Lection: Genesis 22

June 28, 2026

Genesis 22:1-14
Psalm 13
Matthew 10:40-42

“How Shall I Sing to God?”

There’s a part of me that really doesn’t like this morning’s story from the Book of Genesis. Can you imagine Abraham… having waited and struggled and waited some more to have a child with Sarah to continue his line and grow the community of the People of God… being told by God that he should sacrifice his son, Isaac?

The very idea of human sacrifice is abhorrent, and the notion that our loving God would ask for such a thing is confusing and baffling to me. But rather than skipping the text for this 5th Sunday after Pentecost, or trying to pretend that it’s not in the Scriptures, this week I pondered what God could be saying to us today through such a strange and unsettling story.

And all I feel like I can conclude is that it’s all about TRUST. I don’t know if God really did tell Abraham to sacrifice his son in order to test how much he trusted God. Or perhaps Abraham misunderstood God’s intention, but still demonstrated that unflinching trust in God’s promises to him.

God had promised to Abraham and Sarah that they would have many descendants, that they … Read more »

June 28, 2020

Genesis 22:1-14
Matthew 10:40-42

“Wavering Faith”

In the email I sent out to the congregation in preparation for this Sunday, I noted that I would be attempting to preach on Genesis 22 this morning, the story sometimes called “The Binding of Isaac” or “The Command to Sacrifice Isaac.” I mentioned that one commentary describes the passage as “one of the most famous, infamous, vexing, compelling, repugnant, fascinating, horrifying, suspenseful stories in the Bible.” The same author suggests that “It’s a dangerous story, so we have to tread carefully. And it’s a story full of treasure, which is why it’s been prized in both Jewish and Christian traditions for thousands of years.”

This familiar passage comes up in the lectionary once every three years, and many Christians hear it every year at Easter, as it’s one of the key texts in the Easter Vigil liturgy. And yet, it has engendered heated debate over the centuries. Is it a story of an abusive God, a misguided Abraham, religious violence at its worst? Or is it a story of faith and obedience? I remember one summer when it came up in the readings, another preacher was filling in for me while I was away on holidays. She … Read more »