Then the LORD Appeared to Him By the Terebinth Trees of Mamre: Genesis 18:1-33

Genesis 18:1-33: "1 Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, 3 and said, 'My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. 4 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.' They said, 'Do as you have said.' 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, 'Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.' 7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. 8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate. 9 Then they said to him, 'Where is Sarah your wife?' So he said, 'Here, in the tent.' 10 And He said, 'I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.' (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, 'After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?' 13 And the LORD said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh, saying, "Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?" 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.' 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, 'I did not laugh,' for she was afraid. And He said, 'No, but you did laugh!' 16 Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. 17 And the LORD said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.' 20 And the LORD said, 'Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.' 22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. 23 And Abraham came near and said, 'Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?' 26 So the LORD said, 'If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.' 27 Then Abraham answered and said, 'Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: 28 Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?' So He said, 'If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.' 29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, 'Suppose there should be forty found there?' So He said, 'I will not do it for the sake of forty.' 30 Then he said, 'Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?' So He said, 'I will not do it if I find thirty there.' 31 And he said, 'Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?' So He said, 'I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.' 32 Then he said, 'Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?' And He said, 'I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.' 33 So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place."

This pericope embraces two parts, one, the promise of our Lord God to Abraham that he would have a son. The second, the interceding on the behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah by Abraham.

Our Lord visits Abraham, and the first thing that they do together is eat a meal. This meal consisted of fresh baked bread, and a freshly slaughtered calf, with butter and milk. It seems that meals happen a lot in holy Scripture, when our Lord is involved. This meal (and really all meals in holy Scripture) of bread and flesh, is foreshadowing of the perfect meal that our Lord gave to us in His Body and Blood. In the Revelation of Jesus Christ to St. John, the eternal meal with our Lord is portrayed as a wedding banquet. We have all been to a wedding at some point, and weddings are known for their good food, and the abundance of food and drink. This is how eternity is pictured, an everlasting banquet.

The meal that we receive of our Lord's Body and Blood is a great meal that grants forgiveness of sins, and strengthens our faith in the Holy Blessed Trinity. But even this meal, on account that we still live in this sinful flesh, and in this sinful world, pales in comparison to the eternal meal that awaits us in Heaven.

There is a reason for all of the talk about meals in holy Scriptures. We often see our Saviour being invited over to somebody's house to eat with him. Meals are about communion, that is, fellowship. They are about uniting together in a bond of unity all those who eat the meal. For the Jews in the Old Testament, every meal was a figure of the Last Meal that they ate in the land of Egypt before the Exodus. For them every meal was an image of the unity that the people of Israel were united during the Passover. And so, when they sat down to eat with one another, or they invited someone over to their home to eat with them, it was showing a solidarity, a bond of unity. Therefore, when our Lord ate with people, He was uniting Himself to them; to their sinfulness, their pain, their struggle, and in uniting Himself to them He takes these things from them, and purifies them.

The same is true of the meal that we eat with our Lord and Saviour, which is His very Body and Blood, given in bread and wine. He unites Himself to us, taking away our sin and sorrow, and giving us of His very self. Those who eat this meal together are binding themselves together into a bond of unity. Therefore, all those who eat this meal are in agreement on doctrine and practice, and not just the doctrine and practice of the meal they eat, but in all points. The Church has practiced this from the beginning, and it has come to be known as closed communion. Those outside the faith, or outside the bond of fellowship have to wait until they are a part of that fellowship until they can enjoy the meal.

The Hebrews of the Old Testament practiced this as well, not allowing a foreigner or a stranger to eat with them, especially when it came to the Passover meal. Our Lord Jesus even practices this by eating the Last Supper with just His disciples.

And so Abraham, who by his faith, which is counted towards him as righteousness is in fellowship with our Lord God, and prepares a meal for him. The bond of unity between the Holy Blessed Trinity and Abraham is expressed in the proclamation once again of a baby boy to be born to the house of Abraham, who will be the father of many nations. The birth of this baby boy will be marked by joy, which is seen in the name that will be given to him, Isaac, which means "he laughed." Even Sarah, laughs with joy at such a prospect of giving birth to a baby boy when she is not physically able to give birth. Sarah is the first mother who gives birth when according to all reason and science she should not be able to. She is a figure of not only the Blessed Virgin Mary, but also her relative, Elizabeth, who also gives birth in her old age while barren. Isaac will become the prefigurement of our Lord, the only son of the father, who is obedient to him even unto death, as we will see in Genesis 22.

