+Wow, guess we’re not in Easter season anymore, are we?
The joy of the empty tomb, the wonder of a love so strong it beat away the worst humanity could offer, has faded away and here we are, back to business as usual. Easter has left the building.
Or has it? Isn’t the point of the full Easter story--from the empty tomb to the gift of the Holy Spirit-- to equip us, to give us the tools needed to overpower the forces of our utter humanity with the forces of the Holy and Undivided Trinity? Isn’t the point, as we were given with the Great Commission of last week, to go out into the world, stomping away fear and embracing faith? Aren’t we supposed to be exemplars of all that Jesus told us, showed us, gave us?
Yes.
But it sure isn't easy!
You see, we’re human and we forget, time and time again to trust God; to remember the sacred stories, to recall the pain of Holy Week, the joy of Easter morn and the power of the Holy Spirit.
And, each and every time we FORGET to TRUST God, fear wins and faith loses. And, every time we REMEMBER to trust God, Faith wins, fear is defeated and we are one step closer to the Kingdom of God here on earth.
Sometimes we remember and more often than we care to admit, we forget.
It's completely human to turn away from God and turn toward ourselves... when buffeted by our doubt, our fear, our envy and our hopelessness, we forget what we’ve learned and we fall into base, somewhat animalistic survival mode.
It’s what we do.
And it's what Sarah did.
Hagar and Ishmael have been cast out into the desert and Hagar is preparing to die. It’s a heartbreaking scene and Sarah, a hero of our faith, has orchestrated the whole thing.
This is not one of Sarah’s finest moments.
Holy Smokes!
How did we get from "Alleluia He is Risen" to this?
Fear.
When Sarah sees Hagar’s son Ishmael playing with her son Isaac she gets scared and acts out of fear instead of faith.
Just to be clear, for those of you a little rusty on your Hebrew scripture, Hagar had Abraham’s baby upon Sarah's directive. You see, Sarah was unable to conceive so, wanting Abraham to have an heir, Sarah instructs him to take the “Egyptian Woman” so she could bear him a son. And Hagar did, giving birth to Ishmael. But then, at her very advanced age and, according to the promise of God, Sarah also becomes pregnant and also gives birth to a son, Isaac.
Sounds like an episode of All My Children, doesn’t it?
Of course, Isaac and Ishmael became friends, sharing a bond of blood and community. Nothing suggests that Hagar and Ishmael were treated any differently than the other Egyptian slaves employed by Abraham. It wasn’t a posh life, but the slaves were part of the fabric of family life and Isaac and Ishmael were close. It’s important to know this as background to understand the severity of this move---Sarah has turned her back on loyalty and affection all because she saw the two boys playing and suddenly became very afraid.
When we get scared, we act in ways out of character…we cast our son’s friend, our husband’s first born, out into the desert where he will face sure and certain death. Why?
Because we’re afraid that there won’t be enough—not enough inheritance, not enough love, not enough happiness. A mother watches her son playing with his friend, his half brother, and instead of seeing community, seeing family, she sees a rival, a competitor, a challenger.
It’s envy, it’s fear, it’s a lack of trust…and it’s what fuels the forces of darkness in our world.
This is what Jesus is talking about in today’s Gospel. He’s telling us that by staying focused on the matters of this world, we forget the foundation of God’s world. This world is ruled by our innate desire for survival---and that survival instinct has a very simple formula: if my neighbor has something that I don’t have, then there won’t be enough for me…or, in the case of Sarah, not enough for my child. It’s a basic human trait that has been given a fancy name—mimetic desire—and it fuels the lesser parts of our existence, the parts that destroy families, communities and nations. The same basic thing—fear of not having enough---fear that if my neighbor has more I won’t have enough---it’s what led to Cain murdering Abel, it’s what led to Hagar and Ishmael’s expulsion, it’s what led to Jesus’ crucifixion, it’s what causes most wars, much domestic violence and school shootings. Fear causes our base human desire for survival to kick into high gear. In a panic we become scared and we absolutely forget to trust….ourselves, our family, our neighbor, our God.
Fear happens. Faith is forgotten and we limp through life, afraid and doubting, timid and worried, harried and haggard. That is until, until we let down our defenses, until we forget to be on guard and the light of love, the spark of the Holy Spirit, the glory of God in three persons, blessed Trinity takes firm hold of our hearts and minds and souls.
Today, as we continue the slow and steady progression known, in church parlance, as Ordinary Time we are to practice the lessons we have learned; we are to remember and welcome the Holy Spirit in our lives, every day, every hour and every minute.
Do me a favor, try it. This week when overwhelmed, this week when afraid, this week when doubtful, this week when angry, this week when lost, remember the greatest gift humanity has ever received: the Holy Spirit of God, breathed on us through Christ.
Invite her in, give her room and see where she takes you. For trusting in the Holy Spirit is exactly where the empty tomb has led us. Noticing the Holy Spirit in our daily life, making room for her, listening to her, is what we, as Christians, are all about.
Try her out, and see what happens.
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