Sermon on Genesis 12:1-9

Introduction

During my sabbatical over the last three months I’ve been able to do a lot of travelling.  First to Wales on retreat, then to Suffolk to spend time with the Mission to Seafarers.  Then I flew to Malaysia where I spent time with two churches, one in Klang near Kuala Lumpa, and then in Ipoh in the north of the country.  Then during August I drove with the family to Poland, and then to Italy, before returning to the UK and finishing my sabbatical with another retreat this time in Northumberland. 

I love travelling, visiting new places, meeting new people and experiencing new cultures.  But at the time of booking my flight to Malaysia I had no idea where I would be staying, what churches I would be visiting, or even if anyone would be meeting me at the airport.  I found this rather stressful, and had visions of stepping off the plane in an unfamiliar country, with no idea where to go or where to stay.  I had to trust that the Bishop of West Malaysia who was organising my placements would have everything arranged before I was due to fly out, which much to my relief it was!

Imagine then how Abram must have felt when he was called by God to leave everything behind and travel to a far off country.  “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you” says the Lord.  Abram was stepping into the unknown.  He was leaving everything that was safe and familiar, his home, his friends, his country, his people, to journey to an unknown land.  At 75 years old, Abram could be forgiven for looking forward to a quiet retirement in his home city of Harran, not setting out of this great adventure. 

Put yourself in Abram’s position for a moment.  How do you think you would feel if to uproot yourself and leave everything behind, and travel into the unknown? 

Sadly we live in a world where there are many people who don’t have to imagine what this is like.  The United Nations High Commission For Refugees said that at the end of 2012 there were 15.4 million refugees around the world.  Conflict and persecution forced an average of 23,000 people per day to leave their homes and seek protection elsewhere, either within the borders of their own country or in other countries.  There are around 6.5 million internally displaced people in the world –people who have been uprooted and displaced within their own country.  Much attention is of course focused on the crisis in Syria, but refugees can be found all around the world. 

For Abram however, it was not war or conflict that prompted to leave his home, but a call from God.  

Listening To God

It’s not clear how Abram received his call, whether God spoke clearly to him one day, or whether he had a growing sense that this was what God wanted him to do.  But what is clear, is that Abram had cultivated the habit of listening for God’s voice and obeying it.

Listening to God, and discerning what God is calling us to do can be challenging.  The reason many of us feel God doesn’t speak to us, is because we have not developed the habit of listening to him. 

When I am waiting to hear the voice of God, I want God to speak clearly and powerfully, so I am not left in any doubt that it is God that I am hearing.  But God rarely shouts to us, instead he whispers softly.

This is the lesson Elijah learnt when he was on the mountaintop (1 Kings 19:11-18) waiting to hear God’s voice.  As he waited he experienced a great wind, an earthquake and a mighty fire, but God wasn’t in any of those, instead God spoke to him in the stillness and silence.

If we want to hear God’s voice, rather than expecting God to shout to us from across our busy lives we should hunger for the Holy Spirit’s quiet whisper in our ear.  You can only hear a whisper when you’re standing next to the person you’re talking to, so that your ears and their mouth are intimately close, and I think that is why God whispers to us today. He wants us to make time in our busy lives to draw close to Him, He wants us to approach Him daily so that we can hear and recognise that intimate whisper as God’s voice, and then respond in obedience.

Trusting God

Abram hearing God’s call, responds in faithful obedience.  It was a response that was based on love and trust.  Although Abram was venturing into the unknown, he trusted that God would not fail him.  He knew that whatever challenges or obstacles, dangers or threats he would face, God would be there for him, and help him to overcome them. 

Trust is essential for any healthy relationship to flourish and grow, and the same is true for our relationship with God.  When God calls us to something new, we need to know we can trust him. 

When Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus on the water, he was fine as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus.  It was only when he took his eyes off Jesus, that he began to sink.  We need to look to Jesus, and place our faith in him.  The theologian Karl Barth said “To hold to God is to rely on the fact that God is there for me, and to live in this certainty.” 

