Rochester, MN UCC - "Beneath the Surface of Things" - Genesis 18:1-15

Last Monday, my six-year-old, Ruth, and I went on a hike with the express purpose of searching for fairies. Ruth likes fairies and wants to believe in them, but she’s encountered a great deal of doubt among her kindergarten classmates. So, we hiked down to Quarry Hill and sure enough, right along the path we found the houses of fairies! Two large stumps on the side of the path were decorated with tiny doors and porches and all kinds of cute little fairy knick knacks. Ruth’s face lit up! You could see in her face her world becoming larger and deeper; beneath the surface appearance of things there lurked a hidden reality. The woods around her were no longer just full of senseless plants, they were now the very dwelling place of fairies!

 While Abraham is sitting by the oaks of Mamre, three men appear upon the horizon walking towards him. Abraham rushes to show the travelers hospitality, fetching them bread and water, milk and curds, and even slaughters a lamb for them. As they sit together under the shade of the oaks, one of the men repeats the promise of God that Abraham’s wife Sarah will bear a child. Then, in the 13th verse, a remarkable switch occurs- the man continues speaking, but this time he is referred to as the Lord, as God! What is this? Is this human being God? That is certainly what Abraham perceives- beneath the surface reality of the human man standing before him, Abraham sees the divine presence. God appears to him in the appearance of the stranger sitting before him, receiving his hospitality. 

 One of the gifts of life in the Church is the opportunity to train ourselves to see the hidden reality of God beneath the surface appearance of things. We learn to trust not only in Abraham’s perception of God in the face of the stranger, but also in our own perception: our ability to see God in the person of Jesus Christ, our ability to see the mystical body of Christ in the bread and the cup shared in communion. This Sunday as we read scripture, hear the preached Word, and share in holy communion, we will be training ourselves to see the reality of God in our world. Through our worship God helps us to see the divine presence in the strangers we encounter and empowers us to offer them hospitality and kindness. May God grant us such eyes to see in our worship this week. Amen. 

 Rev. Andrew Greenhaw