine year old man.
Make an eighty nine year old woman pregnant.
Is the Bible.
Just being naive.
And foolish.
Is it talking.
Fairy tale language.
Second.
Why circumcision.
Why something.
That seems so barbaric.
And third.
Isn't circumcision.
Cruel.
And doesn't it reveal.
The masochistic.
Element.
Of the God of the Bible.
Well.
Let's look.
Verse nine.
And God said to Abram.
As for you.
You shall keep my covenant.
So those are all the things.
God's going to do.
God's going to.
Actually give him a baby.
He's going to not only give him a baby.
But ultimately.
There'll eventually be multitudes.
There'll be nations.
There'll be land.
There'll be.
All of this.
What's Abram to do.
How is Abram.
To receive the covenant.
And show that he is received.
And wants to enter into this covenant.
And how will this be marked?
Verse 9, and God said to Abram,
As for you, you shall keep my covenant,
you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.
This is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you
and your offspring after you.
Every male among you shall be circumcised.
You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins,
and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.
He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised.
Every male throughout your generations,
whether born in your house or bought with your money,
from any foreigner who is not of your offspring,
both he who is born in your house
and he who is bought with your money
shall surely be circumcised.
So shall my covenant be in your flesh,
an everlasting covenant.
Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin
shall be cut off from his people.
He has broken my covenant.
And God said to Abram,
As for Sarai, your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai,
but Sarah shall be her name.
I will bless her.
And moreover, I will give you a son by her.
I will bless her.
And she shall become nations.
Kings of people shall come from her.
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed
and said to himself,
Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old?
Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old,
bear a child?
And Abraham said to God,
Oh, that Ishmael might live before you.
And God said,
No, but Sarah, your wife,
shall bear you a son,
and you shall call his name Isaac.
I will establish my covenant with him
as an everlasting covenant
for his offspring after him.
So, first of all,
we can see that the Bible is very realistic.
Abraham doesn't just say,
Oh, yeah, yeah, God,
you said that's going to happen,
it's just going to happen.
It's just sort of the same thing
when I was introducing the gospel text.
Sometime down the road,
people will listen to just the sermon
and not the service.
But in this service,
I was introducing the gospel text,
which we read in the service, John.
And one of the things I pointed out
is that Jesus knew the night before
that he was going to be captured that night.
He knew he was going to die on the cross the next day.
And he knew that none of his disciples
believed that he would rise from the dead.
He knew that the Jewish authorities
didn't believe it.
The Roman authorities didn't believe it.
The soldiers who carried out the crucifixion
didn't believe it.
He knew that his mom didn't believe it.
His brothers and sisters didn't believe it.
His disciples didn't believe it.
Nobody believed it.
The fact,
one of the things is
if you read the ancient biographies of Jesus,
it's very, very clear.
The biographies make it very clear
that nobody believed
that Jesus would rise from the dead.
Nobody.
Nobody, nobody, nobody.
And we can see here in the text
that Abraham,
and later on in the next story,
that Sarah,
none of them believed
that Abraham would be able to have a baby,
that Sarah,
that Abraham would be able to make God,
that Abraham,
that God would be able to make Abraham
make Sarah,
get all the lines,
the makes correct,
make her pregnant.
So,
once again,
you can sort of imagine
what Ricky Gervais would say about this.
But here's the thing.
This is a very important thing.
God is making a claim here
that he is going to do a miracle.
And that's part of the reason
why the age 99
is very, very significant.
The age of 99
is very significant
because it's going to be made
very clear to Abraham
and to all of the Jewish people
who come after
and to us
that it's a miracle,
that God does something
that could not possibly,
under any stretch
of the imagination,
under any circumstances,
could it have been accomplished,
humanly speaking.
It's completely
and utterly a miracle.
And so,
our skeptical friends
will say,
George,
this is completely
and utterly ridiculous.
How can you believe
that life could come
from such barrenness?
But here's the thing
which is very significant.
Ricky Gervais
and I both believe
that life comes
from barrenness.
The University of Ottawa,
the CBC,
CTV,
the Liberal Party,
the Conservative Party,
Secular Canada,
they and I
both believe
that life
comes from barrenness.
And you'll say
that's completely
and utterly absurd,
George,
that's not true.
And I will say
it is completely true
because that's what
you believe about evolution.
The very, very heart,
the basis
of all secular Canadian thought
is that life emerged
out of barrenness
and death.
Ricky Gervais
believes that.
Which is more likely?
Which is more likely
to believe?
That a God
who is life himself
can make the barren
produce life
or remain
to believe
that unending
barrenness
can somehow
or another
produce life.
