NKJ Genesis 18:1-14  - Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.  ² So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him…

Once upon a time some friends got together at their favorite local restaurant.  After receiving their drinks and ordering their food, they began to talk about why they liked to come to that particular dining spot.  One friend said, “You know, this place really does have the best food.” 

Another friend nodded in agreement and said, “I think you’re right.  I think the food is second to none, but unlike you I cook food like this all the time.  What I really like is the atmosphere.  Something fun is always going on.” 

Then a third friend spoke up and said, “All those things are important, but what really matters is the friendliness of the staff, how well they pay attention to your needs, and how well they take care of you while you’re here.  I come for the service.” 

Perhaps you’ve had a conversation like that.  Maybe even you’ve had a conversation like that when it comes to why you come to church.  “I like the hymns,” some people will say, or, “I feel so lifted up by the worship.”  Others might say, “Oh that minister is real ‘down to earth.’”  And still others would talk about the people:  “The people are so friendly.”  Those are some of the things that we tend to think are important when it comes to worship. 

And yet when we talk that way, are we really treating the church any different than we treat a restaurant?  Isn’t there something more important?  We call this place the house of God.  We come here expecting to find Him—but why?  As the LORD takes the form of these three visitors and appears to Abraham by the trees of Mamre, we are reminded why it is that the LORD visits people in the first place.  The LORD comes for the service.      

I.     The service He receives.

And obviously first off we’re talking about the service He receives.  After all, it was fast service, wasn’t it?  Think about Abraham’s circumstance, sitting in the doorway to his tent during the heat of the day, trying to stay cool.  When you’re hot you certainly don’t think of moving very fast.  Yet when those three men appeared standing nearby, what did Abraham do?  He ran (v. 2)!  And then when they agreed to stay and eat, Abraham ran again!  He hurried back to the tent to tell Sarah to quickly get going on baking three seahs’ worth of bread (v. 6).  Then Abraham turned and ran again, this time to the field to pick a tender male calf to give to the servant to butcher and prepare for supper. 

And Abraham’s service to his guests was more than just fast!  When he spoke to the men, he said, “Please let a little water be brought… And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts” (v. 4-5).  Yet in the end it was more than just a morsel, wasn’t it?  Between Sarah’s bread, the prepared veal, the “butter and milk”—it was a feast!

Now the question gets debated:  did Abraham know that it was the LORD?  Some argue that he knew right away; others say he had no idea—at least at first.  But at this point does it really matter?  Given his faith and trust in God, Abraham—whether he recognized these three visitors as God or not—believed he was serving God.  And by his swift feet and his great generosity, you can tell that his service to these strangers was a labor of love—love for God as well as love for his neighbor. 

Worship doesn’t end when the hour on Sunday is over.  Our entire life is meant to be a life of worship—the service we render to God as well as to our neighbors.  In fact, service to our neighbor is service to God!  It’s God’s command that we’re following, God’s voice that says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  So our service to God is supposed to be a labor of love.  Our worship life is meant to be joyful.  “Serve the LORD with gladness,” the psalmist says (Ps 100:2).  “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD’” (Ps 122:1).  Even the kindness we show to our neighbors isn’t meant to be performed reluctantly or out of compulsion (2 Cor 9:7), but joyfully.

Yet sometimes the love and joy just isn’t there—at least, not as much as we’d like it to be.  Instead of rejoicing as we go up to the house of the Lord, we come with an attitude that says, “How boring is it going to be today?”  Instead of running to serve the needs of our neighbor with generosity, we bring a half-hearted effort to the table.  Even our best efforts are never perfect, always leaving something to be desired.   

Yet the Lord still receives our service anyway!  The LORD comes for the service—for the service that He receives from us.  Two little words reveal the grace of God:  “they ate.”  The three strangers—who really is the LORD, by the way—when Abraham put his feast in front of them, they didn’t turn up their noses at what he gave them.  He stood by “as they ate” (v. 8).  The LORD, God Almighty, condescended to eat food prepared by Abraham and Sarah.    