Despite Abram’s age, and the fact that his wife Sarai could not have children, Abram trusted that God would fulfil his promise to make him into a great nation, to bless him with land and descendants, for he knew that what with man is impossible, with God is possible.  That is why Paul in Romans writes that Abram “did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:20-22)

God’s Plan

When Abram received God’s call, he also received the promise that God would bless him.  But this was not just a blessing for Abram and his family alone.  The blessing was for the whole world.  God said “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3).  This promise was fulfilled with the coming of Jesus, who was a direct descendant of Abraham. 

When God calls us, and blesses us, it isn’t for our own sake, so that we feel good, happy or comfortable, God blesses us in order that we may bless others. 

There is an old hymn which has as its chorus these words:

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

The blessings that we enjoy from God, of life, love, the Holy Spirit, the right to be called children of God, forgiveness, mercy, grace, eternal life, are given to us so that we may in turn bless others.  No wonder Paul declared "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ"  (Ephesians 1:3). 

The more we share the blessings we have received from God, the more God blesses us.  Jesus said “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38)

Conclusion

Just as God called Abram to journey with him to a new land, so God still looks for people who will get to know His voice and do what He says.  Just like Abram, God’s desire is that YOU have a personal relationship with Him, and know Him in such a way that YOU will want to obey Him in everything!

Through faithful obedience to God’s call Abram discovered, and you can discover too that truth and obedience releases the heart and hand of God to use YOU, to bless YOU, your family, loved ones, community, nation and every nation on the earth!  As we walk in faithful obedience to God, we see the power of the Gospel released in and through our lives and the Church to impact every nation on earth. 

All You Need Is Love

There are lots of songs on the radio, but there is one topic which is sung about more than any other, and that is love.

Of the many songs written about love, one of the best known and most popular is The Beatles, ‘All Your Need is Love’, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and released in the UK on 7^th July 1967.  It’s got a really great catchy tune, and very simple lyrics, which get right to the point ‘All you need is love.’

If there was one word to sum up the Christian faith and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, it is love.  Love for God, and also love for one another.

The theme of our readings this morning can also be summed up by the word love.  This morning I want to focus particularly on our reading from Deuteronomy because it reveals what God expects and desires from his people, and so I have three headings for today’s talk, Love’s Initiative, Love’s Priority and Love’s Obligation.

LOVE’S INITIATIVE

On May 2, 1962, a dramatic advertisement appeared in the San Francisco Examiner: "I don't want my husband to die in the gas chamber for a crime he did not commit. I will therefore offer my services for 10 years as a cook, maid, or housekeeper to any leading attorney who will defend him and bring about his vindication." 

One of San Francisco's attorneys, Vincent Hallinan, heard about the ad and contacted Gladys Kidd, who had placed it. Her husband, Robert Lee Kidd, was about to be tried for the murder of an elderly antique dealer. Kidd's fingerprints had been found on a bloodstained ornate sword in the victim's shop. During the trial, Hallinan proved that the antique dealer had not been killed by the sword, and that Kidd's fingerprints and blood on the sword got there because Kidd had once toyed with it while playfully dueling with a friend when they were both out shopping. The jury, after 11 hours, found Kidd to be not guilty. Attorney Hallinan refused Gladys Kidd's offer of 10 years' servitude. 

When it comes to love, God is the one who always takes the initiative, that is the overriding message of the Bible. 

In Deteuronomy we read ‘To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations.’ Deut 10:14-15)  God the creator, sustainer and ruler of the entire universe, chose one very small nation, Israel, to be the instrument of his special purposes in the world. He chose Israel, and established a special covenant relationship with them, which was based on HIS commitment to love them.  The initiative was with God and it still is.  The apostle John emphasised the same point when he wrote ‘This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.’ (1 John 4:10)

LOVE’S PRIORITY

Brother Roger, the founder of the Taize Community in France said “God’s love never imposes itself.  It has to be discovered and welcomed.” 

Love is the greatest thing that God can give us, and in return our love is the greatest thing we can give to God, and that is what God desires of us.  But it is not just about loving God in word only, but like God, demonstrating that love in practical deeds.

‘And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?’ (Deut 10:12-13)

We see here what God desires from us his people. 

