•           covenant – Connected to these promises is the notion of covenant, an earlier version of which shows up in chp. 15.  The covenant will be the primary metaphor to understand Israel’s relationship with Yahweh.  The covenant—symbolized, institutionalized, and concretized in circumcision—offers Israel “the gift of hope, the reality of identity, the possibility of belonging, and the certitude of vocation.”[1]

•           autonomy and the sacred – Biblical faith is never cerebral.  It is always lived and acted . . . Circumcision as a positive theological symbol functioned in Israel as a metaphor for serious, committed faith . . . such religious symbols/acts hold enormous potential for empowerment of faith.  But there is a also risk, for the symbol may lose its theological intent and vitality.  It then takes on a life of its own.  And in its autonomy, it may become an empty form, nurturing self-deception.  Or it may become an instrument of oppression and conformity.  As an empty form or as a lever of conformity, it immobilizes rather than empowers . . . It is equally important to ask about the temptation to autonomy in our own signs, symbols, and sacraments.  Thus, for example, is it possible that baptism has also taken on a life of it’s own which has no intrinsic relation to the claims of faith? [2]

 

•           What are some of the cherished religious sacraments, symbols, and traditions that you grew up with? 

•           When do such things become empty?  How can a community ensure that such sacred acts, symbols, and traditions will empower rather than oppress our faith?

•           Walter Brueggemann provides excellent fodder for the homily as he explores the ancient rite and ritual of circumcision with the Christian practice of baptism.  Both face a similar challenge: to empower and nourish faith or to atrophy into a meaningless or even oppressive thing.   It would be useful to refer to this ancient covenantal institution of circumcision as a way to explore our own sacrament of baptism in a way that allow us to better understand and experience the full-important and intention of the rite.[3]

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[1] Walter Brueggemann, Interpretation Series: Genesis (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1982), p. 154.

[2] Ibid, page 155.

[3] See Brueggemann’s discussion in Interpretation, pp. 153-156.