This sermon is a terrific opportunity in the season of Pentecost to give a teaching on the Holy Trinity with an emphasis on the mystery of God.
When I open my devotion book,[1] I am greeted by a strange sight. On the left-hand side of the book is an icon titled “The Hospitality of Abraham/The Icon of the Holy Trinity” and on the left is an explanation of this prayer made of art. The icon depicts the scene from our reading.
The three angels are there sitting at the table, but to the adept readers of iconography, there is something off about this image. What appears to be angels may actually be something more. All of them are equal and yet three distinct persons. They all wear blue. For the uninitiated, in Orthodox iconography blue is reserved for divinity. The one on the far left has blue which is hidden by orange. It is as if you were not meant to be able to see the divinity but, surprisingly, the blue radiates through the orange which is the color of glory (John 1:18).
The middle person has both blue and red in equal measure on. The red is the color of the earth but what is more is you notice how this angel is dressed in the way that only Jesus is dressed in icons, both God and man (not 50/50 but 100/100). This scene becomes curiouser and curiouser.
Then the visitor on the far right has the same blue, and yet also green which is the color in icons for life. This is a strange scene indeed, probably as odd as Abraham felt upon his unexpected visitation in our text.
The far left we see a city above them, the middle has a tree above him and the far right has an image of a mountain. All three sit in a perfect circle with three chalices present. One chalice on the table, one at the foot of the table, and one formed by the negative space between the far left and far right visitor with the middle visitor above the chalice in a eucharistic way, formed from the frame their bodies make.
Now, I could go on and on, but you are catching the point. There is obviously something more happening in this icon, just as there is something more going on in our text. There is unmistakable trinitarian imagery in both, yet these are three angels. What is the deal?
It is reasonable to think Abraham probably felt the same way. The fifteenth century Russian iconographer Andrei Rublev makes this mystery come to life. The mystery is found in the first verse of our reading and the last verse. It is the word LORD, in all capital letters. In our Bible, when Lord is spelled LORD, it is not for emphasis. It is to point out something meaningful and hidden in our text. Namely, the covenant name of God: “Yahweh.” Whenever you see it spelled LORD, you know God is present.
But Abraham does not get it at first. In verse 3, he simply calls Him “Lord.” It is a kindly address for a hospitable host. Abraham is being gracious to his visitors, but it would, in fact, be the LORD Himself who would be gracious to Abraham. It is true that God would grant Abraham and Sarah a son. The promise of this son would be redemption for their family but also eventually and in a far greater way it would mean redemption for all humanity in God’s only begotten promised Son, Jesus Christ (see Matthew’s genealogy for Christ through Abraham in Matthew 1).
The promise of this son would be redemption for their family but also eventually and in a far greater way it would mean redemption for all humanity in God’s only begotten promised Son, Jesus Christ.
This sermon is a terrific opportunity in the season of Pentecost to give a teaching on the Holy Trinity with an emphasis on the mystery of God. In this text, it is the mystery of the visitation of God to Abraham and Sarah and the giving of the promised son. In this icon it is the mystery of the visitation of the Holy Trinity in the same scene. However, in iconography, strictly speaking, this scene does not depict God, because only Jesus alone, the God-man, can be a direct representation of the Godhead. This icon is meant to provide us with an opportunity to prayerfully consider the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). Taking time in this sermon to teach the mystery of the revelation of God as Trinity along with the gracious giving of God through the promised Son, Jesus Christ, will give your hearers an opportunity to join Abraham and Sarah in the wonderment of the mystery of the visitation of God through the visitation of these three “Angels.” Likewise, using this icon as a tool to deepen our reflection on this text will allow your hearers to experience the LORD and His work among us through Word and promise.
The Central Image Based Structure will be best for facilitating the development of a sermon on this text.
This sermon structure uses a single image throughout the sermon and fosters devotional contemplation of an image.
In the opening of the sermon, the preacher describes the image for the hearers. The preacher then uses that image as a source for continuing devotional contemplation throughout the sermon: The image serves as a lens through which one views the textual exposition, the theological confession, the evangelical proclamation, and the hearer interpretation of the sermon. Having a single image lends coherence to the sermon.
As the preacher returns to the image periodically throughout the sermon, he may approach it in one of two ways, through a single focus or a multiple focus.
With a single focus, the image remains the same throughout the sermon. The preacher may approach that image from one perspective (for example, viewing the image from the perspective of the artist who created it) or the preacher may approach that image from a variety of perspectives (for example, viewing the same image from the perspective of different people who come into contact with it), but the image itself remains the same.
If approaching the image from one perspective, the sermon can reinforce a single theme in a variety of situations. For example, the first encounter with the image can establish a theme and then, as the preacher uses the image again in the sermon, it can locate that theme in relation to the text and then, later, in relation to the hearers.
If approaching the image from a variety of perspectives, the sermon can develop or unfold the theme. For example, the first encounter with the image could evoke an interpretation that will later be expanded or even corrected in the sermon. By changing how the image is seen, the hearers are able to track the basic development of a larger theme in the sermon. Each stage of development (for example, moving from a misconception to a clearer vision, moving from application in terms of one’s relationship to God to application in terms of one’s relationship to others, or moving from repentance to forgiveness and finally to restoration) is captured by preaching the image through a different perspective.
With a multiple focus, each time the preacher returns to the image, he focuses on a different aspect of that image. The preacher may begin by looking at the whole image and then focus on one detail and then another. Or he may look at smaller details and, at the conclusion of the sermon, consider the image as a whole. If the image is displayed, the preacher may crop the image so only a small detail is revealed, helping the hearers focus on that particular aspect at that point in the sermon. In terms of the progression of the sermon, the image itself serves as a map of the ideas of the sermon, each portion meditated upon at different points in the sermon. For example, the preacher may use an artistic representation of a biblical event to walk the hearers through the text, slowing down the progression of the story to meditate upon various individuals and their experience of the event.”[2]
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out out 1517’s resources on Genesis 18:1-10a (10b-14);.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Genesis 18:1-10a (10b-14);.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
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[1] For All the Saints: A Prayer Book for and By the Church, Volume II, Tear 1: The Season After Pentecost. ALPB: Delhi, NY, 1995. 34-35.
[2] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/dynamic/imagistic-structures/central-image/