FEAR GOD

Firstly we are to fear God.  To fear the Lord, is one of those strange expressions that is found throughout the Bible, but what does it actually mean?  If you were to ask people what they are fearful of, they might say they fear illness, unemployment, loneliness, rejection, war, death, and so forth.  But that is not what is meant by fearing God. 

To ‘fear’ God or be ‘God fearing’ is an image often used to describe a follower of God.  To fear God is to give reverential worship to God, to be obedient to him, to acknowledge and recognise the power, might and majesty of our God. 

In the book of proverbs we read that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov 1:7). Our fear of God is the starting point of our knowledge and relationship with God, as we truly recognize who God is, our Creator, Saviour and Provider. 

WALK IN HIS WAYS

Next we are called to walk in obedience to God.  To walk in obedience to God, is to live a holy life, and we do that by following the example of Jesus.  The Apostle John expressed it this way, “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:6) 

To live as Jesus did, is to be walk in love, compassion, obedience and in truth.  This is the heart of discipleship.  The question is how many of us actually do this?  Imagine what a difference we could make if each one of us truly determined to walk as Jesus did every single day.  Imagine the impact we could have if in our decisions about daily life, we asked ourselves "What would Jesus do in this situation" and then act on that? 

LOVE

As well as walking in his ways, we are called to love God.  Love should be the ultimate motive behind all we do, it should be our guiding principle and attitude.

There is a story told about a shabbily dressed boy who trudged several miles through the snowy streets of Chicago, determined to attend a Bible class that was conducted by Dwight Moody, a preacher and evangelist. When he arrived, he was asked, "Why did you come to a Sunday school so far away? Why didn't you go to one of the churches near your home?" He answered simply, "Because you love people here."

In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote, "Do not waste your time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbour act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.”

Imagine what a difference we could make if the world believed that we truly love them.  Imagine the transformation we could see in the church if love was at the heart of everything we do. 

LOVE’S OBLIGATION

Out of our love for God, should flow a desire to want to serve God, and to serve his people.  ‘What does the Lord your God ask of you but… to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul’ 

For God’s people, serving God is not an option, it’s a requirement.  However there was a quote in the Sunday Express which said ‘Most people wish to serve God -- but in an advisory capacity only.’ 

But love’s obligation is that because God has loves us, we are called to love others.  In Micah 6 verse 8 it says “what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  Jesus summed this up when he said we are to love our neighbour as ourselves.  To serve others is to serve God.

We are called to practical service, and practical love.  In our Gospel reading taken from the parable of the sheep and goats, Jesus commends those who give food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, and who welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, look after the sick, and visit the prisoner.  Jesus says that whenever we do this, we are serving God.  “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Mt 25:40).  It is this sort of practical love which is the real mark of Christian discipleship. 

Notice that this call to care for others is not restricted to one or two specialists.  It is something we are all called to, and something that can start here in our own church family.  So that each one of us takes on the responsibility of supporting one another, noticing when people are in need, and doing something practical to help them.  But it can’t just be restricted to those in church, this is something that needs to reach out to our friends and neighbours, and to our work colleagues, and to the strangers we meet on the street, or in the shop or on the bus.  It’s about having a heart of compassion for those around us.

I began by talking about ‘All we need is love’, and that is the heart of true religion, and true discipleship. 

I want to finish by telling you a true story about a young girl called Vicky.  Vicky was 17, unemployed, living with her mum and her mum’s latest boyfriend who regularly abused her.  She turned to alcohol to try and dull the pain.

Eventually she had enough, and packed her belongings and ran away, to live on the streets of Walsall.  She ended up sleeping rough in the Arboretum.  On one cold Saturday morning, she met some other rough sleepers, who told her they were going to the Big Feed, which a number of churches help run in the centre of Walsall once a month.  The offer of free food caught her attention.

When she arrived at the Big Feed, she was overwhelmed.  It was warm and cosy, and the volunteers seemed so cheerful and helpful.  She was given a drink and offered hot food, all for free.  After she’d eaten she was offered a shower and change of clothes, and a volunteer came and talked to her, and gave her advice about the problems she was facing. 

On leaving at the end of the afternoon, Vicky was given a food parcel, with provisions for a couple of days and a hygiene pack.  She was overwhelmed with emotion and asked “Why are you people doing this?” To which came the reply “Because we love you.”

Love and practical service should be at the very heart of all we do as Christians.

All we need is love.

Powers & Authorities: Romans 13:1-7

INTRODUCTION

When you hear the word ‘policeman’ what is your instant reaction?  I grew up in small villages in west Cumbria, where we had a village bobby who lived in the local police house and was known to everyone.  He could be stern when required, but you knew he was on your side, and was there to protect and look after people. But imagine what it must be like to live in a country where the police and authorities are not to be trusted, but feared or even hated. 

Or what about words like ‘government’ or ‘the council’?  In this country we have become a lot more cynical about our elected representatives in recent years. But we are fortunate that we live in a democracy and can hold our officials to account.  What about those people who live in countries where the government is genuinely corrupt and dehumanizing, where human rights and freedoms are not respected or upheld. 

How would you respond if someone said not only do we have to be obedient to these civil powers, but that they were established by God Himself?  It seems an extraordinary claim to make, and yet this is exactly what Paul does in our reading from Romans.

‘Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.  The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.’ (Rom 13:1-2)

This passage has been subject to a lot of debate, and interpreted and understood, used and even abused in many different ways.  For example these verses were used by the white South African government in the 1980s to justify their policy of apartheid, and to try and try and stifle opposition. 

Therefore this passage does raise some very serious questions; is Paul honestly saying that the Herods and Neros of New Testament times, and the Hitlers, Stalins, Amins, Gdaffis, Saddams and al-Assads of our times were personally appointed by God, and that their authority is not to be resisted?  If so, it raises huge moral and ethical challenges.

EXAMPLE OF BONHOEFFER   

What would you have done if you were living in Nazi Germany during the 30s and 40s?  Would the right thing be to oppose the regime, even take up arms against it, or to submit to the regime because whether you liked it or not, it was the governing authority? 

For Dietrich Bonhoeffer, this was a question he personally had to wrestle with.  Bonhoeffer, was a German Lutheran Pastor and theologian who helped establish the Confessing Church in the 1930s, which arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to Nazify and control the German Protestant church.   

Bonhoeffer was a determined opponent of the Nazi regime from its first days.  In April 1933, four months after Hitler became German Chancellor, Bonhoeffer raised the first voice for church resistance to Hitler's persecution of Jews, declaring that the church must not simply "bandage the victims under the wheel, but jam the spoke in the wheel itself."  

Bonhoeffer’s opposition to the regime ultimately resulted in him getting involved with the German resistance movement, where he had to wrestle with the question of whether it was ever right to justify murder.  Bonhoeffer came to the conclusion that Christians have a duty to act in accordance to the will of God.  And therefore when assaulted by evil, to ignore that evil, or do nothing to try and stop it, would be to simply condone the evil, and therefore be a greater wrong.  Therefore Bonhoeffer believed the evil of the Nazi regime had to be tackled face on by direct action. 

Bonhoeffer therefore played a part in Operation Valkryie, the failed plot to assassinate Hitler.  Because of his involvement in the German resistance Bonhoeffer was arrested and executed on April 9 1945 at Flossenburg Concentration Camp, just two weeks before the camp was liberated by the Americans.

How does the decision that Bonhoeffer made to resist Hitler, sit with the instruction given in Romans chapter 13, which says that ‘whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted’?    Is Paul in effect really saying that the right thing to have done would have been to support Hitler’s regime, rather than oppose it?

To answer this, let’s look in closer detail at what Paul writes.

EVERYTHING IS UNDER GOD’S RULE

The first point Paul makes is that ultimately all things are under God’s rule, because   God is the Lord of history, and there is no power or authority higher than God.  Therefore the government authorities that exist in the world do so by the authority granted them by the supreme authority, God Himself.  All human authority is derived from God’s authority, that is why Jesus was able to say to Pilate, ‘You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above’. (John 19:11)

But even though Paul says all authorities that exist have been established by God, that does not mean that what they do is always approved by God. In the book of Micah we read ‘what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ (Micah 6:8)  This is true not just of us as individuals, but also the rulers and authorities that have been put over us.  So whenever a government is guilty of injustice, oppression, persecution, discrimination or war mongering, this is something in direct contradiction to God’s will. 

Think of it this way. God ordained marriage, but not every marriage is reflective of the character of God. In some marriages you find abuse, cruelty, injustice and divorce. That does not reflect the character of God, but none the less the institution of marriage is God-ordained. And the same is true of the authorities and powers that rule over us, they are ultimately God ordained institutions, even if they don’t always reflect God’s loving nature.

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

Paul says that ‘whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted.’ (13:2) This raises the question is it ever right to disobey the government?  Granted that the authority of rulers is derived from God, but what happens if they abuse it, if they reverse their God given duty, commending those who do evil and punishing those who do good?  What is the right thing to do in those situations?

The answer is that we should obey the authorities in all that is moral and right, but obedience to God, always comes before obedience to the state.

If the state commanded us to do something that God forbids, or forbids what God commands, then our Christian duty is to resist, not to submit, to disobey the state in order to obey God.  Our moral duty is always to put God’s will first, and so whenever laws are enacted that contradicts God’s law, civil disobedience becomes a Christian duty.

We see a number of examples of this in scripture.  When Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill the newborn boys, they refused to obey.  ‘The midwives… feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do, they let the boys’ lives.’ (Ex 1:17)

When King Nebuchadnezzar issued an edict that all his subjects must fall down and worship his golden image, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to obey (Dn 3). 

When King Darius made a decree that for thirty days nobody should pray ‘to any god or man’ except himself, Daniel refused to obey (Dn 6).  And when the Sanhedrin banned preaching in the name of Jesus, the apostles refused to obey saying ‘We must obey God rather than men’ (Acts 5:29)  This is the strict meaning of civil disobedience, disobeying a particular human law because it is contrary to God’s law.

Today there are Christians who face imprisonment and persecution in many different countries around the world, because the civil laws of the country where they live are in conflict with the laws of God. For example Bonhoeffer, who in defiance to the Nazi Government, helped smuggle Jews out of Germany and into safety. 

In situations like this, there is often great personal risk involved, but the primary concern of the people involved is to demonstrate their submissiveness to God, not their defiance of the government. 

OUR DUTY TO THE GOVERNMENT

At the time Paul wrote this letter, Nero was Emperor in Rome, and the reputation of Christians at the time was poor. No good could come to the cause of the gospel if Christians therefore developed an additional reputation as trouble makers.    

Instead Paul says that as Christians we have a duty to be obedient to the government that we find ourselves under, and that we should also pray for those who rule over us.   

Writing to Timothy he says ‘I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.’ (Timothy 2:1-2)

And in his letter to Titus Paul says ‘Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good’ (3:1) 

And the Apostle Peter urges ^‘Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.  For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.  Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honour the emperor.’ (1 Peter 2:13-17)

As Christians we are to be noted for our civil obedience.  We have a duty to obey the government in everything that is moral and good. To pay our taxes, and to obey the laws of the land. We are to live a righteous and peaceable life so that the light of the gospel shines clearly through us.  Paul writes ‘For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.’ (13:3)

So for example if we don’t break the law, if we obey the civil authorities, we won’t have to suffer the fear and worry of getting caught and punished. If however, you choose not to obey civil authorities, if you choose to break their laws, we need to recognise that God has given them the power to enact judgment on evil and disobedience. That is what is meant by 'bearing the sword'. They have the power and authority to inflict punishment on us. 

The simple message is that we have a responsibility before God and all humanity to obey our civil authorities and pay our taxes because they are servants of God for our good, and they are in a position that deserves our fear, respect and honour. 

OUR GOVERNMENTS DUTY TO US

As well as our duty towards the ruling authorities, Paul makes it clear that the state carries a responsibility to care for its people.

Paul writes  ^‘For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good....  They are God’s servants.’ (Romans 13:4)

This is why we are to submit to authority in all that is lawful and right, because God has designed the government to be society’s protectors and enforcers of civil law and order. 

Twice Paul uses the word diakonoi/servant to describe the role and function of the state.  John Stott in his commentary on Romans 13 writes “those who serve the state as legislators, civil servants, magistrates, police, social workers, or tax collectors, are just as much ‘ministers of God’ as those who serve the church as pastors teachers, evangelists or administrators.’  This is why it is so important that we pray for those in authority, and recognise that what we do in our daily lives, is as much part of our Christian ministry and calling, as anything we may do within church. 

Paul makes it clear that the state’s function is to promote and reward good and to restrain and punish the evil, and to bring order and stability to the world. 

President Kennedy’s famously said: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country.”    But we need to ask both questions.  Those over us clearly have a duty towards us, but we also have a responsibility to be good citizens, to effect change, to hold those who are in positions of responsibility and power accountable.  And also to submit in everything lawful and just, to the authority of those above us, to honour its representatives, pay its taxes and pray for its welfare, so that we can encourage the state to fulfil its God appointed role and, together work to build a more just and fair world for all God’s people. 

For the journey - Genesis 12:1-8 & Luke 14:27-33

There is a famous expression ‘Failing to plan is planning to fail’. It is certainly true of these individuals:

In August 1980 Tonino Lacordia tried to break out of prison.  He managed to clear the wall of Madonna Del Freddo jail, but badly sprained his ankle in the process.  He hobbled into the countryside, and after several miles knocked on the door of a remote cottage.  The door was opened by the very policeman who had arrested him some weeks earlier, and who had rented this cottage for a holiday to get away from it all. 

If you think he was unlucky, listen to the story of the two inmates who managed to escape from the Gulph Correctional Centre in February 1981.  They managed to climb the fence and sprinted down the road, where they saw a hall, which they thought would be a good place to hide out.  What they didn’t know was that in the hall were 100 prison officers from the correctional centre they had just broken out of, holding a seminar.  The two inmates didn’t recognise the staff training officer, and asked if he could call them a cab, and were surprised when they were simultaneously arrested by 37 familiar prison wardens.

The third story is of a man who escaped from Northeye Prison in 1981 by hiding in a van full of vegetables.  After an invigorating ride through the Sussex countryside the van turned a corner and came to a halt.  When the van had been unloaded and the warders had all gone, the prisoner crawled out to find he was now in Lewes prison.

Failing to plan, is planning to fail!

When going on a journey planning is clearly very important.  When I lived in Cumbria, I was often saw people climbing the fells in completely inappropriate footwear, and inadequately equipped for the changeable Cumbrian weather.  Making sure you have everything you need, to sustain you on that journey, and to keep you safe, is of vital importance. 

It is also important that we plan and prepare for the faith journey, and that is our theme today, as we continue to explore what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

In our Gospel reading today Jesus emphasised the importance of carefully counting the cost of being his disciple, because there is no point starting a journey if we are not prepared to finish it. 

Our OT reading tells the story of the call of Abram, where God called Abram to leave everything that was familiar to his, his home, his country, his people, and journey to a distant land. As anyone who has ever moved home or moved country knows, this is no easy thing that Abram was being asked to do.  It would be a challenge at any age, but even more so for Abram who we’re told was 75 years old, and his wife Sarai, even older.

As we look at the story of Abram’s journey of faith, we can discover the things that he packed in his spiritual suitcase, and the things that can help us on the journey of faith.

They are obedience, trust and patience.

OBEDIENCE

One of the first things to go into our spiritual suitcase is obedience.  Learning to be obedient to God is one of the most important things we can do as Christians.  Oswald Chambers, a Christian minister and writer said “The golden rule for understanding in spiritual matters is not intellect, but obedience.” 

But learning to be truly obedient to God is not without its cost. For Abram, obedience to God’s call meant venturing from the security of the known into the unknown.  He was being called to leave his home in the city of Ur, a lively, vibrant, wealthy city, rich in culture and learning, and travel to an unknown land.  If we are serious about being obedient to God, we need to recognise there can be a cost involved.  As Jesus said ‘whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.’ (Luke 14:27) 

Being obedient means being ready to hear and respond to God’s call, and  follow wherever he leads.

