Rev. Dustin ParkerThe Destination Chosen
Concordia Lutheran Church
Lent 2, March 20, 2011
The Destination Chosen
Gen 12:1-9 – John 3:1-17
† IN HIS NAME †
As we see the cross lifted high before our eyes, as we realize the love of God that pours out from that wonderful cross, may the glorious gift of God’s merciful love overflow in your life, washing over those around you!
A Journey Home
But a home we haven’t been to?
Where we should be… where we know peace
It is supposed to be a place of rest, of security. It’s the place we long to return to, after a long trip, or just a long day. It is where we are comfortable and accepted, where nothing else can invade. It is no wonder that we say “a man’s home is his castle.”
It is often more than a house, in fact, for some the house were we presently live may not really be considered “home”, but simple the house we live in, until such time as we can make it “back home.” Sometimes I fit in that category, as I wonder about returning home to New Hampshire, and the lakes and mountains where I wandered as a kid.
Home is the place the heart seeks when there is stress, where there is unrest, where there is the unknown. It is the place where we feel at peace.
In today’s Old Testament, we see the beginning of a trip, “home.” A trip started by Abraham’s father, but distracted by the world, never completed. God calls Abraham to continue the journey, to leave the place and people he knew, from the place his father called home. God had a plan, a destination chosen for Abraham, and for those who would follow in His steps.
The journey to a home, would require trust, for the journey would take a long time. Indeed we continue this journey today, those for whom Abraham is an ancestor, not necessarily by blood. We are his descendants, the ones who come after him, who trust in his God.
As we journey toward life, toward the cross where our life began, we will talk about the destination – home - set by God, and the journey undertook by Abraham, and indeed our journey.
Abe’s need for a home
Joshua 24:2
Delivered from, delivered to – God’s provision and destination all the way
The promise and the presence
We begin to understand the journey’s context, not from this passage, but from one 500-600 years later, in the same place that marked Abraham’s entrance into the land at Shechem: Joshua 24:1-3 (ESV)
1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many.
As Joshua settles the people into the Holy Land, we catch a glimpse of two important details. The first is that God is not just calling Abraham from his people, and from his father’s home, but from a place of idolatry, out of the darkness of being enslaved to other gods. Such a common thread – wherever we see God moving people, there always seems to be some spiritual darkness and idolatry attached. So it was here, as Terah had settled in a place where people served false gods. Or perhaps, people enslaved themselves to these gods, hoping for something in return.
The second thing that Joshua tells us, is that God didn’t just give Abraham a map with an X marking his home. God led Abraham, we see in Genesis the promise that God would show him this new land, this new home. That God would be with Abraham and those that travelled with him, protecting him, providing for him, enough so that those who would try and bring him dishonor would be cursed, rendered powerless and ineffective. Those who bless Abraham would find blessing, as God would reward them with his care as well.
That is the nature of the journey, God guiding His man, His people, where they needed to go, providing not just what they needed to survive, but God’s richest blessing – His promise of home, and the promise of His presence the entire way.
That is why Abraham keeps building altars along the way. He builds one at Shechem, and one between Bethel and Ai. Altars then were places to meet God, even as this one is, to call upon God’s name and know that God is listening. It’s a set aside place, one dedicated to the sacred, it’s a place for communion and fellowship, and wherever Abraham goes, we find him setting up such a place.
There is more to God’s promise though, than just the land and his protection, and more even than just his presence for Abraham. He promises to make Abraham a great nation, that through all of this, that Abraham would be a blessing, as his descendant would receive this land from God.
Our need for a home
Instable world
Our home our castle?
Presence and Promise
Perhaps it was brought home as we look at the videos of the damage from the Tsunami and the Earthquake, or the economic issues which has brought to us a number of homeless people recently, or the fact that even among our congregations we know people that have lost homes, and others are barely hanging on to them. Even so, there seems to be a great realization going on these days, that the buildings we live in are as temporary as the tents that Abraham pitched on the trip to Canaan.
Friends, we need something far more stable than homes that termites or a freak wave or mold can destroy. We need a place as secure as the castle we say our homes should be, we need a place where there is peace, where there is security, or to use an older, a sanctuary.
Like Abraham, it needs to be a place free from idolatry, a place that we meet our God and don’t just expect economic security, if we could figure out how to manipulate our false gods correctly! Look at the stress the world is in, or just Wisconsin, as those in unions fight those from whom taxes are taken to pay the union members! Each side is dealing with it’s own interests, and the probabke result is that both will be manipulated into losing. The idols of America are perhaps more sophisticated than the ones in the land Abraham left behind, but we still see people trying to manipulate their gods to provides financial stability.
