Readings: Genesis 22:1-14; Psalm 13; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42

One of the deeply theological issues in our relationship to God is the whole question of suffering. It is a question that is unique to us as sentient beings. In fact, it is part and parcel of our being human. Why do people suffer? More to the point, why do so many people suffer through no fault of their own from pain, hunger, oppression, servitude, sickness and violence? What kind of a God allows pain and suffering to exist?

We all experience suffering in our lives – not only physical suffering. There are many ways in which we suffer. It may be a sense of loss at the death of a loved one. It may be a deep sense of despair at the loss of a job. It may be our own sense of inadequacy. It may be anger at our lot in life.

Because it is universal, the theme of suffering runs through literature. In the movie Fiddler on the Roof, one of the characters with whom we tend to identify is Tevye, who knows all about suffering. First of all, he is Jewish. Secondly he has had about all he can take. Nothing is going right. He is poor. He has been blessed, so he says, with many daughters – and no sons. The economy is in terrible shape – a rather familiar story. And now to top it all off, his horse is lame. He knows who is to blame. He rails at God. "I know we Jews are your chosen people," he says. "But do you have to choose us all the time?"

His is a very human response to the problems he is facing. He turns to God – but with a view to laying blame. Whatever is beyond his control must be God's fault. Or else God is punishing him. It is an image of God that is prevalent, not only in people's lives, but also in Scripture.

The Old Testament lesson today is a story of great suffering and anguish. God says to Abraham, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you." For three days Abraham travels with his son, knowing that at the end of the journey he is going to sacrifice him. It is a text of terror, and it is not the only one in Scripture. What kind of God would demand such a sacrifice? Don't you find yourself saying "If that's the kind of God you are then I don't want to serve you"?

It leaves us with a troubling question, one that many people ask. Does God test us to discern who is serious about faith and whose lives will fully belong to God? What kind of a God tests in a way that causes such suffering in an already suffering world?

It is not difficult to understand why some people read the story and conclude that God allows hardship and tragedy to fall into our lives as a test of faith. Others conclude that God knows the outcome and tests us so that we can discover the strength of our faith. It is a passage that has been wrongly used to explain to grieving parents why their child was chosen by God to die. Surely such well-meaning people forget that God did provide another way. But that too causes guilt and anger as grief stricken parents ask why their faith when tested was not strong enough.

As people of faith, as a faith community, such values and experiences as faith and obedience to God, as trusting God even in the midst of trial, are themes with which we must grapple. They are terrifying themes as we think of their implications in our lives. God could certainly demand that we must offer up the most precious gift that we have, even if that gift is our very life. That is where the good news of the gospel enters the picture. For God is a God who is present with us, even in our suffering. God has graced us. God has made the sacrifice that Abraham did not have to make. And in giving us Jesus, the Christ, to die for us, God has overcome the power of sin and death in our lives.

To my way of thinking, the story of Abraham is less about Abraham's trust than it is about God's faithfulness. This is a resurrection story. As theologian Bruggemann puts it, it is "the miracle by which God provides new life in a situation where only death is anticipated". The drama turns on Abraham's expression of unqualified trust. Abraham doesn't know how God will provide – just that God will. His eyes are opened to see what was not seen before. And isn't that real trust? In the midst of suffering we are able to remember that God has been faithful and generous in the past and so God's love can be trusted to bring us through whatever life offers.

The problem is that many of us have never learned to really trust. It happens in friendships. It happens in marriages. Instead of total openness and communication, we often substitute judgement. Instead of taking a risk, we hold back so that we won't get hurt. Such friendships and marriages may last for a while, but at a time of crisis the lack of trust will win out.

Trust can be an issue in the church. Someone will say 'why would I go to church when all I meet is hypocrites.' They will argue that they do not need to go to church in order to be a Christian. With issues like clergy misconduct and homosexuality why would anyone be a Christian?

Trust is an issue in our congregation. How do we trust clergy when we consider the number of priests that have served this congregation already? Why would we trust someone with the pain and suffering that goes on in our lives if we think that person may be gone in a year or two? How do we trust that we have a stable community in which to worship? How do trust that God will help us to overcome the financial woes that seem to be part and parcel of our church life? 'I don't go to church', we say, 'to read in the bulletin every week that the congregation is in debt.'

How do we trust God in our own lives? How do we trust when the economy is at a low ebb and we've been out of work for months? How do we trust when we see violence escalating in our community? How do we trust when we see a friend dying of cancer?

We cannot get rid of the suffering in our world; it is part and parcel of the human condition. Yet in the midst of suffering, Jesus affirms life. In his obedience to death, he shows that even in the midst of suffering, love is possible. How do we hear that message of hope? How do we bear it to a suffering world?

In Scripture as in life we encounter the theme of risk and faithfulness. We hear the assurance of God's constant love. We are called to trust, to let go and let God. We are called to faith. We are called to trust that God will provide all that we need.

It is a call to pray knowing that God answers prayer. It is a call to act knowing that what we do to alleviate the suffering of others helps to bring about God's realm of Shalom. Above all, it is a call to a deeper understanding of faith and commitment and what it means to be in a relationship with a God who provides.