Reclaiming our Stories: Tamar

By The Rev. Victoria L. Hamilton

Read more of Tamar's story in Genesis 38  

Tamar is introduced into this text by way of marriage to one of Judah’s son’s, Er. … Er was not an honest man, in the sight of God, and was put to death by God. (vs7). After his death, Judah then instructed his second son, Onan, to “go to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother in law, and raise up any offspring as his (deceased) brother’s. (vs 8). Onan, didn’t quite like that idea, & let his sperm spill on the ground, … And God,  displeased, put him to death also. Tamar was then promised to the youngest son, Shelah, when he became of age, but, and until that time, Tamar was sent back to her fathers home.

Now, good people, I read through this and the preceding and following chapters a couple times. I, myself, was taken aback trying to put myself in that situation. It seems as though, the irony of the culture of the day, sounds a bit like trafficking! Abuse of some kind or another.  Women’s rights were not the topic or concern of the day. How women really felt about their own culture, I do not know and wonder... Legal, but … what say you?  How does this structure sound to you? If you were to meet Tamar today, and she came to confide in you, How might you, in today’s mindset, encourage her? Does this sound like a - Let’s call Hubbard House or another agency that might help and give counsel, funds, clothes, a place to stay …??   Do you know  a “Tamar”? 

Time passed when she, Tamar, learned that her father-in-law, Judah, was coming to town, for business. She positioned herself on the road, ‘to see’ that Shelah was now grown; and there was an exchange between she and Judah!! Conversation and a sexual exchange. No, he did not recognize her.…The younger son had not been given to her, or her to him; Tamar accepted her father-in-law's “request” to sleep with her. (Lawd! or Lord, have mercy!) 

For insurance sake (my words), she asked for items from Judah, a signet (small seal set inside a ring, that shows authenticity or identification of the owner), a cord and his staff.

Sometimes as women, we are not seen, thought to be intelligent, or considered as equal … In what ways do you see women or yourself as Not Being Seen? .. Where or how have you "Positioned yourself" to make a wrong right? Do you know others who may have "positioned themselves" to right a wrong? .. i.e. at work, in your family, at church, family conversations, school. Was it a hard decision to stand up for yourself or another? Tamar saw promises not kept and sought to make them right. Where has that happened in your life or the life of others? What promises have been made to women, (man or child), that have not been kept OR are trying to be rescinded? What, if anything, are our insurances?

More time passes when Judah hears that Tamar is pregnant, and was being called a whore because the town knew she was a widow. Jumping in haste, Judah calls for her to be “burned” (vs24). Tamar is able to save herself by showing the signet, cord and staff to Judah, who then recognized his own (initial) faults and spared her life. He had broken his promise to her, to give her to his 3rd son, Shelah, in marriage.

How quickly we sometimes jump to conclusions about a person or persons in our society at large.  Are women still being “burned,” to be silenced or eliminated? How do you see or feel that happening? In today’s climate, where might you see that happening? Do you see resolutions? Who needs to be at the table? Can morals that are taught, that sometimes seek to destroy, be amended? Can conversation REALLY happen? Action? How could our lives be more understanding today? Is forgiveness a factor?

Tamar stayed in the town of her father and gave birth to twins, boys, Perez and Zerah. One twin, Zerah, was making his entrance into the world, was marked by a crimson, red thread, by the midwife, on his hand, and drew it back; the second twin, Perez was then born first.

Tamar was the "host" to bring these young people into the world. There will be huge differences between these brothers in the future. How do we set up our children, to be who they will become as adults?  What, in you, has sustained you, that you hope to share with your children, grandchildren and others?  I was "host" to two children, and  have been a surrogate "host" (Mama/Ma as I’m called), spiritually, physically, and mentally for many many many, young people. 

As Tamar was blessed, I was blessed, and have been able to see the growth of many young people, not just my birth children. All of them are different, but GOD provides much more than I’m capable of on my own. As we travel through this life, let’s remember that we are not traveling alone. That sometimes we need to reach out to others, while other times we may need to stand alone fighting for the injustices/justices within us and around us. My thoughts and prayers are with each of us as we reach deep inside ourselves and find strength, courage, patience, and encouragement to do that which is right by others, but especially because that is a call from God. 