I would say
that one of us
is actually
believing something
which is more credible
and that Christians
in fact
are believing
something
that is more reasonable.
because the fact
of the matter
is
that really
anywhere
other than
the very, very
beginnings
of human belief
origins
nobody believes
that happens today.
If somebody
was to say
that there was
a whole pile
of sand
and all of a sudden
out of that sand
and a whole pile
of other things
that there was a tornado
and out of it
life emerged
like nobody
would believe that.
Like nobody
would believe that.
Nobody would believe it.
Everybody would go
looking
for some type
of microorganisms
that happened
to be there
that we just
weren't able
to detect.
Why?
Because everybody
knows that life
does not come
from barrenness
except when it
comes for the
foundation
of secular
Canada's belief.
We,
Christians,
are not gullible.
We know
that life
does not come
from barrenness.
Abram knew that.
Sarah knew that.
It's a miracle.
God did
what only God
could do.
What about
why circumcision?
Well,
I mean,
there's several
things here
which is going
to be a very,
very,
part of it
is a great
threat to Canadians.
Canadians.
In a sense,
the source
of procreation
is marked
as belonging
to God
with an indelible
mark
for the covenant
people.
And the circumcision
as the mark
that you've entered
into this covenant
community,
I mean,
it's going to come
to adults.
We're going to see
at the end of the story,
or maybe we won't.
If you read to the end,
you'll see that
at the end of this,
Abraham gets himself
at 99 circumcised.
Everybody in his household
is circumcised
by the end of the story.
But fundamentally,
at the heart of it,
is that the agent,
in a sense,
the means of procreation
is marked indelibly.
That means it can't be removed
as being claimed by God,
as belonging to God,
that life,
ultimately,
is something
that comes from God.
The miracle
is a miracle
of life
coming to barrenness,
and the indelible mark
of belonging
to the community
is a reminder
that God
is the source
of life
and claims it.
And why the cutting
and the blood
and the pain?
Well, the fact of the matter
is,
and this is far harder
for us,
because as we all know,
meat actually doesn't
come from an animal.
Meat is made
in a factory,
and it comes
pre-wrapped
in saran wrap
or whatever it is,
that there's no animals
that have been killed,
there's no blood,
there's no gore,
there's nothing like that,
and so it's harder
for us to see
the earthiness
and the reality
of every time
we have a hamburger,
the fact that
that was originally
a cow,
or if you're eating
a pork hamburger,
it was originally a pig,
the earthiness of it.
But here is the other
thing about it,
which is so hard
for us as Christians
to get our minds around.
Like, think about
how we Canadians
think about death.
Like, we live a real life,
and we live a real life
where there's a real world,
and we're like,
if we go and we buy
a dozen donuts
from Tim Hortons,
and afterwards,
as we're going to the car,
we count them,
and they only give us nine,
what do we do?
We go back,
we bought twelve,
you only gave us nine.
We don't spiritualize
what happened to it.
But how is it
that we Canadians,
who first of all,
are in denial of the fact
that we believe
that life comes out
of barrenness,
also at the end of the day,
all of our understandings
of the end of life
is completely and utterly
non-physical.
It's just,
like,
sorry,
I don't want to offend,
but it's like,
woo,
woo.
I mean,
that's why Ricky Gervais
can go to make a lot of hay
out of making fun of it.
Like,
really?
Like,
really,
you think about it
for a second,
that when you die,
you know,
when your loved one dies,
sorry,
I'm offending you,
your loved one dies,
they're with you
in your spirit.
Well,
that's actually a bit creepy.
And how does that
actually work?
So,
when your loved one,
their loved ones died,
so,
you know,
your parent dies,
but their,
your parents,
grandparents have already died,
so,
your grandparents'
spirits are sort of
with your parent
and they're now with you?
And then you go back
for generations,
like,
what does it mean?
Like,
you mean,
like,
within you,
you have,
like,
a million,
a billion,
like,
spirits all sort of
present with you?
Like,
how does that make any sense?
And,
and if you think about it
for a second,
like,
the idea that when you die
and you just sort of
join everything,
how is that different
from just understanding
that when you're dead,
you're dead?
And,
and if you understand
that death is just
ultimately being like
a drop of water
going into the ocean,
how is that different
than just dying
and not having any
identity anymore?