And the Lord receives all our service—whether to Him or to His believers—with that same grace, that same undeserved love.  He takes our prayers and our praises and our offerings; He takes the works of love that we do for our neighbor.  He willingly receives all that we give Him in the same manner that a father receives the lowly peanut butter sandwich that his little girl made for his lunch—not because we’re so good, but because He loves us so much through His Son Jesus Christ.  Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 25:  “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (v. 40).  And for that love and grace, the Lord deserves all our praise. 

So if our service to God and neighbor—while important—really doesn’t add up to all that much, then what’s the point of worship?  Especially what’s the point of gathering in this place, the house of God?  In the end it’s more about His service to us than about our service to Him.  The LORD comes for the service—particularly, for:                 

II.     The service He gives. 

The service that the LORD provided to Abraham and Sarah was the kind of service that was tucked under a question, and then rendered in the form of a gracious promise.  “Where is Sarah, your wife?” (v. 9).  That question not only got Abraham’s attention, it also got Sarah’s—as she stood in the tent taking care of her work.  What the LORD had to say was meant for Abraham—but most importantly it was meant for Sarah.  “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son” (v. 10).   

To Sarah at first it seemed like a laughable promise.  She laughed inwardly at the thought of having a child—but it wasn’t the laughter of joy, it was the laughter of cynicism.  After all, at the age of 89 she was post-menopausal, and her husband—Abraham was old.  As far as being able to reproduce their bodies were as good as dead.  Their time for having babies was up.  So when Sarah heard the word of the Lord, she thought, “Fat chance.” 

But then the visitors got her attention again.  If they weren’t sure before, they were definitely sure now—this was the LORD talking to them!  Because the Lord read Sarah’s thoughts.  “Why did Sarah laugh… ?” (v. 13).  And then the Lord repeated that same promise:  when He returns at the appointed time, Sarah will have a son.  Only this time the Lord added something special:  “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (v. 14). 

And with that simple word of promise, the Lord did something wonderful for Sarah.  He brought Sarah’s dying faith back to life.  He turned her mocking laughter into the laughter of joy.  Nine months later Sarah gave birth to their son, and they called him Isaac, which means “he laughs” in Hebrew.  And Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me” (Gen. 21:6). 

Could anything better have happened to Abraham and Sarah than to hear this promise of the Lord and have it be fulfilled?  And yet there’s more:  The promise the LORD made to Sarah wasn’t just about a baby for her.  The birth of Isaac meant that God’s promise to send a Savior was moving forward—a promise that found its ultimate fulfillment at the birth of another baby:  Jesus, who came to this earth to transfer your death to Himself at the cross and overcome it in your place, and who paid for all our half-hearted efforts to serve God by shedding His own blood!    

That’s the promise the Lord was making to Abraham and Sarah.  That’s the promise He still makes to you and me today.  Every Sunday, every time there’s worship, the Lord comes for the service—the service that He gives to us, the service of His Word.  This morning you heard once more the story of Mary and Martha.  Martha was busy serving while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus.  Nowhere does Jesus say that what Martha was doing was wrong.  But what He does say is that Mary found the one thing needful—the only thing necessary for life and salvation, the Word of God.  When you come to church, yes, there’s all the stuff we do—the prayers, the praises, the confession of our faith—but even more important than that are all the things that God does for us.  Forgiving our sins; taking hearts that have been weakened by the world’s laughter at God and His Word and giving them strength to believe in Him again; comforting sinners with the hope of everlasting life. 

As you and I strive to serve God each day, and whether that means serving here in the church or in our own lives, always remember why you come to the house of the Lord.  The Lord comes for the service; you come for the service too—the service of what God does for you in Word and Sacrament.  May His words and promises fill your hearts with real joy, this day and always.  Amen.