All fellowship, all meals, all promises of baby boys, all lead to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For it is in Him alone where true fellowship and unity is to be found. Apart from His presence, and His action, there can be no unity, no fellowship. Indeed, there can be no righteousness. And so, our Lord heads to Sodom and Gomorrah for its destruction. For Sodom and Gomorrah represent the complete opposite of the bonds of unity and fellowship.

In Sodom and Gomorrah, we find a people where selfishness and hatred and lust and degradation and abominable acts of homosexuality are rampant, and indeed praised as worthwhile things. But in Abraham's pleading on behalf of these cities, we see our Heavenly Father's mercy and grace, for Abraham begs for our Lord God to not destroy them, but to spare them. Our Lord, in His own mercy, agrees to spare them if there are only found ten righteous persons within these cities. The narrative is not completed for us today, but we know from history, and from holy Scripture, that our Lord did not find ten righteous persons, only Lot, and his wife and daughters. Thus, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, and their names became bywords of degradation and abominable acts.

These two cities picture the opposite of the fellowship that the Church shares with our Lord Jesus. For fellowship with Him is only through righteousness, not unrighteousness, like the men of Sodom and Gomorrah. Our righteousness is accounted to us because of our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And on account of this faith, we are able to participate with Him in the holy Supper which He prepared for us by His death and the cross. Therefore, let us put away the works of unrighteousness, of revelry, of lust, of selfishness, and put on the works of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that we may be united in the bond of holy fellowship with Him, and with all those already united in Him.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Then He Opened His Mouth and Taught Them: St. Matthew 5:1-9

St. Matthew 5:1-9: "1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 3 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.'"

This morning reading is our Lord's teaching of the Beatitudes. This pericope from the Evangelist St. Matthew is a shortened form of the Gospel lesson appointed for the festival of All Saints. That festival is about the gifts bestowed upon the saints, and their work and labor done in faith to Him. Today's reading has a different theme being appointed in the season of Epiphany. Epiphany means "to manifest" or "to reveal." A good illustration to remember what Epiphany means, is to think of the cartoon characters who have a light bulb appear above their head when they come up with an idea, or think of something. The idea or thought has been manifested, they have had an epiphany.

The epiphany that takes place today is our Lord revealing His teaching to His disciples through the Sermon on the Mount. There is some debate, even among the Early Fathers, whether this sermon is given to just His disciples, or to the whole multitude, since it says after seeing the crowds He went up into the mountain, and after His disciples sat down, He began to teach them. St. Augustine and St. Chrysostom, the great Fathers of the West and East, respectively, seem to give warrant to the teaching that He was with His disciples alone. St. Augustine relating the reason for differences in this Gospel and St. Luke's Gospel, where our Lord stands for His sermon, is due to the fact that these are two separate sermons, one given solely to the disciples, the other given to the crowds. To whomever He was speaking, whether the crowds or just the disciples, is not as important a discussion as to what He was saying, and where He was saying it.

There are three places where our Lord Jesus takes His repose: the ship, or boat; the desert; and the mountain. These three things have much symbolism attached to them, and each reveal something about our Lord's person and work. Today we have the mountain. Now, our Lord doesn't go up into the mountain, as some would suppose, just for better acoustics. (They say the same thing about Him getting into a boat to preach, too.) The mountain hold more significance and it shows up often in our Lord's life. He is crucified on a mountain; He would often go to the Mount of Olives with His disciples to pray and sing hymns and psalms; The Temple was situated on a mountain; Jerusalem, the holy city, was situated on a mountain; He was transfigured on a mountain. From these brief examples we can see the importance of mountains in our Lord's life, but what do they signify about Him?