Even as the world competes for that which can be destroyed in a moment, we, like Abraham our father in the faith, have been called to journey. A journey where, like Abraham’s journey, God leads us to our permanent home. A journey where we set our temporary dwellings and gather at the altar, to call on God’s name, to use it to ask Him for direction, and blessing, and to praise Him for what He has done in our lives. An altar where we are gathered; where we receive the proof of His presence with us! The place we hear the promise that He will never leave or forsake us. Where God dwells among His people!
Like Abraham, there is a reason for God blesses us, and it is the same reason! It was once the words written on the back wall – we are blessed to be a blessing. The concept comes from this reading from Genesis. God blessed Abraham to be a great nation, for from that nation would come the descendant who would be given the authority to build the kingdom that would be the home of God’s people. That is what the idea of the land means – the kingdom where we have a home.
Through Abraham, and through the nation that pointed to him as their ancestor, the promise of God became fulfilled in Jesus. That is the blessing of Abraham, that through him the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Chosen One, would come and reign. We too bring Him to the world, as we see Him lifted up in our lives, and people are drawn to Him from every nation, every language, every city and town. That is why we have sent the Mark’s to Bellflower – to continue to point to the cross in the midst of people lost in darkness. It is why this church is here, why we have a Taiwanese congregation, why we are hosts to Passion – to continue the journey to our heavenly home, bringing with us His people, those that know Him already, and those who will come to know Him as we live in their midst. God will bless those who bless us, with knowledge of Him, and His love.
He left His home, to bring us home…
This Lent, we walk with another man on the journey we see Abraham start on, the destination, the home of God and His people. He too made an incredinle journey to visit a distance place, because of the very promise we know, the very promise spoken to Abraham and so many others. His journey was not from darkness to light, but instead from light unto absolute darkness. He left heaven, to come dwell among sinful, idolatrous people, who thought gods were something to be manipulated. His journey changed us all! For He was lifted high, a light that draws men to Him, that then, He could lead us home.
Until we get there, until we make it to the place He has prepared for us. Know this, He leads us, He walks with us, He provides what we need, and will deal with those who bless us and curse us. In truth, He is our castle, our Fortress, our Deliverer and Guide, and we are His temple.
So let us approach this altar, as Abraham and so many others have, a call upon His name…. and know His peace!
AMEN?
Lent 2, March 20, 2011
The Destination Chosen
Gen 12:1-9 – John 3:1-17
† IN HIS NAME †
As we see the cross lifted high before our eyes, as we realize the love of God that pours out from that wonderful cross, may the glorious gift of God’s merciful love overflow in your life, washing over those around you!
A Journey Home
But a home we haven’t been to?
Where we should be… where we know peace
It is supposed to be a place of rest, of security. It’s the place we long to return to, after a long trip, or just a long day. It is where we are comfortable and accepted, where nothing else can invade. It is no wonder that we say “a man’s home is his castle.”
It is often more than a house, in fact, for some the house were we presently live may not really be considered “home”, but simple the house we live in, until such time as we can make it “back home.” Sometimes I fit in that category, as I wonder about returning home to New Hampshire, and the lakes and mountains where I wandered as a kid.
Home is the place the heart seeks when there is stress, where there is unrest, where there is the unknown. It is the place where we feel at peace.
In today’s Old Testament, we see the beginning of a trip, “home.” A trip started by Abraham’s father, but distracted by the world, never completed. God calls Abraham to continue the journey, to leave the place and people he knew, from the place his father called home. God had a plan, a destination chosen for Abraham, and for those who would follow in His steps.
The journey to a home, would require trust, for the journey would take a long time. Indeed we continue this journey today, those for whom Abraham is an ancestor, not necessarily by blood. We are his descendants, the ones who come after him, who trust in his God.
As we journey toward life, toward the cross where our life began, we will talk about the destination – home - set by God, and the journey undertook by Abraham, and indeed our journey.
Abe’s need for a home
Joshua 24:2
Delivered from, delivered to – God’s provision and destination all the way
The promise and the presence
We begin to understand the journey’s context, not from this passage, but from one 500-600 years later, in the same place that marked Abraham’s entrance into the land at Shechem: Joshua 24:1-3 (ESV)
1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many.
As Joshua settles the people into the Holy Land, we catch a glimpse of two important details. The first is that God is not just calling Abraham from his people, and from his father’s home, but from a place of idolatry, out of the darkness of being enslaved to other gods. Such a common thread – wherever we see God moving people, there always seems to be some spiritual darkness and idolatry attached. So it was here, as Terah had settled in a place where people served false gods. Or perhaps, people enslaved themselves to these gods, hoping for something in return.
