Brief synopsis of the readings: Our first reading from Genesis describes an encounter between Abraham and three travelers. As was the custom Abraham offered them hospitality: they rested under a tree where they could bathe their feet. Abraham then asked his wife Sarah to prepare a meal for them. The men asked about Sarah and then told Abraham that they would return in a year, by which time Abraham and Sarah would have a son. Luke’s Gospel describes a scene where Jesus was visiting two sisters, Martha and Mary. But while Martha served everyone, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to him. Martha found this unfair and asked Jesus to tell Mary to help. Jesus replied that Martha worried too much and said: “There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

Choosing to follow God brings with it certain challenges. Chief among them, God has little respect for our lack of imagination and even less for our timetable for him to fulfill his promises. Our first reading requires a little background. At first blush Abraham and Sarah must have looked like any other couple. They had some wealth, as evidenced by the size of Abraham’s flocks. But their marriage had not produced any children and this was often seen as God’s curse, punishment for some unknown offense. And yet God called them out of their homeland to a new land where they were promised they would be parents to countless descendants. So if they have aged beyond childbearing years, how is this promise going to happen?

This happens before this reading but Sarah, in her frustration, encouraged Abraham to sleep with Sarah’s handmaiden Hagar. He does, and Hagar bears Abraham a son, Ishmael. It sounds absurd but what possessed them to do this? Did they think God needed their help to fulfill his promise? Did they think that God didn’t have the power to give them a child? We don’t know, but it didn’t go well. And while our Muslim brothers and sisters see Ishmael as their connection to Abraham, Jews and Christians do not. Genesis tells us that God cared for Hagar and Ishmael and Ishmael was the father of a great nation, but we know little more about him.

Back to our first reading, three travelers happen by Abraham’s tent. We are told that it is the Lord and two messengers but Abraham didn’t know that. We do know that Abraham was required by custom to offer them hospitality and he did; this was a hostile area and the survival of travelers often depended on the food and shelter they were provided. Did they expect anything in return? Probably not other than extending hospitality to Abraham if he traveled through their home.

But seemingly out of nowhere they told Abraham and Sarah something amazing: by this time next year you will have a son. We can look on this as a reminder from God never to give up on his promise or a recognition that nothing is beyond God’s power. Spoiler alert: within the year they had a child, Isaac. I think this serves as a reminder that when God promises something, all bets are off. We’re not called to figure out how the promise will be fulfilled and we’re certainly not called to figure out how we can “help” God. Simply put, God doesn’t need our help, only our faith.

This was a lesson that Martha could have used in the Gospel. When we think about the people we live with, we all have customs, rule, or habits in how we live with each other and divide up the work. And we also know that these expectations break down. Is the conflict between Martha and Mary about workload and how Martha got stuck doing all the serving? Perhaps. I’ve also heard preachers posit the theory that listening to Jesus should be reserved for men and that women should content themselves with doing the dishes. Again, perhaps.

But just as things changed for Abraham and Sarah when the Lord appeared, so too do things change when Jesus arrives. Whatever schedule we’ve set up is our schedule. I think these readings remind us that while we all need schedules in our relationships with each other, God has his own timetable with us. I know that if Jesus came to my home for dinner I wouldn’t waste the opportunity by staying in the kitchen.

I say this because our life of faith often exposes our lack of faith. During times of suffering I think it’s appropriate, and perhaps necessary, to ask if God has abandoned us. There’s nothing wrong with the question, only with the answer that God has indeed abandoned us. Or the answer that if something happens God will abandon us. Think about how often we hear that God’s love for us rides on our vote in the next election or our personal views on an important issue.

Slavery existed for much of our history. Obviously that didn’t make slavery acceptable. But the long centuries, and the lives of countless slaves who never saw freedom didn’t mean that God had abandoned them. We don’t understand the timetable and our anger at the institution is well placed. But that never meant that God’s promise of liberation expired or took a wrong turn. It also didn’t justify violence and murder in the pursuit of liberation. Nat Turner in 1831 and John Brown in 1859 both attempted violent slave revolts and both failed miserably. Both also led to violent backlashes. However noble their cause, they were not doing God’s will.

This is hard stuff, and it’s a tension that will never leave us. It’s easy for us to have a clear picture of how things are supposed to turn out, and how things are supposed to get there. God does not call us to passive observance in the face of evil but we need to always be aware of our motives. Do we do what we do in the interest of justice, or to make ourselves look good? Do our actions dovetail with God’s desires or do they reveal what we would do if we were God?

As I said, following God isn’t always easy but we’ve been disciples of Jesus for over 2,000 years and there’s not sign that we are in the final chapter. I pray that 2,000 years from now our descendants will still be here, still discerning God’s will, and will be better at allowing God’s timetable to rule.