The Prophet Isaiah said, "Get thee up into a high mountain." (Isaiah 40:9) The Prophet Isaiah was talking about the preaching of good news, of glad tidings, that such good news should be shouted from the highest places, for they embodied the holiness and righteousness of our Lord God, on account of their proximity to Heaven. St. Chrysostom compares the Church to this mountain, for it is only within the Church that the mysteries of the truth are revealed and given out. St. Augustine carries this point even further by comparing our Lord Jesus to the mountain. For there are two important mountains in all of holy Scripture, Mt. Sinai, and Mt. Calvary. The one mountain represents the Law, the other represents the fulfiling of the Law, or the Gospel. Mt. Calvary is the mountain of our Lord, and the mountain where He wins the battle over sin, death, and the devil. This Mt. Calvary becomes the new mountain, replacing Mt. Sinai, for all of Christendom, the mountain of our Lord's righteousness, which He delivered through His love for us, by His very own death.

The Evangelist St. Matthew tells us that our Lord sat down, and opened His mouth, and taught them. Our Lord manifests Himself as the True Prophet, through His sitting down, which mystically speaking is a representation of His incarnation where He sits down into the flesh of mankind. If He had not taken on our flesh, we would not be able to come to Him, like His disciples come to Him on the mountain.

He also opens His mouth. He who had opened the mouth of the prophets, now opens His mouth to proclaim to His disciples His righteousness. The Beatitudes, as this section in holy Scripture is commonly called, is all about Jesus. He is the one who is poor in spirit, that is humble. He shows His humility by laying aside His glory to become a man in the flesh. He is the one who mourns for His lost people on account of their sins. He is the one who is truly meek. Meek people are those who suffer the trials and troubles of this life without seeking revenge, but rather, endure the punishment willingly, knowing they receive a greater crown in Heaven. Our Lord shows His meekness in enduring the cross and shame of our our guilt willingly and silently as a Lamb led to the slaughter. He is the one who hungers and thirsts after righteousness, desiring to learn all there is to learn about His Father in Heaven, and do what He commands Him to do. This is shown us by the Boy Jesus in the Temple, who spent three days, answering and asking questions of the teachers of the holy Scriptures. Truly He is merciful, for He doesn't treat us the way we deserve to be treated, that is, we deserve our punishment, as the malefactor on the cross next to our Lord Jesus rightly confessed about himself, that he was deserving of death. But our Lord shows His mercy by taking our punishment, and freeing us from ours.

He is the one who is pure in heart, that is, He is without sin. He is pure and clean. We are made pure and clean by grace, through the preaching of the Word of God, and the receiving of the Sacraments. We remain clean and pure in heart, when we continue in these things, and not disdaining them. Our Lord is also the true peacemaker. When our Lord refers to peacemakers, He is not just referring to those who make peace with their fellow man; those who live without dissension and discord amongst themselves; who do not have contentions and fighting amongst them and other people. He is the true peacemaker, for peace begins in the heart and the soul. One cannot have peace with his fellow man, where there is an inward struggle of the soul. Those who battle with sin, the devil, and the world, cannot have peace with his fellowman. Our Lord's heart is pure, and there is no struggle with sin and Satan and the world, for He has conquered them all, therefore He can make peace with mankind for there exists within His heart and Spirit peace.

Does that mean that there is no hope for us, that we can never find peace? Apart from our Lord Jesus Christ, the answer is a firm no. However, through the preaching of the holy Word and the administration of the Sacraments, our Lord gives us His Holy Spirit, who creates and sustains faith in us, replacing our sinful heart with the sacred and pure heart of our Lord Jesus. It is by putting on Christ, that we find peace in our souls, rest from the war with sin, death and the devil, and in receiving that peace, we can then live in peace with our fellow man.

These peacemakers, made by the Holy Spirit, are called sons of God. They have been given the title of their Saviour. Our Lord Jesus teaches His disciples these things in the Beatitudes, and by His person and work, He teaches us that He is the fulfillement and embodiment of these Beatitudes. He fulfills these Beatitudes for us, in order that we may be joined to Him and live as Him by the assistance of the Holy Ghost.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

This Is My Covenant Which You Shall Keep: Genesis 17:1-22

Genesis 17:1-22: "1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. 2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.' 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 'As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.' 9 And God said to Abraham: 'As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.' 15 Then God said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.' 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, 'Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?' 18 And Abraham said to God, 'Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!' 19 Then God said: 'No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.' 22 Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham."

