“And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, ‘O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on— since you have come to your servant.'” (Genesis 18:1-4)
A theophany is an appearance of the Lord God Almighty to a human being. But anyone who desires such an appearance with God, to see Him face to face, had better beware. The ancient Hebrew people believed that no man could have such intimate and direct contact with God. This is because the Lord God is holy but man is not. Man is tainted and corrupted by sin. God’s holiness would destroy the sinner who comes to Him unless God changes that one and declares him or her righteous. The Lord God could safely meet with Abraham and his household because He had declared Abraham righteous. The Lord had made a covenant with him. God veiled His Glory for this visit and appeared as a man, or in fact, three men.
The Lord God sat with Abraham and Sarah in the shade of the trees, relaxed and at ease, eating, talking, laughing. God must have smiled at the hospitality of Sarah and Abraham and enjoyed the food Sarah had set out, veal, bread and cheese. Think how much pleasure He must have felt when He told Abraham the good news about the birth of a son and saw his reaction. He even was pleased with Sarah’s laughter. It is quite humorous that at her advanced age she could have a child especially since she was barren. So her laughter is remembered with the name of her son Isaac.
God delights to live among us His people and to fellowship with us. He does this by declaring us righteous through the blood sacrifice of Christ on the cross. He confirms this in the covenant of Baptism where we are sealed by water and His Word and by faith. He further strengthens this covenant every time we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. He grants forgiveness of sins as well as the grace and strength we need to live lives in the midst of a world that is hostile to Him and His Church. Every time we partake of the body and blood in the sacrament of the Lord’s Table we gather around that table with Jesus. It is a Theophany, a meeting with God Himself one which can imperil the spiritual life of the unrepentant sinner who partakes in a unworthy manner but one which blesses and comforts those who come humbly by faith saying: “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”