THE LAND THEY LEFT BEHIND
the Rev. Dr.. Rebecca L. Kiser
Aug 11, 2019 Pentecost C Heb. 11:13-16
You’ll notice that I put the context of this passage from Hebrews in the bulletin, to set up the reading. The context is important: its the reciting of all the deeds of faith of Hebrew forbears, how all these people whose names & stories came down through Jewish history & Scripture, had hope & trust in God’s promises - and how that hope & trust in God’s promises caused them to act in ways unlike others. Because they believed God’s promises, they acted on future-oriented faith, & made amazing choices.
What struck me in my earlier reading of this text was the phrase I chose as the title, which is in this sentence: If they were thinking of the land they left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. That is countered by what they WERE thinking of, which is the realm of God - God’s vision, But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them. If I were choosing a title today, I might choose a title more based on the HOPE of this “better country,” & how that pulls us, in our present life, into our future. See, HOPE for a future changes our living in the present… It matters whether we’re thinking about what lies behind or what lies ahead.
Hmmmm… that sounds a little heady…. let’s reflect a minute about practical examples of what I mean.
When I was a teenager, our VBS was held soon after school let out in early summer. I was usually involved doing snacks or games, or playing the piano for the singing, so I always missed the first week of summer swim team practice. I didn’t want to be too far behind the other swimmers, so the coach wrote up a workout for me to do in the afternoon or evening. Because I wanted to swim well, I came to the pool later in the day after VBS and did it. I enjoyed summer swim team, and wanted to be a lifeguard, so I attended practices, and found rides until I was old enough to drive. I did what I needed to do in order to reach that goal of lifeguarding, even coming out for practice on the cooler and rainy mornings when it would have been more fun to sleep in than to dive into cold water.
Another swimmer named Kitty had some pretty good race times, and had thoughts of the Olympics in her head. The future she looked towards was a lot more demanding, so Kitty swam all year, and had a private coach. Our practices in the morning for summer swim team were just a warm-up for her. Her swimming goals took up lots more time and energy out of her days. It cost her parents a pretty penny, too. What Kitty and I each wanted to do in our future made a difference in how we acted in our present, in how our time, energy and money were spent.
See, if we value making A’s in our classes, we put in the time studying in the days we have. If we have a future dream of being a doctor, say, we take the classes for pre-med, and know that the next years are going to be full of even more school, residencies and such. What we hope for makes a difference in how we spend our current days.
That we believe it is important to worship God and be gathered with other Christ-followers is why we’re each here today on Sunday morning, and not sipping a latte or caramel macchiato at Starbucks while walking slowly around a lake somewhere, like our neighbors. Our trust in God’s promises about living in us and our hopes of growing in our spiritual lives, are what make us choose to read our Bibles and pray about people and events in our daily lives; what makes us care about showing love to others, being honest, and other moral values within Christianity.
Abraham & Sarah, who we mentioned last week, found the courage to step out and follow what God called them to do - a radical leave-taking, and a radical trust in God for their future. Their HOPE & TRUST in this promise from God, gave them the incentive to uproot themselves & move forward. In their present, they stepped into the future HOPE.
Again with Moses, who gathered those many descendents of Abraham & Sarah in order to make a huge exodus from Egypt where they had been enslaved, we see all those people going out on a desert journey - a huge undertaking, a huge task that might seem illogical & doomed. Again, they went because of a HOPE & TRUST in what God said & promised. They stepped out of their past & into their future, because of what they envisioned.
And so with the others mentioned in Hebrews 11. They all died without ever seeing the fulfillment of the promises & the vision - but that vision from God carried them throughout their lives.
Without that vision, if they had just simply continued in the view of life that they had, they probably would have been alright, but it wasn’t the future that God was calling them into. And if they had continued remembering that former life, the life of the country they left, well, they could always have returned. We’ll read a few places where they DID whine about what they left…. But basically Moses led them and they held onto the vision, & that made all the difference.
So it matters, you see, what our vision is.
As an Interim Pastor, or, as we’re being called now “Transitional Pastors,” (vs Settled Pastors), I’ve worked in a congregation that just couldn’t let go of how it used to be in the heyday they remember, when the pews were full & Sunday Schools overflowed the room available, & happy, & upwardly mobile families of 2 parents & some kids all flocked to church. That was in the 50s, when our country was pulling itself together after the upheavals & uncertainties of 2 World Wars, and the long history and stability of the church fed that need.
This specific congregation hoped to recreate that past, sentimentalizing the way things were & putting a golden, nostalgic glow around those times. They kept remembering ‘the land they left behind,’ as it were, and were unwilling to look around at the needs of their community now. Of course they were also angry at the changes over the last 50 years, angry that they were shrinking, angry at the differences and angry that the clock wouldn’t turn back. Only a few of them began to form a vision for their future that was different from the past; only a few were willing to step out and risk for a new vision. And they were blocked by the others from taking any forward steps. While I loved those people & prayed for their lives & worries, I also prayed for their eyes of faith & their spiritual sight. It was frustrating to minister there, because of the unwillingness to let go of the land they left behind, and turn forward.
Okay, here’s a hokey illustration, but all the same, it IS an illustration. My cat Mr B used to escape to the outside at my former house, when I opened the garage to get the car out. When I couldn’t catch him, he got to spend some time outside, which he liked. Now that we’re in an apt and townhouse complex, he has to be on a leash to go out. So we’re learning the leash thing, which he is willing to do because he wants to go outside. He’s still very tentative outside in our new place - I’m sure it smells different and looks different. He stops and sniffs, looks closely at everything, then moves. I can tell he’s tense, because the other day when the air conditioning unit started up, he literally jumped 4 feet in the air and did flips. He totally freaked! I admit that I laughed at the poor scared thing, but then comforted him. He ran for the door, panting. Stepping out into new stuff can be scary.
Now this congregation here in Jamesville doesn’t seem to be bound to a vision in the past, which I’m glad for. I feel a forward-looking energy in the folks I’ve talked with so far. This is a positive thing. I also know that a time of uncertainty is a legitimate part of grieving, and a part of this transition. And after so many years of security with a good pastor & good leadership, new stuff can be scary. (As long as no one jumps 4 feet in the air and turn flips!) Jamesville Community Church has a good history, and good strengths to draw on. We don’t have to be fearful.
At transitional times, we may feel the lack of balance for a while, and have to hold still and look around at the new vista, like my poor Mr B. Things that used to be ‘business as usual’ may feel different now. Yet transitional times can also be a positive time of taking stock, remembering the original vision & even honing that vision. We may discover how the Holy Spirit can tweak our vision for church with the new situations around us. We can listen to the ideas of upcoming leaders. Perhaps God will lead us to redirect & refine some emphases; and perhaps take on some new directions. Transitional times are a good time for all of this.
It’s not overnight, of course - it’s a gradual thing. It takes time to work through all the feelings, to say a good goodbye, to feel & respect our feelings; we need to complete one step before taking the next.
The challenge from this chapter of Hebrews - - or better, the invitation from this chapter of Hebrews, is to stay rooted in our faith in God that calls us forward into the vision of God’s realm and God’s promises. The invitation is to remember who we are & whose we are, & what we are called to do and be. We can hear again the assurances of Jesus that “I will be with you, even until the end of the age,” as well as the call of Jesus to “follow me.” These will be firm ground under our feet even if other places feel wobbly. God has been faithful in the past - God will be faithful in the present and the future. May the visions that God puts in our hearts call us forward into our future. Let us walk in that faith. AMEN.
No comments:
Post a Comment