“I
promise to be best friends--forever.”
“I promise to be your loving and faithful husband/wife in plenty and in
need, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health.” “I promise to faithfully uphold the
duties of the office of . . .”
What promises have you
made?
Today’s
text recalls the story of God’s covenant with Abraham. Three promises comprise
this covenant. 1. God promises to bequeath to Abraham a new land of
inheritance--not the land of Ur where he was born and grew up. 2. God promises to make of Abraham a great nation--blessed with
descendants that number as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand by the
sea. 3. God promises to bless Abraham’s family in such a way that through
them, all families of the earth will receive God’s blessings. This story sets the stage for all the
other stories in the Bible about God’s relationship with us--God’s people.
At
the beginning of this story, Abraham had no prior experience with this
promising God, so he had no evidence that God’s word could be trusted. Yet, with the assurance of things hoped
for, and with the conviction of things not yet seen, Abraham placed himself,
his household, and his flocks in God’s hands.
The
writer of the book of Hebrews holds Abraham up as a model of faith. He accepted God’s invitation--“I will
be your God.” Following God’s
lead, stepping out of the comfortable familiar, Abraham ventured into the
unknown. His faith is
characterized by journey. So,
faith for Abraham was not a belief, as in believing the words of a creed. Abraham’s faith involved
action--physically moving from his homeland.
Moving
one’s entire household takes time . . . even in 21st century America
with hand trucks for loading and large vans for driving, it takes time to move
one’s entire household. For
Abraham it meant traveling a few miles a day, stopping along the way for
animals to graze, scouting out water sources, and pitching camp when it came
time for lambing. Abraham’s faith required a significant investment of time--time
not only for moving his household, but time also for developing the family God
promised as heirs.
Abraham’s
faith involved significant trust as well.
Perhaps anxious and possibly fearful, Abraham set out from his
birthplace and home base trusting God.
Traveling west from the land of Ur, Abraham and his family encounter
deserts, and they trust God to guide them from one oasis to the next. They encounter other peoples--foreign
to them, and they trust God to protect them. They encounter wilderness areas, and they trust God to
provide for them.
Abraham’s
faith involved obedience.
Submitting himself to God, Abraham obeyed God’s command to leave his
homeland. Submitting himself to
God, Abraham allowed God to guide his journey.
Abraham’s
faith involved hopeful expectation.
God will deliver on God’s promise of a new land, a land of
inheritance not only for Abraham but also for the many descendents God is
promising him. God will
deliver on God’s promise of blessing--in such abundance that the blessings will
spill over to all families of the earth.
Years
later, Abraham, his wife Sarah, his children, his servants, and his flocks
finally arrive in the land God has promised. Still living in tents--not yet
owning the land--Abraham comes to the end of his life a sojourner in the land
promised by God. It will be another 500 years before his descendants take
ownership of this land. But because of his faith, Abraham places just as much
value on God’s promise as on the full realization of it.
With
only one legitimate heir, and nearing the end of his life, Abraham faithfully
clings to God’s promise to make of him a great nation--with descendants
numbering as the stars in the sky.
Why? Because Abraham can look
back at the journey behind him and see evidence of God’s protection, God’s
provision, God’s fulfilled promises along the way. Sometimes we can see more
clearly God’s moving in our lives as we look back on our past.
Pondering
Abraham’s story, I wondered how the life of this church has reflected faithful
following of God’s direction. 146
years ago, 16 men and women began the journey of faith for First Presbyterian
Church. They obeyed God’s
call to charter a Presbyterian church in Paola, KS. Perusing the histories prepared for the 75th, 100th,
and 125th anniversary celebrations; listening to stories from
life-long members; and reading letters and memoirs from long-deceased saints of
this church, I see themes in this journey of faith. One is the focus on nurturing the faith of children
and youth. In the 1930s, Miss
Pearl Hopkins’ Sunday school class decided which Bible stories their stained
glass window would depict. In the
1940s and 1950s, Miss Berenice Boyd Wallace connected the stories in the Bible
with the lives of her junior high students--teaching them to live the
pledge: “I pledge myself to do for
others such work as Jesus would do if he were here in person.” Since the late
1970s, various teachers have helped the youngest children in our community to
develop physically, emotionally, and intellectually through our PreSchool
ministry. For over 80 years, we’ve
partnered with Scouts to build strength of character in boys and youth. Our history reflects obedience
to God’s call.
Like
Abraham leaving the comfort and familiarity of home, this congregation has
stepped out into the uncomfortable unknown. In the late 1960s, the Presbyterian Women pioneered a Thrift
Shop ministry. Facing opposition
of established leadership on the Session, J. P., G. W. and other Presbyterian
Women planned, prepared, and worked tirelessly to begin this ministry which has
grown and continues to this day. They wanted to provide good used clothing for
people facing economic hardships. Looking
back on this time, J. told me--“Mari Lyn, anytime you do something different,
there’s going to be opposition. We encountered opposition, but we just stuck
with our ministry.” Our history reflects tenacity--insisting that our resources
be used as a blessing to others even when it means stepping out into the
unknown.
Over
the last 2 years our journeys of faith have intersected and coincided. I brought my passion for including,
welcoming, and working with children to your historical focus on nurturing
children and families. Connections
between the church and scouts and between the church and PreSchool were
strengthened as your pastor personally related with families touched by these
ministries. We accepted the
mantles of Mrs. Berenice Boyd Wallace and Miss Pearl Hopkins’ to teach our
children the faith. The scope was widened--Sunday School and worship. The
focus group was widened--including children from outside this congregation--in
our day camp. This summer’s day
camp was a natural extension of a deeply-rooted connection between this church
and Heartland center camps--a connection that nurtures the development of faith
in our children.
You
invited me into your journey as we visited in your homes, as we held hands in
hospital rooms, as we faced and grieved the deaths of loved ones, as we
celebrated personal milestones and family members’ achievements, as we laughed
and played together.
Our
journeys of faith intersected and coincided for 2 years. And now they separate. We will continue
our journeys of faith--we’re just taking different paths. Because faith has a long memory and
profits from previous experiences, we will continue. Because faith
hopes--looking beyond the immediate future and into the future God has planned
ultimately, we will continue.
Because faith is tenacious and enduring, accepting God’s promises to be
as good as the full realization of those promises, we will continue.
Because faith involves trust,
we will continue. Even though we
do not know exactly where God is leading either of us, we will continue on our
journeys of faith. Discerning the
direction God is guiding us is part of our faith journey. And because faith is
action, we will continue.
We
will continue because we trust that God keeps God’s promises. 11 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says
the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with
hope.[1] May our journeys of faith continue to be
life-giving and renewing for each of us as individuals and for us as the body
of Christ, the church universal.
Amen.
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