“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)
The ancient Hebrew people believed that man could not have direct fellowship with God, and rightly so. God cannot have fellowship with man even though He desires to do so because He is holy but man is so sinful. The fact that God appeared to anyone without killing the person with His awesome Glory is a cause for wonder. Yet He met with Abraham and his household because He had already declared Abraham righteous and had made a covenant with him. And in this case, God veiled His Glory and appeared as a man, or three men.
Abraham and Sarah met the LORD God Almighty, Yahweh Himself. Can’t you just imagine the scene? The Lord God sat with Abraham in the shade of the trees, relaxed and at ease, eating, talking, laughing. Just imagine how 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 the child Isaac.
God delights to live among us His people and to fellowship with us. He does so only by declaring us righteous. This He has done in the covenant of Baptism, sealed by water and His Word. He confirms the covenant every time we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. He gives to us the grace and strength we need to live lives in the midst of a world that is hostile to God and His servants. Every time we partake of the body and blood in the sacrament of the Lord’s Table we gather around that table with Jesus, with God. It is a Theophany, a meeting with God Himself. Maybe more people would come to Church if they knew they could meet with God as Abraham and Sarah did and receive His blessing. Let us invite them.