A Mother's Laugh
Text: Genesis 12:1-9; 18:1-15
Her name is Sarah, you’ve all heard her tale;
And to inject some fun into this, I hope not to fail.
Today is the our picnic, and there is for food and good time,
And it seemed rather appropriate to give a sermon in Rhyme.
So please bear with me, on this hot spring day,
To listen for God’s laughter, echoing from scripture today.
The story is of Sarah, not my wife I should say,
But her Biblical namesake and a very special way
God taught her a lesson, something we all can learn,
That our lives can often take a quite unexpected turn.
You see, the wife of Abraham who once wandered afield
followed a promise and the hope it would yield.
They came from afar with God’s guiding hand,
A Covenant for the future, a true promised land.
“For you, I will give this to your daughters and sons,
a nation of many will be my chosen ones.”
A wonderful promise, a hope almost too wild,
you see, for Sarah and Abraham they had no child.
They had many servants, and camels, a nephew named Lot,
but for all their riches, it was still for naught.
For without a child to call their own,
God’s promise of a future was bare as a bone.
Time itself looked at them with hunger
let’s face it folks they were not getting any younger.
Yet they continued to wander, to follow God’s dream,
no matter how remote, that promise might seem.
Then one day, while resting in their tent
three strangers dropped by for a fantastic event.
“Noble Visitors!” from what Abraham could see,
but Sarah herself felt they were quirky.
They asked too many questions for her own liking,
Far too close to home it seems they were striking.
Yet treat them well their tradition would tend,
even if they were acting like close personal friends.
They fed them their best, wine, bread and calf;
Abraham talked with them and had a few laughs.
But Sarah held back, and listened to their talk
through the wall of the tent, she hoped they’d just walk.
For their conversation had to turned to her!
They said that soon Sarah would be a Mother!
“In due Season I will return,” said One,
“Your wife Sarah will be pregnant, and will bear you a son!”
“HAH!” laughed Sarah, and with good cause,
“Have these folks never heard of menopause?
How can I ever bear a child, a son,
I am too old, it cannot be done!!!”
But the game was up, the three heard her laugh,
Oh she was embarrassed, it was a terrible gaff.
She tried to hide and she tried to run,
But it was too late, the deed was done.
They asked her why she would giggle at this,
For truly a child is what was promised.
Sarah denied it, because she was scared,
Of what might happen if their tempers flared.
Insulting anyone is bad, no matter how odd,
but these three were the living presence of God.
Yet they took it in stride, and didn’t seem mad,
In fact, Sarah herself began to feel had.
She learned that God wasn’t angry, or put out,
In fact, this experience washed away her doubt.
Because come that spring, as the three had said,
Sarah became pregnant, and the word spread.
God’s promise is true, in this we can trust,
And always a bit of irony is a must.
You see when Sarah laughed at the idea of birth,
God reminded her of her own worth.
When her son was born she gave him a name,
that reminded them all of God’s wonderful game.
Isaac was his name, ordinary to our ear.
But in Hebrew it means laughter, joy not fear.
In a boy named laughter God gave them a gift,
a promise fulfilled and a hope that would lift
all of us in our joys and in our sorrows,
that in God our hope is a new tomorrow.
So from a giggle of disbelief to the laughter of delight,
God’s words from the past, give us new light.
They are a light guiding our path, a lamp to our feet
They are words of hope and in them God we meet.
A Mother’s Laugh changed the face of history,
For through Isaac, God weaves a mystery.
A promise that was made so long ago,
continues today and continues to grow.
And as we ourselves wander, let’s follow God’s dream,
no matter how remote, that promise might seem.
I can’t say this enough to make an effect,
God comes in ways we never expect.
For what we might call impossible and hopeless,
Is where God calls us and gives us new focus.
God turns our disbelief into real hope,
We see the world in a new way and scope.
Where we might laugh in disbelief,
God’s laughter for us is true relief.
Sarah’s story is our story, when we tell it today,
Despite what everyone else in the world might say.
My friends this is real, it is more than a rumour,
God really does have a great sense of humour.
So as I close, I speak in God’s holy name,
Our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer who reigns
now and forever, and forever again.
