Slapstick Sarah and the Holy Visitors

                                                                Sarah Laughing -- Luba Lukova

 1 To Abraham and Sarah the call of God was clear,

'Go forth and I will show you a country rich and fair.

You need not fear the journey for I have pledged my word,

that you shall be my people and I will be your God.'

2 From Abraham and Sarah arose a pilgrim race,

dependent for their journey on God's abundant grace;

and in their heart was written by God this saving word:

'that you shall be my people and I will be your God.'

                                 Voices United 634

 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?" 
The LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?'
 Is anything too wonderful for the LORD? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son."

 But Sarah denied, saying, "I did not laugh"; for she was afraid. He said, "Oh yes, you did laugh."

Genesis 18: 11-15 NRSVue

Today one of the scripture passages in the ecumenical lectionary is the story of Abraham and Sarah and the angels who tell them in their dotage that they will have a child. It's one of those marvellously intimate passages and in this case, funny. We're told that Sarah overhears the conversation from their tent and the conversation cracks her up. She'd gone through menopause years before and this just wasn't happening. But God seems offended by her chuckles and when she's confronted she claims she hadn't laughed. "Ya, you laughed", says God, and honestly, who has better hearing than the Creator? 

We could listen to this passage just for the slapstick but of course in order for their to be generations to come you need heirs and descendants. We speak of the three Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Without Sarah and Hagar there wouldn't be any of them, or am I missing something?  

Even if you don't hear this passage this morning, ponder and have a holy chuckle.