Faith for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Margot Perez-Greene
Tarrytown United Methodist Church

March 20, 2011

We like to be members of groups, don’t we?  And, our choices for such memberships are limitless.  Just a few days ago, I received this in the mail: “Are you a member of the IN Crowd? Join the Fete Set (it’s French for “feast”!).  As a member, you will receive invites to exclusive events…” and so on.   Exclusive, oh yeah, that’s what we’re all about—uh huh!  That’s one quick way for me not to make it to ordination!  If I want to become a member of American Airlines Admiral’s Club, I not only need to have flown a certain number of miles but pay a hefty annual fee.  If I want to join a sorority, there is first the invitation, scrutiny of personal and social affects, fees, codes of conduct to follow, and the like.  And if I want to be a member of Mensa, which requires a certain IQ—well, I don’t even have to worry about that one.  That’s just not gonna happen!  Then there is the membership into my family, to which I have no choice in the matter.  I am a member because I have been born into the family—there is a blood-line to consider.  Like the saying goes, “You can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family.” In any case, I think you get the picture.  Membership to certain groups has its requirements; some, by invitation only.  And, failure to comply with these requirements will cause me to be ousted from the group.  Simple and plain; play by the rules, pay up, or you’re out, except of course with our families…maybe!

Not so with the family of God.  There is no hefty annual fee, no social status requirement, thank heavens we don’t have to be a geniuses to get in, and God knows where we’d be if it were by “exclusive invitation only”—Amen?  (You can say Amen!)  Membership in God’s family does not come by virtue of a blood-line, either. If so, there would be no baptisms, confirmations, professions of faith, and the like.  No, membership of this kind is quite a different matter.  And today, we will observe what Paul has to say about this.

PAUL’S GOSPEL IN THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, is planning a visit to Rome. So in preparation for his trip, he sends them a letter. (I think that if I had to say to the Romans what Paul had to say, I would’ve sent a letter, too!).  Because what Paul has to say to the group in Rome, who are at the apex of their civilization, might be astounding, even confusing to them!  After all, some are worshipping gods and others are listening to the stories of Moses.  And now, Paul is about to tell them that none of what they do will make them right with God.  We all know that it is not easy to break old habits, is it?
Paul makes an appeal to the story of Abraham in the book of Genesis.  Abraham’s faith becomes the primary example of what it means to believe in Christ in Paul’s gospel.  It would permeate the entire Roman Empire.
THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM—A MODEL OF A FAITHFUL SERVANT OF GOD
Very briefly and to make a very long story short, these are the promises that God made to Abram and that Abram believed: that he would be blessed; that his descendents would be numerous (like the sands of the sea and the stars of the sky); and that he and his descendents would have a land rich in abundance.  Abram picked up and left his home and family when God said “go.” No proofs, no signs, no wonders. Abram believed that he would have descendants, even though child-bearing years for Sarah were long past—belief against all odds!  And, Abram followed God’s command to sacrifice his son Isaac—a story that is hard for us to swallow. Who of us could’ve followed through on that one?  In the end, God provided a lamb, and Isaac was spared. But, Abram believed God’s promises and believed in God before the promises came true. That’s faith—that’s the faith of Abraham!  Now, we cannot ignore the fact that Abraham and Sarah did try to take matters into their own hands where a child was concerned even after the promise of God.  Sound familiar? (You can nod your heads!) We’ve all been there!  We sometimes still think our way is better than God’s! 

Parker Palmer, noted author in Christian and education circles, talks about it in this way—of living a life-divided.
“A still small voice speaks the truth about me, my work, or the world.  I hear it and yet act as if I did not. I withhold a personal gift that might serve a good end…I keep silent on an issue I should address or actively break faith with one of my own convictions. I deny my inner darkness, giving it more power over me or I project it on to other people, creating ‘enemies’ where none exist.”

And, yet, God is still faithful even when we are not—because the God we worship does not break promises! Amen? You can say Amen!

So, for Paul it is faith that gives us membership into the family of God. And, the faith of Abraham provides a metaphor for “strong, deep faith in God.” It gives us a picture of what “can” be accomplished by the power of God—of the possibilities that exist when God is the driver’s seat in our lives, of the impossibilities that can be turned around when we think we have no options, a reminder that minds and hearts can be transformed, yours and mine, when we think that all hope is lost.  It is an “against all odds” kind of faith. And Paul surely has his own story to tell where this is concerned.

Because Paul was a persecutor of Christians before he became an apostle of Christ. Paul was zealous for the law—he would say that he was one of the “best of the best” law followers!  Paul had been raised to think that if he worked hard enough and followed the law, he would find himself right before God. But he came to understand, on the Damascus Road, that he had viewed all of this as "wages." He realized that no one can follow the law; no, not one!  It is the reason God sent his Son in order that we can be approved by God—it is a gift and it comes through faith.

In Abraham, Paul saw the story of another person who had met God on the road; someone who had had one of those throw-you-to-the-ground, awe-filled experiences. Paul knew; Abraham knew that they believed in a God who gives new life and is not a promise breaker.

GOOD NEWS
So then, what shall we say? That there is good news!  Abraham got God’s attention not by living like a saint, but because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do—make something out of nothing.  When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn’t do but on what God said he would do. He didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless!” He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said.  He kept on believing during the most traumatic times of his life.

A former immunology research scientist was once asked who she would like to meet. She replied, “Winston Churchill. He had faith during the darkest moments in history.”  In 1776, there is an account where our own president, George Washington, held strong to his faith in the face of the crossing of the Delaware.  What he and the troops endured for us to become what we are, America, is a story of great faith in the face of great opposition and impossibility.

Just two days ago, we received an email from a friend’s niece (teacher) who is this moment experiencing one of those dark moments.  She is in the north of Japan and says this:

“…unexpected touches of beauty are…the silence at night.  No cars. No one out on the streets.  And the heavens at night are scattered with stars.  I usually can see about two, but now, the whole sky is filled.  The [Sendai] mountains are solid and when the air is crisp, we can see them silhouetted against the sky magnificently… Somehow, at this time, I realize…that there is indeed an enormous cosmic evolutionary step that is occurring all over the world right at this moment…And, somehow, as I experience the events happening now in Japan, I can feel my heart opening very wide.  My brother asked me if I felt so small because of all that is happening.  I don’t.  Rather, I feel as part of something happening that is much larger than [me]. This wave of birthing (worldwide) is hard and, yet, magnificent.” (email via Sabra Dupree)

By her faith, she believes that something much larger is happening.

These illustrations serve as examples of how it is possible to rely on God in the face of the most difficult and heart-wrenching circumstances, in the adversities of this life. We can, and we have, and by faith through grace, we will continue.

Let us pray:
Lord, these passages challenge us to put aside our hold on who we are, what we have, and what we can do to earn membership into your family.  Help us in this Lenten season to reconnect with the truth, that is, to believe and accept the promises you have made to us.  Amen.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.