We sing our praise, and a great Amen.
Her name is Sarah, you’ve all heard her tale;
And to inject some fun into this, I hope not to fail.
Today is the our picnic, and there is for food and good time,
And it seemed rather appropriate to give a sermon in Rhyme.
So please bear with me, on this hot spring day,
To listen for God’s laughter, echoing from scripture today.
The story is of Sarah, not my wife I should say,
But her Biblical namesake and a very special way
God taught her a lesson, something we all can learn,
That our lives can often take a quite unexpected turn.
You see, the wife of Abraham who once wandered afield
followed a promise and the hope it would yield.
They came from afar with God’s guiding hand,
A Covenant for the future, a true promised land.
“For you, I will give this to your daughters and sons,
a nation of many will be my chosen ones.”
A wonderful promise, a hope almost too wild,
you see, for Sarah and Abraham they had no child.
They had many servants, and camels, a nephew named Lot,
but for all their riches, it was still for naught.
For without a child to call their own,
God’s promise of a future was bare as a bone.
Time itself looked at them with hunger
let’s face it folks they were not getting any younger.
Yet they continued to wander, to follow God’s dream,
no matter how remote, that promise might seem.
Then one day, while resting in their tent
three strangers dropped by for a fantastic event.
“Noble Visitors!” from what Abraham could see,
but Sarah herself felt they were quirky.
They asked too many questions for her own liking,
Far too close to home it seems they were striking.
Yet treat them well their tradition would tend,
even if they were acting like close personal friends.
They fed them their best, wine, bread and calf;
Abraham talked with them and had a few laughs.
But Sarah held back, and listened to their talk
through the wall of the tent, she hoped they’d just walk.
For their conversation had to turned to her!
They said that soon Sarah would be a Mother!
“In due Season I will return,” said One,
“Your wife Sarah will be pregnant, and will bear you a son!”
“HAH!” laughed Sarah, and with good cause,
“Have these folks never heard of menopause?
How can I ever bear a child, a son,
I am too old, it cannot be done!!!”
But the game was up, the three heard her laugh,
Oh she was embarrassed, it was a terrible gaff.
She tried to hide and she tried to run,
But it was too late, the deed was done.
They asked her why she would giggle at this,
For truly a child is what was promised.
Sarah denied it, because she was scared,
Of what might happen if their tempers flared.
Insulting anyone is bad, no matter how odd,
but these three were the living presence of God.
Yet they took it in stride, and didn’t seem mad,
In fact, Sarah herself began to feel had.
She learned that God wasn’t angry, or put out,
In fact, this experience washed away her doubt.
Because come that spring, as the three had said,
Sarah became pregnant, and the word spread.
God’s promise is true, in this we can trust,
And always a bit of irony is a must.
You see when Sarah laughed at the idea of birth,
God reminded her of her own worth.
When her son was born she gave him a name,
that reminded them all of God’s wonderful game.
Isaac was his name, ordinary to our ear.
But in Hebrew it means laughter, joy not fear.
In a boy named laughter God gave them a gift,
a promise fulfilled and a hope that would lift
all of us in our joys and in our sorrows,
that in God our hope is a new tomorrow.
So from a giggle of disbelief to the laughter of delight,
God’s words from the past, give us new light.
They are a light guiding our path, a lamp to our feet
They are words of hope and in them God we meet.
A Mother’s Laugh changed the face of history,
For through Isaac, God weaves a mystery.
A promise that was made so long ago,
continues today and continues to grow.
And as we ourselves wander, let’s follow God’s dream,
no matter how remote, that promise might seem.
I can’t say this enough to make an effect,
God comes in ways we never expect.
For what we might call impossible and hopeless,
Is where God calls us and gives us new focus.
God turns our disbelief into real hope,
We see the world in a new way and scope.
Where we might laugh in disbelief,
God’s laughter for us is true relief.
Sarah’s story is our story, when we tell it today,
Despite what everyone else in the world might say.
My friends this is real, it is more than a rumour,
God really does have a great sense of humour.
So as I close, I speak in God’s holy name,
Our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer who reigns
now and forever, and forever again.
We sing our praise, and a great Amen.
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