Abram gets a name change. Now he will be called Abraham, which means "father of a multitude." (Abram means "exalted father.") Or to say it another way, he went from being a father of one, to a father of many. Sarai (meaning "princess") also gets a name change. Her name will now be Sarah, which means "noblewoman," or to say it another way, she went from being a princess to a queen. This is the result of the Holy Blessed Trinity making a covenant with Abraham, his and his wife's name are changed. The covenant itself is made through circumcision.

Circumcision is the removal of the flesh of the foreskin of a male child. The cutting of flesh was how covenants were made. In most cases that involved sacrificing of an animal, as we saw in previous readings where the animal of sacrifice was cut in two. This became the basis for the Old Testament Temple ritual of sacrifice certain animals for purification or forgiveness. The covenant that the Holy Trinity makes with Abraham involved this same cutting of the flesh.

Circumcision, the means of the covenant, was not meant to be a pleasant thing. It was a small representation of the punishment that sin brings, which is death. In order for death to be averted in the Old Testament, a sacrifice, that is, a life, had to be taken, and offered up to our Lord God. In circumcision there was a shedding of blood. This shedding of blood represented the penalty for sin being appeased. Our Lord Jesus Christ on the eighth day after His incarnation, entered into that covenant by His circumcision. Already on the eighth day of His earthly life He is shedding His blood for us.

Notice too, the words of the Blessed Trinity, that it was HIS covenant. This was not a two-way agreement, like we see in many contracts where one side agrees to give something in exchange for something else. This covenant is His covenant, He is the one making it, and He is the one promising to act upon it. This is good news for those under His covenant, because on account of sin, they would break that covenant, as is shown throughout Israel's history, evidenced by the majority of the kings of both the northern and southern kingdoms. This covenant of our Lord God finds its ultimate fulfillment in our Lord Jesus. Our Lord, comes of His own free will to be born a man; God in the flesh. In this flesh He fulfills the covenant by offering Himself up as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. He is then buried, and rises again on the third day.

Circumcision symbolized death. It was the death of the foreskin. And it prefigured our Lord's death on the cross, and His shedding of blood. But circumcision was only a foreshadowing of the true means of God's grace and mercy. For those who partook of the covenant, who agreed to be apart of our Lord God's promise, were considered by Him to be His sons. And our Lord Jesus gives to us, His holy Church, a new covenant. This covenant of our Lord God, in which He promises us forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation is Holy Baptism.

This new covenant also symbolizes death. It symbolizes the death of sin and death. It is the symbol of our Lord's death and grave. But just as our Lord rose on the third day to new life, bringing eternal life to all who believe on Him, this new covenant, called Holy Baptism, raises us out of sin and death, into eternal life in Heaven with Him. And again, this covenant of Holy Baptism, is not our covenant. It is not our agreement with our Lord God. But it is rather, His agreement with us. He is the one who offers the covenant. He is the one who enacts the covenant. He is the one who completes the covenant by sending His Holy Spirit upon those who are baptized.

Also notice that our Lord God tells Abraham that the covenant shall be kept by him. This is not an inconsistancy. Our Lord God is not saying, "This is My covenant which you have do the work on." Our Lord does the work, but Abraham, and his descendants, have to participate in this covenant. And they participate by the act of circumcision. In the same way, we participate in the Holy Trinity's promises by participating in Holy Baptism. As our Lord Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; But he that believeth not shall be damned." Meaning, if we wish to be saved, we must be baptized. Or to say it another way, if we wish to receive our Lord God's grace and mercy, we must participate in the means which He has given to us to receive His grace and mercy.

Abraham, and his descendants, participated in the covenant of our Lord God, because he believed in the covenant. We who have been baptized, also come to believe and trust in our Holy Baptism, as the means whereby we receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. Therefore, we learn to live daily in our Holy Baptisms, confessing our sins daily to our Lord God, and weekly in private to our minister, drowning anew the Old Adam of sin that dwells within us, so that we might, like our Lord, rise each new day as a new man before our Lord without sin, wrapped in His righteousness and in His works.

And because we live our lives this way we learn to become like Isaac, the son of Abraham, whose name means "he laughed." In other words, we live in joy and happiness. Every time we see water, we are once again reminded of our Lord God's covenant with us and we rejoice that our sins are forgiven. May you too learn today to laugh and rejoice in your Holy Baptism, standing before our Lord God as a new man.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas