The State of the Union
I took the idea for the sermon today from a TV event this week. No, it is not the season premiere of “American Idol,” which I did watch. Instead, I was thinking of the State of the Union Address by the President, which will happen tomorrow. Each year the president addresses the country with an analysis of how the country is doing, what challenges it faces, and what needs to be done about it. I would like to do something similar this morning. As our church is both pretty new and constantly growing, we are changing a lot. Therefore, it would be a good idea to pause and get our bearings in this great sea of change.
We have come a long way in the last year:
When the president gives his address, I think it runs about an hour and a half. I won't imitate him in that. I will try to heed the words of the late George Burns who said, “The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible.” I will try to abide by this advice.
The Scripture reading comes from Hebrews, chapter 11, which has been called the Hall of Faith, like the Hall of Fame of the Bible. It recounts story after story of the heroes of the faith in the Old Testament. We will look at the story of Abraham, with whom we have a great deal in common.
Scripture: Hebrews 11:8-12
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, "as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore." (NRSV)
Promised Land
There are a number of things in this passage that strike me as very similar to the situation that our church is in. First off, it all begins with the call of God. We do not gather here this morning because it was our idea. It was God's idea to gather and worship. We come because each one of us have been called. Just as Jesus called each one of the disciples to leave their old way of life and to follow him, so he has called each of us. And just like Abraham, it is out of the obedience of faith we have followed him. This must be the first and last word on the subject: if anything good is happening here, it is because God is doing it. If we can accomplish anything, it is because we have followed to where God is leading us.
There is another similarity that might jump out to us. It is that Abraham was promised a piece of land to call his own and on which his descendants could live and prosper. This is one of the questions that I am asked most often when people are trying to get a sense of what our church is like:
“Are you going to get land?”
The answer to that is YES. We are constantly on the lookout for land. We have talked to several landowners and developers. So far the landowners aren't interested in selling and the developers are asking way too much. But we continue to look. We are looking for a minimum of 10 acres and more than that would be great!
I have had several of you ask, “Do you really need 10 acres? That's alot!” And you're right, it is. It used to be the case that churches would look for 4 to 5 acres. But several things have changed. One of those is that there are far more regulations concerning how much of your property you can cover with buildings and parking lots. It has to be less than 70%. Another thing that has changed is that churches are taking a longer view of their property needs. There is no doubt that 5 acres would meet our immediate needs. But what about the needs of the church in 10, 20 or 25 years? The church that I served before this celebrated their 175th anniversary while we we're there. Who can know what kind of mission this church will be called to undertake years from now? There are so many churches right now that are landlocked and wish they had just a bit more land for parking or whatever. I doubt if those who come after us will ever blame us for getting more land than we can use right now.
All of this to say, we believe that God has land for us. Just like Abraham we believe that God has a promised land for us. We do not hold the deed, yet it is already ours. We have that attitude by faith.
Only By Faith
Faith is in fact the key to our whole endeavor. Three times in our text, which is a pretty short passage, we encounter the phrase, “by faith.” What makes Abraham so worthy of our attention and our imitation is that he acted in faith. He trusted God beyond what he could see. The very beginning of chapter 11 of Hebrews begins:
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Faith allows us to press on to what is beyond the horizon, with the conviction that there is someplace there worth going. It was by faith, says our text, that Abraham set out on the road, leaving his home and security, to a land that he had never seen. He just trusted that God did indeed have a land for him. He just obeyed. God said go and so he went.
It was by faith that they lived on the land, but in tents. This means that they waited patiently and expectantly on the land, even though it wasn't theirs yet. They lived in tents. Tents are not permanent. They lived in transition. Have you ever lived in transition before? You know, like living out of boxes before the moving van gets their with all of your furniture. Or, staying with friends or family instead of in your own place. Living in transition is hard. We like stability. We like certainty. We like to have a space of our own. Often we can live in transition as long as we know that it is temporary. It makes it bearable when we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
We at Clayton Presbyterian Church know a lot about living in transition. While we do have a building to call our own, as we are renting it, we are so aware of its limitations. It is pretty small. The front door enters right into the sanctuary. The bathroom is in the sanctuary. There is only parking on the street. We are filling up all of the rooms with all of the kids that we have. These are great problems to have, but we long for a more adequate space.
Can we wait in faith? Can we look for the blessings that come as we wait in transition? There are such great blessing that come when you in transition. Sometimes it is easier to trust God in transition because you have no other choice. There is nothing else to lean on. We don't want to miss those blessings.
Looking Forward
How did Abraham make it through his transition time when he was living on the land which would be his but wasn't yet? Let's look back at our text. In verse 10 it explains how he did it.
For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
He did it by looking forward to that city, that permanent place that he would live in one day. He looked forward in hope and expectation. He trusted that the God who made the promise would keep it. One day he would have his permanent place. But it was not any old city. It was a city whose architect and builder was God.
Wow! Do we really need to hear this! We don't just want any old piece of land and just some building. We want the piece of property that God has in store for us. We want the one that will help us to fulfill the unique mission that he has for us. And we don't just want a building so that we can say that we have one. We don't want a bland building with four walls and a roof. We want a building designed by God. We want the specific building which will help us to fulfill our calling as a church.
Therefore, at our last Steering Committee meeting we have commissioned a new Visioning Team, which will be chaired by Terry Derrico. And they have been commissioned to ask the hard questions about who is it that God is calling us to be. We have already done a lot of work and thinking about this. But they will make sure that we are very clear on it. Then, they will go on to ask the question, “If this is our calling and mission, then how do we need the building designed to accomplish that mission?” The idea being that the design of our building will flow from the mission. And I would ask all of us to be in prayer about these things.
People Are the Point
But ultimately a building is not the point. A building is only a tool to do ministry. People are the point. The point of all of this is transformed people. We testify to the what God has done in Jesus Christ. That story, called the Gospel, is the very power of God to change the lives of those who hear it. God, by his grace, allows us to be a part of his mission where he changes people's lives and rescues them from the sorrow and pointlessness of life without him.
We do not have the power to do this. Ultimately, we are inviting people to experience something which we cannot produce. We do not have the power within us. I do not have the words that transform a life. We do not have the love in our hearts to satisfy the needs that people bring through those doors. But before we despair about what we are about here, lets look at verse 11:
By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised.
Abraham was too old to produce offspring. He didn't have the power or the vitality within himself. But, by faith, he received that power. By faith, Sarah, who was barren, received that power. They believe that God, because he was faithful, could do it. And do you know what happened? Look at the last verse, verse 12.
Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, "as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore."
This one who was as good as dead became the forefather of a great nation, a multitude of people. Isn't that what we should ask God for—that he would touch a multitude of people through the work and ministry of this church? What could be better than that? It's what the church is here for, after all. In ourselves, we don't have the power, but God wants to give us the power.
But it has to start somewhere. And I believe that God wants it to start with you. I know, you have a hundred reasons why God should work with someone else, who might be more knowledgeable about the Bible, more gifted as communication, more confident, more whatever. You don't need any of that. All you need is a little faith in the God who is faithful.
Simon Birch
The movie Simon Birch follows a boy with stunted growth who has a clear sense that God has an important plan for his life. Little Simon is often met with obstacles and opposition, but he plods on through life until he really does become a hero.
Simon and his friend Joe do everything together, even though they are an odd pair. The unlikely Simon is always talking about the great plans God has for his life, but Joe is always doubtful. Joe has been deeply wounded by growing up without a father, and simply cannot move from cynicism to true faith.
Early in the movie, Simon and Joe are heading home from the swimming hole. As Simon and Joe wander through a field of wildflowers, they turn to discussing destiny and the role of faith.
Simon: But things will be different…once God makes me a hero.
Joe: You know, you shouldn't talk about this hero stuff, Simon.
Simon: Why not?
Joe: Because it's weird. The other kids tease you enough as it is.
Simon: I don't care. It's the truth.
Joe: But you don't have any proof.
Simon: I don't need proof, I have faith. Your problem is that you have no faith.
Joe: I got faith. I just want proof to back it up.
In the end, Simon does become a great hero, even though it leads to his death. Many years later, as Joe reflects on Simon's life, he can't help but finally move to a place of faith as well.
God wants this church to be a hero. And he wants you to be a hero. It is part of your destiny. He wants you to be in this line of faith. You can't do it by your own power – both you and God agree about that. But if you have even the tiniest amount of faith, God will do the rest. Even the littlest things can make a big difference.
Take for instance if you had someone tell you about how discouraged and down they were, perhaps you could tell them that you find your hope and encouragement in Jesus Christ. We are not talking about a big pushing kind of thing. You would just be sharing your experience that you think that might help them. It may not sound like it to you, but that is evangelism.
Or, if an acquaintance shared with you a problem that they were having, maybe a health problem, and you asked if they would mind if you prayed for them, right then and there. You would probably worry that you aren't a praying professional and you don't have the right words, but none of that matters to God. You don't need the right words. You don't even need to know what to ask for. Lay out the situation to God and ask him to be present in the situation. It just takes the smallest faith to invite God in, then he will do the rest. If you would do this, you would communicate to this other person that you care about them. You would also show them what real faith in action looks like. This is what normal faith looks like.
If we can have faith enough to obey God, faith enough to live in transition, and faith enough to look to God, he will do the rest, and it will be amazing.
This sermon was preached at Clayton Presbyterian Church in Clayton, NC on January 14, 2007.