The second thing that Joshua tells us, is that God didn’t just give Abraham a map with an X marking his home. God led Abraham, we see in Genesis the promise that God would show him this new land, this new home. That God would be with Abraham and those that travelled with him, protecting him, providing for him, enough so that those who would try and bring him dishonor would be cursed, rendered powerless and ineffective. Those who bless Abraham would find blessing, as God would reward them with his care as well.
That is the nature of the journey, God guiding His man, His people, where they needed to go, providing not just what they needed to survive, but God’s richest blessing – His promise of home, and the promise of His presence the entire way.
That is why Abraham keeps building altars along the way. He builds one at Shechem, and one between Bethel and Ai. Altars then were places to meet God, even as this one is, to call upon God’s name and know that God is listening. It’s a set aside place, one dedicated to the sacred, it’s a place for communion and fellowship, and wherever Abraham goes, we find him setting up such a place.
There is more to God’s promise though, than just the land and his protection, and more even than just his presence for Abraham. He promises to make Abraham a great nation, that through all of this, that Abraham would be a blessing, as his descendant would receive this land from God.
Our need for a home
Instable world
Our home our castle?
Presence and Promise
Perhaps it was brought home as we look at the videos of the damage from the Tsunami and the Earthquake, or the economic issues which has brought to us a number of homeless people recently, or the fact that even among our congregations we know people that have lost homes, and others are barely hanging on to them. Even so, there seems to be a great realization going on these days, that the buildings we live in are as temporary as the tents that Abraham pitched on the trip to Canaan.
Friends, we need something far more stable than homes that termites or a freak wave or mold can destroy. We need a place as secure as the castle we say our homes should be, we need a place where there is peace, where there is security, or to use an older, a sanctuary.
Like Abraham, it needs to be a place free from idolatry, a place that we meet our God and don’t just expect economic security, if we could figure out how to manipulate our false gods correctly! Look at the stress the world is in, or just Wisconsin, as those in unions fight those from whom taxes are taken to pay the union members! Each side is dealing with it’s own interests, and the probabke result is that both will be manipulated into losing. The idols of America are perhaps more sophisticated than the ones in the land Abraham left behind, but we still see people trying to manipulate their gods to provides financial stability.
Even as the world competes for that which can be destroyed in a moment, we, like Abraham our father in the faith, have been called to journey. A journey where, like Abraham’s journey, God leads us to our permanent home. A journey where we set our temporary dwellings and gather at the altar, to call on God’s name, to use it to ask Him for direction, and blessing, and to praise Him for what He has done in our lives. An altar where we are gathered; where we receive the proof of His presence with us! The place we hear the promise that He will never leave or forsake us. Where God dwells among His people!
Like Abraham, there is a reason for God blesses us, and it is the same reason! It was once the words written on the back wall – we are blessed to be a blessing. The concept comes from this reading from Genesis. God blessed Abraham to be a great nation, for from that nation would come the descendant who would be given the authority to build the kingdom that would be the home of God’s people. That is what the idea of the land means – the kingdom where we have a home.
Through Abraham, and through the nation that pointed to him as their ancestor, the promise of God became fulfilled in Jesus. That is the blessing of Abraham, that through him the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Chosen One, would come and reign. We too bring Him to the world, as we see Him lifted up in our lives, and people are drawn to Him from every nation, every language, every city and town. That is why we have sent the Mark’s to Bellflower – to continue to point to the cross in the midst of people lost in darkness. It is why this church is here, why we have a Taiwanese congregation, why we are hosts to Passion – to continue the journey to our heavenly home, bringing with us His people, those that know Him already, and those who will come to know Him as we live in their midst. God will bless those who bless us, with knowledge of Him, and His love.
He left His home, to bring us home…
This Lent, we walk with another man on the journey we see Abraham start on, the destination, the home of God and His people. He too made an incredinle journey to visit a distance place, because of the very promise we know, the very promise spoken to Abraham and so many others. His journey was not from darkness to light, but instead from light unto absolute darkness. He left heaven, to come dwell among sinful, idolatrous people, who thought gods were something to be manipulated. His journey changed us all! For He was lifted high, a light that draws men to Him, that then, He could lead us home.
Until we get there, until we make it to the place He has prepared for us. Know this, He leads us, He walks with us, He provides what we need, and will deal with those who bless us and curse us. In truth, He is our castle, our Fortress, our Deliverer and Guide, and we are His temple.
So let us approach this altar, as Abraham and so many others have, a call upon His name…. and know His peace!
AMEN?
