Readings:
Genesis 21:8-21;
Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17;
Romans 6:1b-11;
Matthew 10:24-39

Collect:
God of all power and truth and grace,
you call the church to love and praise.
Inspire us with zeal for the gospel
and grant us boldness to proclaim your word.
This we pray through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever. Amen.

Reflection

The psalm today has a superscription: “A prayer of David.” In some modern editions of the bible this counts as verse 1, but in most it is not numbered at all, and just floats under the number of the psalm, sometimes in italics. In some, it does not appear at all – it’s simply left out. This is a good reminder that the bible we pick up today, did not always look like this and verses were finally added to the whole bible only by about 1560, just the other day in the greater scheme of things.

Though being described as a prayer of David, as I hear this psalm after reading the Genesis story, I could hear Hagar’s voice. She and her son by Abraham are sent away at the instigation of Sarah. In this segment of the story, Hagar’s child is not named. Sarah’s child, however, is. We are reminded he is called Isaac.

Last week we were reflecting on the joy of one who was past the usual child-bearing age who was safely delivered of a child. This week we read of an unnamed child (we know his name is Ishmael) banished, expelled, even despised. The very meaning of Isaac’s name, laughter, turns sour. And Sarah accuses Hagar’s son of playing, laughing. Are we being asked to wonder if she now wishes to deny laughter to Hagar and her son?

As they leave, Abraham has the decency to give them some bread and a skin of water. How different from the feast he prepared for the three strangers with all the running, hastening and fetching he did then. Not much hospitality for Hagar now. The story teller tells us that Abraham is distressed (v11), but this seems to be only for his son, and he sends the two of them away. How cruel is that. The woman and the child assured the continuation of his line, but they are to go.

When their water runs out, in what I hear as sheer desperation, she places her child under a bush, and goes far away enough perhaps so that he cannot hear her and that she might not see him die. Here she “lifted up her voice and wept” (v16). Tragedy upon tragedy. The contrast with last week’s readings could hardly be greater. And this is where I hear Hagar’s voice in the opening verses of the psalm:

I am weak and afflicted. Save me from death, because I am faithful; rescue me, because I am your servant and trust you.

The desperation, the anxiety, the pain behind these words, are all so great. And this may be the greatest treasure these two readings offer us – all this takes place before God, who knows their suffering and who responds to their plight.

In the gospel, Jesus says the disciples (which may be translated as learners) are to be like and not above the teacher. Here he is telling all learners that, like their teacher, they (we) will be rejected and despised. So how they (we) live day by day, how they (we) treat others, especially when no one is looking or knows any better, counts more than they (we) can imagine. And all this is so important because God even knows the number of hairs on each one’s head. Many or few, God knows, and God cares.

The psalm ends: “You GOD have helped me and comforted me.” Hagar’s eyes are opened, she sees a well of water, they survive and Ishmael becomes a great nation. Jesus dies, and is raised, whose Spirit brings to new life to all creation. Even when it does not look like it, God’s faithfulness is sure.

Barry Lotz