Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7 Isaac Born to Sarah
(Mark 10:27)
God and angels come to visit with Sarah and Abraham. Abraham sees them and runs to greet them (do you hear the prodigal son?) Abraham flags down the travelers and encourages them to stop. Next he orders a meal to be made. Bread is to be made, a calf is to be slaughtered, curds and milk are to be prepared, all to be set before the visitors, the guests. That doesn’t make for a short visit.
They eat, then they ask about Sarah. One promises to return, and promise that Sarai will have a son at the time of the next visit. Sarah laughs. She is questioned about her laughing. And that’s what we remember. We forget that one visitor has extended this visit by a long little bit.
Sarah’s laughter moves from disbelief to promise. Her son is born Isaac, and the promise of God moves right into her home. And that takes time. It takes time for us, as well. It takes time to move from disbelief to faith. It takes hosting, and running, and inviting, and waiting, and laughing. It takes slowing down to experience the presence of God. When was the last time that we settled in for a long visit with God and everything that it might entail?
