Waiting in the dark for a light to turn in the driveway, for the sound of car doors and footsteps.
Waiting by the bed of the broken, waiting for healing or small comforts during that slow decline.
A young child learns to walk and the parents always, always watching out, bleary eyed desperate for coffee.
Watching for the soldier to come home.
Waiting for the violent to make their move.
Keeping things ready for the long-expected guest.
Watching that blood pressure.
Watching that blood sugar.
Up at night, waiting, watching, praying, keeping the vigil, vigilant.
Faith? How do you think of faith?
The scripture lessons today are about those who keep the vigil, who are watchful, wakeful, the vigilant. Stories of turning points, that can go either way.
Stories that show us true faith.
We finish up today several weeks of hearing about Abraham, a series of episodes from his life illustrating the way of faith versus the way of anti-faith, the way of God versus the way of the cult of death that always wants to rule this world.
It comes down to a vigilant hospitality to strangers and guests that leads to a future filled with the stars of the sky.
The opposite, the dark soul, the cult of death is hostile to the stranger, and abusive of the vulnerable and it leads to a future where the sky is not full of stars, but rather fire and sulfur raining down upon those who worship death, purging the earth.
Count the stars.
The way of faith, of true faith.
The story of faith and Abraham’s righteousness is used in the New Testament four different times by three different writers with three different interpretations.
The story of faith, of counting the stars, sparks and inspires our hopes and imaginations and it takes us in many different directions. I’m not going to say if Paul, or James or Hebrews has it right. I will simply say that I agree with my friends.
Scripture is the witness of many voices experiencing God’s presence in the world, each voice is new and different, it isn’t the same thing, it is textured and layered, like good music or good art.
It is the witness of faith.
Faith always takes us to a turning point where we can go either way.
Vigilant hospitality or grasping abuse.
Jesus speaks of being vigilant and watchful that we are not possessed by our possessions, that we do not become graspers and controllers but rather that we share and let go and pay attention, always looking for the long-expected guest. Always vigilant. Always keeping the vigil. Always counting the stars.
God is keeping the vigil too.
Jesus is God’s hospitality to the stranger.
Jesus is God’s faith.
Jesus is God’s turning point that embraces the cross rather than grasping at life.
Jesus is God’s righteousness welcoming us and rescuing us from the cult of death.
We each have a story of faith.
We each have turning points.
We each keep the vigil.
Do we grasp? Are we lost in possessiveness and control? Are we watchful and ready to welcome, to share, to let go?
Are our souls full of darkness or are our souls full of the stars?
Keep the vigil, practice watchful hospitality to the stranger and guest, let go, share, this is the turning point of true faith, where we meet Jesus for real.
Keep that vigil.
Count the stars.