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Thousands of years before Mary, Hagar has a similar encounter with God. She finds herself in an extremely vulnerable position, pregnant and utterly alone. Enslaved by Abram and Sarai, she has been forced by Sarai to conceive Abram’s firstborn child. As soon as Hagar becomes pregnant, Sarai treats her harshly. Hagar flees into the wilderness.
When Hagar is at her most vulnerable, God finds her. God calls out to her by name and declares God’s favor. In response, Hagar boldly declares God’s power and grace by giving God a name. She is the only person in all of scripture to do this! “You are El-Roi,” Hagar proclaims – the “God who sees” (Genesis 16:13).
Talk about turning the world right-side-up! God who sees looks with favor, not on the most powerful in our midst, but on the most vulnerable – those whom we as God’s people fail, reject and marginalize. God is at work beyond our failings, turning the world right-side-up. God invites us to join in this repair work, to repent of our sin and rejoice in God’s boundless love. God’s topsy-turvy work is our work as well.
This message is excerpted from “God’s topsy-turvy kingdom” by Hannah Hawkinson in the November/December 2023 Gather magazine.