Scripture: Genesis 12:1–9
Could you imagine the conversation around the dinner table that night? “So, Sarai, I had a conversation today…with God, you know, the Creator of Heaven and Earth? And he has a project he’d like us to consider. And you know those neighbors that annoy you all the time? Good news!!!”
Could you imagine that conversation, and probably many, many other that followed it? “Go to a land that I will show you.”
Imagine the vulnerability that they had to consider. Sarai and Abram would have chosen to leave behind security, and protection, and identity, and their social network, and their community,…for a life of alienation, uncertainty, and insecurity.
And consider their age. I don’t know how many 75-year-olds would be excited for a trip like this. Perhaps they were a little wiser and more willing to see what really mattered. Perhaps they were more set in their ways and such a move was even more difficult than it would be for a younger person. Perhaps the thought of riding on the back of a camel for an undisclosed period of time was just about enough for Abram and Sarai to say “are you sure you meant for us to go, God?”
And consider what kind of personality it would take to say yes to something like that. I asked the kids [during the children’s sermon]…now what would you say? “If you were going to move tomorrow, what would you make sure that you would pack?” Will it be cold there, or hot? Will I have a lot of space, or need to pack light? Will I wish I had more, or wish I had less? Will I ever come back, or will this be permanent? For those of us on the “control freak” side of the scale, the Abram and Sarai’s story seems a little terrifying, doesn’t it?
I have been on several trips this summer, so packing has been on my mind, and it strikes me that there is a spectrum of travelers. On one side are the “just enjoy the ride” folks. These folks might tend to underpack, because they are fine figuring it out on the fly. But then on the other side… can we say “luggage weight limit?” I hate to use a term like “control freak,” but if the shoe fits? Or the extra bag that you bring…full of only shoes? I mean, what if you need a pair just for this outfit, and another for this one, and another in case you buy another outfit. For me, I need a pair of road running shoes, and trail running shoes, and hiking shoes, and you know, normal shoes. How many of us pack for every temperature possible on the trip? Or just in case we get stranded and need backup socks for our backup socks! Or, how many of you take more books on a week-long trip than you could possibly read in six months, because you aren’t sure what you want to read?!
Vulnerability. Age. Personality. All of these things could have been reasons why Sarai and Abram said no to God. But they didn’t. Thus, they become our first Biblical examples in our series about “Faith in Action.” Over the next several weeks, we are going to dig deeper into some important questions. We have already heard about Trina’s journey of Faith in Action. Last week, hopefully you were able to witness some amazing stories from folks who went to Nicaragua this summer, and encountered Faith in Action. But ours is not a consumer faith. It is not a Netflix binge-watch faith, where we get to scroll through and pick who we want to watch on a given night. The stories that we are going to hear are meant to help us ask “what does Faith in Action look like in our lives?” Let us let their story invite us to think about our own faith….
1. What are you gifted for?
The story of Genesis 12 actually starts in Genesis 11. The first 11 chapters of the book tend to be more universal and primal and cosmic. But then, near the end of the eleventh chapter, that cosmic story starts to funnel down to one family. In this family was a father, by the name of Terah, who had three sons, but one of them died. The story in Genesis 11 tells us that Terah planned to take his remaining two sons, and their families, and the family of the son who died, into a place called Canaan, where they would settle. And then…they didn’t. The story doesn’t say what kept them from following the plan, just that they got stuck. It wasn’t until the next generation, after Sarai and Abram had grieved the death of Terah, that they were able to get unstuck and begin the journey.
What gifts did Sarai and Abram possess that the previous generation did not? This question has been at the heart of midrashic Jewish scholarship for millennia. What made them different? Was theirs a different personality? Or a stronger faith? Were they more open to the leading of God? Or simply up for the adventure? Maybe they lived on the side of the scale where they didn’t need to know exactly what was coming next…closer to “just enjoy the ride!”
The point of such creative scholarship isn’t to nail down and answer. It is to help us to ask more questions. What gifts do we possess that prepare us to put our faith into action? What talents? What personality? What experiences? What are we gifted for? Sarai and Abram’s story suggests that it is not always the most talented, not always the most righteous, not always the folks that society would look at with admiration…who get the job done. Are we ready to take a good, hard look at what we might be gifted for, even if it means seeing ourselves through God’s eyes and not those of the world around us?