Reading Plan: 30 Days in Exodus

So many people have talked about the Church being "in exodus" or "in exile" right now in this time when we are unable to worship in our church buildings. Perhaps it is a bit overwrought at this point, but it did give me an excuse to read the book of Exodus again. 

What can we learn from the first exodus? What can we learn from God's people as they moved out of slavery and into freedom? What can we learn about the troubles that arose from that freedom? What can we learn about God's action in our world? 

Here you'll find a slightly intermediate reading plan (some of the days feel long and Exodus isn't as exciting near the end) for getting you through Exodus during this time of exile. If you haven't read the prequel (haha, Genesis), I recommend reading it first and you can find a reading plan for the bulk of it here: 28 Days with the Women of Genesis.

Part One: God’s rescue 

Day 1 - Exodus 1 & 2 - The Israelites are oppressed 

Day 2 - Exodus 3 - Moses at the burning bush 

Day 3 - Exodus 4 - Moses returns to Egypt 

Day 4 - Exodus 5 

Day 5 - Exodus 6 & 7:1-13 - The plagues 

Day 6 - Exodus 7:14-25 & 8 - More plagues 

Day 7 - Exodus 9 & 10 - More plagues 

Day 8 - Exodus 11 & 12 - The final plague & the first passover 

Day 9 - Exodus 13 - The Festival of Unleavened Bread 

Day 10 - Exodus 14 - Crossing the Red Sea 

Day 11 - Exodus 15 - The Song of Moses 

Day 12 - Exodus 16 & 17 - God provides

Day 13 - Exodus 18 

Day 14 - Exodus 19 

Part Two: The Covenant 

Day 15 - Exodus 20 - The Ten Commandments 

Day 16 - Exodus 21 - The laws 

Day 17 - Exodus 22 - More laws 

Day 18 - Exodus 23 - More laws 

Day 19 - Exodus 24 & 25 - The covenant & instructions

Day 20 - Exodus 26 - Blueprints 

Day 21 - Exodus 27 - More blueprints 

Day 22 - Exodus 28 - Vestments for the priesthood 

Day 23 - Exodus 29 - The ordination of priests

Day 24 - Exodus 30 & 31 - More instructions 

Day 25 - Exodus 32 - The golden calf 

Day 26 - Exodus 33 - Leaving Sinai 

Day 27 - Exodus 34 - The covenant is renewed  

Day 28 - Exodus 35 - Sabbath regulations 

Day 29 - Exodus 36, 37 & 38 - Construction of the tabernacle & equipment 

Day 30 - Exodus 39 & 40 - Making vestments & installing the equipment 

Questions for reflection: 

As you read, how do you understand God’s saving actions? Do they change? 

How does God appear to the Israelites? Where does God appear? 

Devote Ourselves to Prayer - Redeemer Episcopal Church

John 17:1-11 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

17 After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you,’ 2 since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5 So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.

6 “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.

_______

This sermon was preached and recorded for a certain context in a certain time (Redeemer Episcopal Church for the 7th Sunday in Easter), but we believe that God can and will speak outside of our own limitations. I hope that it can speak to you in whatever space you are in today. You can read the sermon below, listen to it at this link, and see the sermon preached at this link. 

Let us pray. God of in-between times, be with us now in our waiting. Comfort us in our prayer and call us to further devotion in this time, trusting in your promise of hope and peace. Amen. 

When I read all of the scripture for this morning— the first reading, the psalm, the epistle, and the gospel— I hear a common thread about difficult times, changing, and challenging times. 

In the Gospel text we just heard, Jesus prays for his disciples, his friends, for the last time before he is betrayed and handed over to the authorities. This are about to get really messy for everyone involved. They are about to lose their teacher to death on a cross. 

In Acts, we see another turbulent time for the disciples. They have once again found themselves without their teacher. 

Ascension Day was this past Thursday, when Jesus was taken up into heaven to be with God the Father for eternity. 

Up until that time, Jesus was with his disciples again after being resurrected from the dead. What an incredible time that must have been for them, to have the fullness of joy after seeing their friend and teacher be killed. 

But now he is going to leave them again. After only being with them a short time.

