Well not exactly, at least not in the way that our pop culture would describe it. Most of us are familiar with the term “enchanted forest” that appears in folklore, fairy tales and Disney movies. The idea being that the forest is where strange, magical and transformational things might occur or unusual people might appear. In Abraham and Sarah’s forest, strange and transformational things did happen. Meeting up with the three visitors from heaven changed the direction of their lives and caused them to live differently. So in this case, you might really say it was an enchanted forest.
I am reminded of the recent Disney movie that came out several years ago called “Enchanted”. In the movie, Princess Giselle leaves her cartoon world to visit earth. During her stay she meets up with a lawyer from New York City. At first, her strange behavior of always looking on the bright side, naively believing in true love and inviting others to sing and dance with her in the park seems, well, psychotic and dangerous to him. But as the plot unfolds, he is drawn to this strange and wonderful way of viewing life and his heart is warmed.
As Christians, we are also invited to live in an enchanted world… where the spirit of God is moving, healing, and breaking through; landing on person’s heads with flaming tongues of fire, filling our nets until they burst with an unexpected catch, multiplying bread and fish, turning water into wine. We are to notice the song the rocks are singing, the clapping of the trees, and the stories the heavens are telling of the Creator. Perhaps this may even seem psychotic to some at times… that we actually believe this stuff. And yet, there is a longing to believe in something greater than ourselves; for a life that is more than just going through the motions, believing in a myth and gaining possessions and power. There is a place within the heart of each human being that longs for the enchanted presence of the Spirit that gives them breath.
When Sarah overheard the three visitors say that she would give birth to a child, she literally laughed out loud. How could this be? Her reaction was not too unlike the lawyer’s reaction to Princess Giselle in “Enchanted”. Perhaps we are closer to the reaction of Sarah and the lawyer than we think. Have we lost a sense of enchantment with the Divine? Do we quickly dismiss divine encounters as coincidences?