Like,
how is it,
like,
the thing about this story,
and you see,
this is,
and so it's very easy
when you have
understandings of,
first of all,
that you're in denial
that life comes out
of barrenness
and you somehow
believe that
and you're in denial
about the fact
that you believe it
and at the same time
that you,
you sort of believe
that there's some type
of a spiritual type
of thing that comes
to you
and,
and it makes it
very,
very easily
for you to think
that right and wrong
is,
and,
and how you live
your life
is sort of really
something more abstract
and more emotional
and just sort of
more spiritual
and not very earthy
and not,
not as,
as concrete as we
many,
many times know
and want it to be
because dang it all,
if I buy a dozen donuts
at Tim Hortons,
there needs to be
twelve in the box.
Nine doesn't cut it.
I don't accept
three spiritual ones.
I want twelve
that I can eat,
not nine and three
that I can pretend
that I ate.
I want all twelve.
And so here,
you see,
it's all part of
what's going on
here in the Bible.
What is it saying?
God is going to make
a covenant
and out of Abraham
is going to come,
there's going to be land
and there's going to be
babies
and there's going to be
nations
and what does that mean?
It means there's going
to be laws.
There's going to be
that you drive
on the right-hand side
of the road,
not the left-hand side
of the road.
It means that you stop
at stop signs.
It means that there's
customs in families.
It means that there's
traditions
because it's real.
It's real life.
And so the Bible
is not calling you
into an imaginary life,
an emotional life,
a spiritual life.
It's talking into
a real life
where there's human beings
and there's land
and there's customs
and there's communities
and there's families
and there's obligations
of a husband
to a wife
and a wife
to her husband
and of parents
to the children
and children
to the parents
and neighbors
to each other
and neighbors
to the king
and king
to the people.
It's a real world
that the Bible
is calling you into
and as part of that sign
of the real world,
the origin of life
is marked
as belonging to God
in a real,
indelible,
physical way
that you
can be reminded of
and hence circumcision.
And is it cruel?
There's two things here
about this text
which are so remarkable.
The first is
if you go back
and you look at it
and I'm sort of running
out of time
so you just go look
at it yourself.
The rich
and the poor
are part of the covenant community.
The foreigner,
the stranger,
the slave,
the owner,
all are part
of the community.
All are equal.
Ones who are not
physically descendant
of Abraham,
they are part
of the covenant community.
It is truly
for all
without respect
of person.
Bill Gates
and a street person
both have to enter
the kingdom of God
the same way.
And Bill Gates
can be outside
the kingdom
and the street person
in.
Both have to
humble themselves
and in our case
of the new covenant
accept what Christ
has done for them.
It's profoundly
equal.
And the wonderful thing
as well about this
is the fact
that it's babies.
See this is,
I was thinking
about afterwards,
I'd have a bit
of a time afterwards
to try how this text
helps us to understand
why biblical,
many people
who are very,
very biblical
and don't believe
in magical things
like baptismal regeneration
understand the significance
of infant baptism.
See the fact of the matter
is,
is that when they're
having an eight day
old baby
enter the covenant
community,
nobody can say
it's only brave people
who become part
of the community.
It's only holy people
who become part
of the community.
It's only people
with high IQs
who can be part
of the community.
It's only rich people.
It's only a person
of a certain race.
It's only a person
of a certain accomplishment
that you need to do
some types of things
and because you do
some types of things
then you deserve
to be in it.
People with all
of the right connection,
no!
By having an eight day
old baby
part of the covenant
community,
you realize that it's
only and completely
and utterly
because of God's grace.
they have earned
nothing,
they've accomplished
nothing
and God welcomes
them into the covenant
community.
My time has to come
to an end.
All of this
paints a bit
of a riddle
that only Christ
is able to satisfy
and bring to a completion.
You see,
we Christians
believe that when
Jesus died upon the cross
and rose from the dead,
there's a new covenant
which is offered
to human beings.
But the very,
very same principles
come.
I can't make
a new spiritual life
myself.
That has to be a gift
that comes from God
to give me this
new spiritual life.
And the fact
of the matter is
is that Abraham
wasn't able to keep
perfectly the covenant.
He didn't walk
perfectly before God
and he wasn't
perfectly blameless.
And how is that
going to be dealt with?
And even if you go,
this is all part
of the first book
of a five-book series
and the next books
in the series
make very clear
that there has to be
some type of a means
by which justice
is dealt with
and the covenant
relationship can be
secured,
but at the end of the day
it's going to involve
the death
and the sacrifice
of animals,
but all that is
is it's just,
you know,
an ending type
of sacrifice
and an ending type
of examination
of the context
of your conscience
and it's never
something which is
so completely
and utterly secure.
And all of this text
is pointing,
how can God
justly deal with
the fact that we
keep breaking the covenant?
How is it that we
can't perfectly keep
the covenant
and God will accept it?
How does this work?
And the Bible
keeps pointing and pointing
for us to understand
this profound insight
that we can't.