TRUST

What enabled Abram to be obedient to God’s call was that he trusted God.   And trust is the next thing that we need to pack into our spiritual suitcase.

The reason Abram trusted God, was because he knew God to be faithful, and that God would not abandon or forsake him. The 20^th century theologian, Karl Barth said “To hold to God is to rely on the fact that God is there for me, and to live in this certainty.”

Christian discipleship is exactly that, learning that God is there for us, and learning to live in that certainty. 

Just before Abram began his journey to his new home, God gave him three promises. 

1          That he will make Abram into a great nation, to bless him with land and with descendants

2          That he will make Abram’s name great

3          That all the peoples on earth will be blessed through Abram

But when you think about it, the fulfilment of God’s promises must have seemed so unlikely.  Consider the age of Abram and his wife Sarai, who we are told was barren, so how could Abram become the father of a great nation?  Furthermore the land God promised Abram was home to a hostile culture and people, how could he ever expect to take possession of such a land?

But despite all of this, Abram trusted God.  He realised that what for us may seem impossible, for God is possible.  The great church theologian Augustine of Hippo, who died in the fifth century said “Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love and the future to God’s providence.”  This was the important lesson Abram learnt, and the lesson we too need to learn. 

PATIENCE

The third item that we should pack for the journey of faith is patience. 

The journey from Ur to Canaan, would have been long and arduous, and it would be even longer before God’s promises to make Abram’s descendants into a great nation would finally be fulfilled, and so Abraham had to learn to be patient. 

Amongst my many failings, is my lack of patience, I’m not good at waiting.  In a world of instant communication and internet shopping, we are losing the skill of waiting.  I identify with this prayer, “Dear God give me patience, and give it to me right now!” 

But God’s ways of working are different to our own, and God’s timing is different to ours, and therefore learning to be patient is a very important spiritual discipline.  The poet Chrstina Rossetti said ‘Obedience is the fruit of faith; patience the bloom on the fruit.’

Waiting is God’s school, wherein we learn some of his most valuable lessons for us.  For example Paul originally wanted to be delivered from his suffering in prison. But after the long wait, he learned that God was glorified more, by him remaining imprisoned. 

As Paul discovered, patience is often learnt through trials.

A young man went to an older believer to ask for prayer. "Will you please pray that I may be more patient?" he asked. The aged saint agreed. They knelt together and the man began to pray, "Lord, send this young man trials in the morning; send this young man trials in the afternoon; send this young man...."

At that point the young Christian blurted out, "No, no, I didn't ask you to pray for trials. I wanted you to pray for patience."

"Ah," responded the wise Christian, "it's through trials that we learn patience."

Patience is one of those character traits that grows over time rather than being given to us overnight.  And as we develop patience in our Christian lives, we begin to see how to make it over the long haul, and we come to realise that God will work in his own time.

Obedience, trust and patience, are three of the most important things that we need to pack into our spiritual suitcase, to help us on the journey of faith.  But they are of course not the only things we need to pack. 

JOURNEYING TOGETHER

When Abram journeyed to his new home in Canaan, he didn’t travel alone.  The Bible mentions that Abram took with him his wife Sarai, his nephew lot, and “the people they had acquired in Harran” (Genesis 12:5)  We are not talking here about just a few people, but potentially hundreds of people, because in Genesis chapter 14 Abram was able to muster 318 men all born in his household, to come to the aid of Lot, who had been captured by their enemies.  Abram was not expected to make the journey alone.

And we are not expected to make the journey of faith on our own either.  That is why we are given the church family, to support and encourage one another along the way.  In addition we have the scriptures, prayer, worship, and the Holy Spirit, to nourish and feed us on the journey.   

The first Christians were called people of The Way.  It is a reminder that the Christian faith isn’t something static, but that we are on a journey, a journey of discipleship, a journey of faith and discovery.  And we have been given tools and resources by God, to assist us on that journey, so that through obedience, trust and patience, we too can discover God’s plans and purposes for our lives, just as Abram discovered for his life.