This week in our lectionary season, Jesus has ascended to heaven and Pentecost has not yet come.

We heard last week that Jesus told his disciples that once he was gone, he would send the Paraclete— the advocate, friend, comforter, the Holy Spirit— to be with the disciples. But that happens next week. 

It’s in this in-between time where we find ourselves this morning.

This week… we wait. So there are ten days in our liturgical calendar where we wait again, like Holy Saturday, to see what God will do next. 

It strikes me that what the disciples do during this time is they constantly devote themselves to prayer. All together, Acts tells us, the disciples gathered in a room apart from everyone else and devoted themselves to prayer. 

It is not some new age way of worshiping that Father Wiley has called us to when he encourages us to create a worship space in our own homes for prayer and devotion. It is not bizarre that Heather, our formation director, and Hannah, our youth director, have encouraged us to pray with our families during this time, providing opportunities for faith formation in the midst of our work and family life. 

They are following the examples of the disciples. They are following the example of the first Christian church, the one that waited desperately for a time when they could safely go back into the world and proclaim the wonder and good news of Christ Jesus. It sounds familiar…

I imagine it was a long few days for them— as they waited to see what God would do next, clinging to the promises that Jesus had, indeed, fulfilled in the resurrection. And now clinging again to his promise that he would send someone else, a comforter, an advocate, a friend, to continue to guide us and give us wisdom. 

And in this long, difficult time, what do they do? They stay with one another and they devote themselves to prayer. They’re not praying because they believe it can solve some kind of problem. They probably aren’t even praying that Jesus come back or things go back to normal. They devote themselves to prayer because they know that when God feels far away, we pray. When God feels far away, we talk to God and feel closer. We talk to God and we ARE closer. We listen for God and feel comforted. Prayer is not some holy problem solver. It is a practice of putting ourselves deliberately and intentionally in the presence of God. In a time right after the disciples literally watched Jesus be raised to heaven, when he left them once again, what else are they supposed to do? 

We, too, are in a similar liminal space. I remember in the beginning of this season, thinking that this would only be a short time away from everyone. A few weeks, perhaps— maybe it would even be a sort of welcomed vacation for me. I hunkered down and began making preparations for when we would come back together. I began busying myself with all sorts of things. 

I don’t like feeling out of control, so I began finding problems I could solve on my own. Things I could do or fix. I told myself I would complete all of our house projects in these few weeks. I began staying up too late, distracting myself with mask-making and reading news articles. I was constantly looking for ways to spend my time so these couple of weeks would go by faster. I was constantly finding problems that I could solve in an effort to keep my mind away from the helplessness I was feeling. 

And then the weeks drew on and I began to realize that this would be a marathon instead of a sprint. And I began to notice myself drifting away from scripture, drifting away from my usual habits of prayer and devotion, drifting away from the assurances of God and God’s promises for us. I was busying myself in an effort to distance myself from God, thinking I could solve this pandemic on my own.  

So it feels appropriate that we are in this time in our church year and hear these stories of the disciples while we wait anxiously for government officials to give us more information, while we wonder what comes next for our careers, the economy, our health, and our church. I have found myself unsettled and wondering what, exactly, am I supposed to do while I wait? 

Well, what else are we supposed to do but follow the example of the first church and devote ourselves to prayer? To keep alert and to notice what God is doing next, clinging to the promise of the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit. So that soon, we might emerge once again into the world, renewed in the Spirit once again, to proclaim the good news of Christ Jesus with new joy and hope on our lips. Amen. 

Reclaiming our Stories: Sarai/Sarah

By Mandy Achterberg 

Read more of Sarah's story: Genesis 12; 16; 17:5, 15; 18:10-15; 20; 21:1-21; 23:1-21 

Sarai is introduced through her lineage and connection as a descendant of Shem through her marriage to Abram. The first thing we learn about her is that she is Abram’s wife and the second is that she is barren. Nothing is noted about where she came from or who she is, but unlike many other women in the Old Testament, she has a name. Through nearly ten chapters the story of Sarai, who becomes Sarah, unravels before us. 

