She laughed.
She denied. She was scared of punishment or looking like she didn’t believe. Although it wasn’t that she didn’t believe. She just saw the ridiculous image of a 90 year old woman holding an infant in the maternity ward. It was hilarious. She laughed.
Sarah didn’t always laugh. She stressed out in fear as she pretended to be Abraham’s sister in order to avoid conflict with powerful men. Turns out God had her back anyway, just as He promised. She didn’t laugh when she saw Abraham laughing with Hagar as he held his son Ishmael. Her scheme back-fired. She tried to take God’s plan into her own hands. He must have been too busy running the universe. So she thought she would save them both with a surrogate mother. She learned the hard way when you go against nature, let alone, against God.
She cried. She broke a girl and created an orphan. We’ve all done it. Trying to force nature or God to make us feel good and get what we want. The TV shows make it look like it all works out. Do what you want. Plastic surgery, weird relationships, follow your dreams. Everyone smiles. No one shows the orphans, the kids crying as their dad leaves, the young girl cutting herself. Hagar and Ishmael huddled together alone and afraid. God loves the orphan, widow, and even that damned sinner.
Sarah laughed. After all that. All these years. All these sins. She was barren. Empty. No righteousness. No fruitfulness. No value in a dog-eat-dog world. She was almost done really. Insane. She laughed. Imagine, a wrinkled old corpse cuddling a newborn.
Sure enough, the boy sprung from her dry bones. Life in a desert. I’m sure Sarah laughed all the more after her midwife placed him in her arms. God delivers. She believed. It was going to be ok. Not just for her but for all the families of the world, just as God promised her husband!
Sure enough, another son of Sarah was born. But this time, not from a barren old woman. A virgin who never even knew a man. A cry in the night. The angels laughed.
We can laugh. It’s really pretty ridiculous! Forget Sarah. That’s nothing. God sent His Son to die for His enemies. That’s outlandish! Jesus was mocked by morons and instead of plotting revenge, He laid down His life. That’s a joke.
I am more barren than Sarah in my unrighteousness. Yet, Jesus died for me! That’s comical!
Every time you take communion you should smirk. It’s really insane. You are forgiven for free. Laugh. It’s really nuts.
Every time you see the world freaking out about every little problem. You will rise again. Laugh, you don’t need to desperately cling to every moment in this world. Every time you reflect on your barren bag of broken promises, self-serving passions, and painful memories. Laugh. Christ died for you!