2. Who are your partners?
This is a big part of the story that sometimes gets left out. God showed up and talked to Abram alone, but Abram didn’t go alone! We sing the song about Father Abraham, but he wouldn’t have been able to become Father Abraham without Mother Sarai! Her role in the story is often complex, as many marriages are. But don’t overlook it. Sarai matters in this story, and she is a crucial partner in Abram’s journey. There are others. Lot was the son of the brother who was killed, and his role is not to be overlooked either. Again, his part in the story gets complicated down the road, but what if it was Lot who encouraged the party not to give up when energy was waiting? What if his gifts were what was needed at some crucial moment? What if the partnership wouldn’t have made it without Lot? Finally, of course, God is the most important partner to the journey. God has the vision. God delivers the promise. God shows the way. Again, don’t underestimate the fact that God chooses to trust this wandering Aramean and his family to build a covenant people with. God willingly chooses to partner, to leave space, and to trust. Before Abram and Sarai have faith, God has faith in them.
So, who are your partners? Who is your squad? None of us live out our faith in action alone. Is there someone who you can call up and drag with you to try out a new mission opportunity? Is there someone who will be honest with you and tell you that you are crazy…but support you anyway? Do you have a cheerleader? A mentor? A protégé? A wise sage? A devil’s advocate? Who are your partners? And of course, what is God whispering in your ear along the way? How is God trusting you to be the hands and feet of Christ? Does God have more faith in you than you have in yourself? Who are your partners?
3. Are you prepared to take the first step?
Perhaps this is the question that Sarai and Abram are most known for. That phrase, “go to a land I will show you,” feels like the core of the story, doesn’t it? Because they obey, they become the progenitors of countless generations, three faiths, and descendants as many as stars in the sky! But they didn’t accomplish all of that, even within their lifetime. They took the first step. They packed up and left.
That big step was a big first step. But they didn’t have to know all of the steps to take the first one. It feels cliché because of how often it is used, but it isn’t less true. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s quote paints a picture, doesn’t it: “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase” Sarai and Abram did just that. They weren’t sure what the whole journey would be, but they took the first step of it.
What is your first step? How might you embrace a call to be the hands and feet of Jesus today? Maybe it is an assessment tool, to discern your gifts. Maybe it is as simple as an internet search, to learn more about an organization. Maybe it is a test run, to volunteer with an organization for an afternoon. Don’t feel like you have to see the whole staircase, before you take the first step. Abram and Sarai heard “Go…” so they went.
4. Are you prepared for the long game?
Did you notice how the passage that I read ends today? “Abram and Sarai got to the Promised Land and lived happily ever after!” NO! It was really more of a drive-by. An overlook like one of those pull-offs in the national park. They get to Canaan, and God tells them, “yup, that’s it over there. Your offspring is going to get to settle in that land. Take a good look and the move along.” Abram and Sarai weren’t the end of the line…not even close! The language that God uses is that of blessing. But not blessing like we use sometimes—#blessed—which is really about us getting to possess or consume or own. God doesn’t seem to care much about that short-sighted, greed-driven model of blessing. Read it again: the role of Sarai and Abram were going to be able to bless others….eventually. They weren’t going to make it up the staircase, but their first step mattered. Their role was to do their part, and then pass the baton for others to continue.
Are we prepared to put our faith into action, even if we don’t reap any kind of rewards? Are we ready to be the hands and feet of Christ, if it doesn’t come with a mani-pedi? So much of the work of Jesus is thankless, preparatory, glory-free groundwork. Are we ready to advocate for affordable housing, even if we aren’t the ones that get to see it built? Are we ready to do our part to pay off the mortgage, even if we don’t get to see the fruitful ministry that follows? Are we ready to have that conversation, even if its full impact doesn’t sink in for another decade? Abram and Sarai were not the recipients of the full blessing…they were the starting point. In this quick-result, stats-driven, personal-glory world, that kind of long game feels out of touch. But maybe it is exactly what faith in action looks like. What did Scott tell us last week? Sometimes Faith in Action is Faith in Waiting? That was definitely the case for Abram and Sarai.
But even in the waiting, they worshipped. Abram and Sarai stopped at that pull-off, where God told them their offspring would eventually possess. But in order to acknowledge and mark that time and place, Abram built an altar. A promise. A memorial and a future goal. “We’ll be back,” they seemed to say. Are we willing to worship in the waiting? Are we willing to play the long game?
If you were going to engage in “Faith in Action” tomorrow, what would you make sure that you would pack? What gifts do you possess that might be needed for the journey? How might God use your specific set of talents and experiences to be the hands and feet of Christ?
When I first walked into my seminary church, the greeter at the front door greeted us, told us he was glad that we were there, that he’d love if we found a place and settled in…and then got to work. Whether or not the Greeter Team knew that he welcomed folks like that (!), it stuck with me. He knew, and that church knew, that Faith requires Action. Abram and Sarai knew it, as have God’s people through the generations. This series, and this season, and this week, I pray that you remember your calling, too. Don’t give up, even if it feels like God is far away. For God is in this for the long game with you!
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