At first, I was reluctant to take on the story of Sarah. When other theologians speak of her, one of two things happen. The first is that she is lifted up and revered as being a mother of the faith, one who heard God speak, and demonstrated faith as a partner to Abraham. The second is that she is fraught with scandal, who laughed at and lied to God, and that she became complicit in the abuse of another woman. Rarely are both discussed together. As I reflect on Sarah I want to hold all of her, even the parts we don’t want to look at, even when they are in tension with who we want Sarah to be for us. 

The first thing I noticed is that Sarah herself is not unfamiliar with the harm and violence that patriarchy causes women. She would have been owned by her father, who likely received payment for her hand in marriage. She is barren and seen as useless. This is perhaps why Abram seems to have no qualms “giving” her in marriage to Pharaoh to protect his own life. Of course, when Pharaoh learns of this trickery, he sends them both away. The slimy thing here is that Abram gets to keep his spoils of offering his wife to another man. 

After this we get the story of God making a covenant with Abram, and even though he is childless – which Abram makes quite a gripe about – God promises Abram that he will have as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. As he continues to be childless, I imagine that Sarai heard these complaints of his nearest heir being Elizer of Damascus. I imagine she felt the pressure to fulfill a role as a wife. I imagine she felt the pressure to help make God’s promise come to be. There is no way she can see herself as bearing a child, so she does what she thinks she needs to do to save the dreams of her husband and offers her Egyptian slave, Hagar. Ultimately doing so much harm, and usurping God’s plan in the process!

But all of this does not change God’s plan for Sarah to be included in the birthing of a great people. Sure, it complicates things, and the situation is complex! She is old and barren and has already worked it out so that Abraham will have an heir in Ishmael. Yet, God’s promises remained true and Sarah gave birth to Isaac. Sarah remains a faithful participant in God’s story with humanity.

I am reminded of many things in my reflection. First is that hurt people, hurt people. When we are hurt and hurting, we tend to be reactive and are unable to see how our actions may harm others. The second is, we are immensely capable of being both sinner and saint. Sarah’s complicity in the harm of Hagar does not negate her from the promise of God, but it also dramatically changed their relationship. I wonder if Sarah’s harsh treatment of Hagar tells us more about Sarah’s reaction to her own brokenness, putting the hoped for thing before the faithful thing. 

But I am left with a renewed compassion for Sarah, and a reminder to acknowledge the ways we have been harmed by other humans and to remember that God is a God who does not ask us to sacrifice relationships or life to fulfill the things that God promises. 

How have hurt and trauma impacted your life negatively? How has hurt and trauma revealed an inner resilience, or led you to make an impact in the world? Where do you find God’s promises revealed? What reminds you of God’s promises?

Reclaiming our Stories: Eve

by Sarah Locke

Read more of Eve's story: Genesis 1; 2; 3:1-23; 4:1-15 

"The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife, and clothed them" (Genesis 3:20-21). 

There is a lot that can be said about the story of Eve. In fact, a lot has already been said about Eve, and generally speaking, it has not been favorable to her or the rest of her sex. But what seems to be the very end of Eve’s story is my favorite part. She would become “the mother of all the living,” so her name would literally mean “to give life.” 

Unlike Adam, who is made from the soil and would toil in the soil, Eve was made from the living and brings forth life into all the world. Her name, even without knowing all the details of the narrative, tells the story of a woman who will go forth into the world, providing for the world, abiding in God’s command to be fruitful and multiply, creating as God first created. 

Even before I became pregnant with our son, my husband and I talked endlessly about names. We looked up meanings of names, thought of people we admired, and went back and forth until we settled on something that felt right. Eventually we decided on Bennet Alexander. Bennet is the surname of my favorite literary family from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. It also means “blessed.” Alexander is my brother’s middle name and means “defender,” making Bennet Alexander a “blessed defender,” something we hope he will grow into some day. 

Regardless of how we read these stories in Genesis— as history, as allegory, or as truth— this is strong encouragement to women throughout the world who are given the names of their ancestors. May it give courage to those who are named into a legacy, those whose names carry the weight of thousands of women before them, and those whose names hold deep and abiding meaning for the namers. Eve would give life to all living. Even us. Especially us. 