And that's why
we need Jesus.
You see,
later on
in the book of Exodus,
the book of Leviticus,
the book of Numbers,
and the book of Deuteronomy,
he's going to make very clear
that there has to be
something like a sacrifice
to make us right with God.
It has to be something
from outside of us.
And if this covenant
is to be as secure
and eternal
and go beyond life
and death
and into the new heaven
and the new earth,
because the biblical view
of what happens
at the end of the end
of the end of the end
is that we inhabit
redeemed bodies
in a redeemed
and restored creation
for all eternity.
Real people
in real bodies
in a real world
with a real God.
And when we understand
that we'll be
real people
in real bodies
in a real world
with a real community
with a real God,
God,
it doesn't mean
that that makes
this world
less valuable,
it makes it more valuable.
And the story
is going to continue
to show
in the illustration
of the sacrifices
that you have this,
in a sense,
blameless animal.
And the animal
is going to be sacrificed.
You put your hand
on the animal
and there's a double
type of exchange
that happens there.
In a sense,
the sinlessness
or blamelessness
of the animal
is, in a sense,
put upon you,
clothed upon you,
and the wrong
that you've done
to break your relationship
with God
is put on the animal.
And the animal
dies in your place,
but before the animal
dies in your place,
its innocence,
in a sense,
is placed on you.
There's only going to be
one offspring
of Abraham
that perfectly lives
the covenant
and that's Jesus.
And when we see
Jesus dying
upon the cross
and when we put
our faith and trust
in him
and his resurrection power,
we're not only acknowledging
that only God
can give us
that spiritual life
that will outlast death.
Only God
can give us that.
And when we put
our hand upon
into Christ,
there's this
exchange that happens
and it's not just
with an animal
that can't really
fully represent
us as human beings
and can sort of
deal with
what we've done
up until now
but can't deal
with what we've done
in the future.
But when we see
God,
the Son of God,
who's the only one
who has perfectly
kept the covenant
that God made
with Abram,
the only one
of Abram's seed
that perfectly
keeps the covenant,
that when we put
our hands
in the hand of Christ,
whether you are
rich or poor,
whether you are
high IQ or low IQ,
whether you come
from Rwanda
or Sudan
or Ireland
or Canada
or China
or Indonesia,
whether you,
when you put
your hand
in the hands
of Christ
who is God,
the Son of God,
the only one
who has walked
perfectly in this covenant,
that what is happening
is that his
perfect keeping
of the covenant
is bestowed upon you.
And the wrong
you've done
to damage the covenant
is put upon him.
And this also happens
in the real world,
in real time,
in real history.
But because of who he is,
in a sense,
it happens in the heavens
and therefore
is available
for those before him
and after him
to every human being.
And so this picture
of the covenant
is pointing
to the greater covenant
that it was still
to come.
And every time
we celebrate
the Lord's Supper,
we renew
the covenant.
We remember
how it is
that we become
Christ's
and become part
of Christ's
covenant community.
That we reaffirm
that we need
to receive him
and feed on him
spiritually.
We need to receive
his benefits
and that we are
to walk with him.
We come confessing
our sins,
acknowledging
the different ways
this week,
acknowledging
that the ways
we've done wrong
this week,
acknowledging
that the only way
we can stand
before him
is because of
his finished work
upon the cross.
And we remember
once again
his death,
we remember
his resurrection,
we remember
his coming again,
we remember
that there will
one day be
the new heaven
and the new earth
and once again
we recommit
and we say
thank you Jesus
and we recommit
to walk as his.
Let's stand.
Bow our heads
in prayer.
Father,
we thank you
for the gift
of Jesus.
We thank you
for the gift
of new life
that comes in him.
We thank you,
Father,
that your desire
for us
is that one day
we who walk
with you
by faith
but not by sight,
that one day
the day will come
when we see you
face to face
as you always see us
in our face.
That we will have
renewed bodies,
restored bodies,
resurrection bodies
in a restored
and recreated world,
in a community
under your headship
and your kingship.
We will walk
on this earth,
the new earth.
We will go
to distant stars
and different planets.
The whole
unending universe
will be ours
while our home
will always be
on this earth.
We will always be
under your kingly
and loving authority.
And, Father,
we ask that you
help us to understand
as your children
and people
at a deeper level
what Christ
has done for us
to give us
this new life
that can only
come from you
and that knowing
what our destiny is
that we will
love this earth.
We will love
our neighbors.
We will love
our nation.
We will love
all of this creation.
We will care
for it
knowing that
you love it
and will restore
all things.
And we ask
these things
in the name of Jesus,
your Son
and our Savior.
Amen.