What is the story of your name? Does it have significant meaning? Does it hold a certain power or give you a certain power? If you could choose meaning for your name (and you can), what would you choose? Who would you be? How does your name give life to all living?

28 Days with the Women of Genesis

Some people need to read scripture every day, while others feel the need to dive deep just once a week. In an effort to help both groups learn more about the women of the Bible, I have come up with a 28-day reading plan that focuses specifically on the women of Genesis. I hope that we can look more deeply at their stories and notice when their voices are lifted up in scripture and when they are silenced. 

We will also be releasing a weekly Bible study called "Reclaiming Our Stories: Women of Genesis" that focuses on all of these women every Monday, starting May 4. So you'll want to be on the lookout for that. We have six incredible folks contributing to that Bible study, so I am especially delighted to see it come to fruition. 

Some questions to consider when you read these stories: 

• How is this woman introduced? 
• What do you notice about this woman's story as you read it? If you have read this story before, are you noticing anything new? 
• How is this woman's voice amplified or silenced in this story? 
• What does this woman tell us about God's love? 

Eve

Day 1 - Genesis 1

Day 2 - Genesis 2 

Day 3 - Genesis 3

Noah’s Wife 

Day 4 - Genesis 6:5-22; 

Day 5 - Genesis 7

Day 6 - Genesis 8 

Day 7 - Genesis 9:1-17

Sarai/Sarah and Hagar 

Day 8 - Genesis 12

Day 9 - Genesis 13

Day 10 - Genesis 14

Day 11 - Genesis 15

Day 12 - Genesis 16 

Day 13 - Genesis 17 

Day 14 - Genesis 18:1-15  

Day 15 - Genesis 21:1-21

Lot’s Wife

Day 16 - Genesis 19

Rebekah

Day 17 - Genesis 24

Day 18 - Genesis 25:19-34

Day 19 - Genesis 26 

Day 20 - Genesis 27 

Rachel & Leah // Bilhah & Zilpah 

Day 21 - Genesis 29

Day 22 - Genesis 30 

Day 23 - Genesis 31 

Day 24 - Genesis 32 

Day 25 - Genesis 33 

Dinah 

Day 26 - Genesis 34

Tamar 

Day 27 - Genesis 38

Potiphar’s Wife 

Day 28 - Genesis 39

Reading the Acts of the Apostles in 30 Days

I've been really craving the Word lately, but all of the reading plans I found were something like "read the Bible in 30 seconds!" and I feel like all I have is time right now, so I wanted something a little lower-pressure. So I made my own to share with you. I hope you'll join me! 

Day 1 - 1–1:26 - Transition: reprise of the preface addressed to Theophilus and the closing events of the gospel

Petrine Christianity: the Jewish church from Jerusalem to Antioch (Acts 2:1–12:25)

2:1–8:1 – beginnings in Jerusalem

Day 2 - 2:1-47

Day 3 - 3:1-26

Day 4 - 4:1-37

Day 5 - 5:1-42

Day 6 - 6:1-15

Day 7 - 7:1-8:1 

Day 8 - 8:2–40 – the church expands to Samaria and beyond

Day 9 - 9:1–31 – conversion of Paul

9:32–12:25 – the conversion of Cornelius, and the formation of the Antioch church

Day 10 - 9:32-43

Day 11 - 10:1-48

Day 12 - 11:1-30 

Day 13 - 12:1-25

Pauline Christianity: the Gentile mission from Antioch to Rome (Acts 13:1–28:21)

13:1–14:28 – the Gentile mission is promoted from Antioch

Day 14 - 13:1-52

Day 15 - 14:1-28

Day 16 - 15:1–35 – the Gentile mission is confirmed in Jerusalem

15:36–28:31 – the Gentile mission, climaxing in Paul's passion story in Rome (21:17–28:31)

Day 17 - 15:36-41

Day 18 - 16:1-40

Day 19 - 17:1-34

Day 20 - 18:1-28 

Day 21 - 19:1-41 

Day 22 - 20:1-38

Day 23 - 21:1-40 

Day 24 - 22:1-30

Day 25 - 23:1-35 

Day 26 - 24:1-27

Day 27 - 25:1-27

Day 28 - 26:1-32 

Day 29 - 27:1-44 

Day 30 - 28:1-31