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Trinity Episcopal Church Hattiesburg, Mississippi Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost (Proper 14) August 12, 2007 Go To Trinity's Home Page

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
Psalm 50:1-8, 23-24
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Luke 12:32-40
Collect of the Day
From the Revised Common Lectionary as Adapted for Use by the Episcopal Church
and Authorized by the 75 th General Convention of the ECUSA

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. 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. 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. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 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. 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.” All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. 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.(Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16)

It’s About the Journey, Not the Destination
The Rev. Dr. Bill Stroop

     As you all have seen, I switch glasses in church all the time. I have myopia; nearsightedness. But as I have gotten older I have also developed what is called “presbyopia” – the inability of the eyes to focus. It is not a disease really, just something that happens as we grow older. Those with these conditions wear glasses with tri-focal or progressive lenses. My everyday glasses are trifocals; the top-most lens for distance vision, the middle lens for intermediate vision, and the bottom lens for up-close work. In church, I use bifocal lenses that allow me to see things at arms length – like the pulpit and the altar and the prie dieu. Bifocals allow me to clearly see you as well as my notes and the various books we use, all without my head moving up and down like a bobble-head in the rear window of a car.

     Most of the time, my eyes do not cause me too much difficulty. But, there are occasions when it is hard not being able to see something clearly. It is particularly difficult to use a tool on the car engine, or under a counter or a sink at home, or to insert a small plug into the proper socket on the back of the computer processing unit while on hands and knees. In those situations I find myself relying more on my sense of touch than my sight.

     And with time and practice, those of us with decreasing visual acuity have likely found that our sense of touch enables us to be fairly facile. We have learned that faith in our sense of touch can help make up for poor vision. But sometimes we don’t make the repair. Sometimes we find that the loss of good vision makes us fail at the task at hand.

     In addition to myopia that affects the eyes, there are other kinds of near sightedness. There are psychological, emotional, and cultural myopias that can impede our relationships with ourselves, with God, and with each other. And the root cause of these kinds of myopias is fear.

     And this fear is different from the kind of normal anxiety those us who are near sighted know all too well. When we take of our glasses we see all kinds of shapes and blobs of color. In familiar places we quickly learn how to navigate around without our glasses, avoiding that blob that is a chair, and going through that other blur that is a door way. But if we are somewhere unfamiliar, we become quite anxious that we might run smack into one kind of blob or another – and this is particularly anxiety provoking if some of those blurs out there are people moving about. That kind of trepidation is reasonable.

     But, the kind of fear that grips our minds and heart and causes profound psychological, emotional, or spiritual myopias comes from living without faith. When we lack faith, we become afraid to look up. We become afraid to extend ourselves beyond that which is comfortable or familiar. We become afraid that we might run into something and fail in our endeavor. And so we content ourselves with remaining psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually where we are.

     Maybe we became afraid to have faith because we tried it once and it didn’t work out; maybe we failed. Maybe we prayed for something that seemed reasonable and fair, and we didn’t get it. And hey, after you’ve tried something a few times and it doesn’t seem to work out, what’s the point in trying again? “To ‘have faith’ and to live ‘by faith’ may have been okay for some old wandering Aramean with no mortgage, no car payments, no deadlines, and even no children. But we see ‘faith’ as far too shaky a basis for our own complex, convoluted lives. It is easier and safer to stay where we ‘have proof’ than it is to ‘live by faith.’ Living ‘by faith’ is far more frightening than living ‘on credit.’”[1]

     Today’s letter to the Hebrews records a whole litany of those who have lived by faith, and I think many of us read them as “success stories;” stories that say, if you have enough faith you can do anything; you can ask for anything and expect it to be given to you.

     But it is short sighted to read the story of Abraham this way. Like Pete Greig, the author of the new book, God on Mute, I think “there is a danger to putting so much faith in ‘faith’ that we ignore the facts and kiss our brains goodbye.”[2] The stories of the patriarchs like Abraham and matriarchs like Sarah also point out that faith really means being willing to look up and put complete trust in God without God providing a specific and comprehensive plan for our future. It also means that although what we achieve might seem to us like failure, we again have to have trust in God that what we perceive as failure will be all right. After all, Jesus didn’t know that resurrection was waiting for him on Easter morning. What he knew on Good Friday was that he was dying on a cross, seemingly abandoned by God.

     We want to give ourselves over to God, but if we’re really honest with ourselves, we will admit that we’d like God to tell us the final outcome and all the details in advance.[3] That’s the oft-cited obsession with “finding God’s will for my life” as if there is some kind of magical road map that will tell us how our life will play out. And if we’re really, really honest with ourselves, we want to negotiate a few things with God too, just in case the road map reveals tragedy, family issues, problems with children, and financial troubles ahead.

     Contrary to what many of us think, God’s will for us is not in the final destination, whether that be heaven, a career choice, or accepting a call to ministry. God’s will for us lies in the journey itself – in finding ourselves in that journey in relationship with God and with each other. In fact, the journey itself is the destination.

     Like Abraham and Sarah, we might never see the fulfillment of our own potential – that might be realized only through our spiritual descendents who may be our relatives or others we have touched with our lives. Faithfulness is not about “what’s in it for me” but rather it is about what you and God can accomplish together right here and right now for our fellow travelers.

     In certain big buildings and skyscrapers in the U.S., a new kind of elevator is being installed. It is called a "destination elevator." Others call it a "Wonka-vator" after the glass elevator that Willy Wonka used to go anywhere in his chocolate factory. The way they work is this: Say you want to go to the 14 th floor. You go to a computer kiosk in the lobby and punch in “14.” All of the other people seeking to go to other floors do the same thing. The computer uses a sophisticated algorithm to analyze all floor requests and calculate the most efficient and direct way of routing people to their destinations on a moment to moment basis. It uses weight sensors in the cars to estimate whether to drop off passengers before picking up new ones. The computer does all this very fast.

     So after punching in “14,” the computer tells you which elevator will go to the 14 th floor on its next trip. Then you wait for that car, step in, and it takes you there – and without pressing any button in the car; in fact there are no buttons in the cars. These elevators have reduced the wait time by 20 to 30%.

     The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that faith works the same way as these elevators. Like the button-less elevator, faith involves making a choice to trust in God, and getting on board to where God is leading. That’s what Abraham did. That’s what we should do too.

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Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more; bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation-- I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity. Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them. When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. Come now, let us argue it out, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Psalm 50:1-8, 23-24 Deus deorum

1 The LORD, the God of gods, has spoken; *
he has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.

2 Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty, *
God reveals himself in glory.

3 Our God will come and will not keep silence; *
before him there is a consuming flame,
and round about him a raging storm.

4 He calls the heavens and the earth from above *
to witness the judgment of his people.

5 “Gather before me my loyal followers, *
those who have made a covenant with me
and sealed it with sacrifice.”

6 Let the heavens declare the rightness of his cause; *
for God himself is judge.

7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak:
“O Israel, I will bear witness against you; *
for I am God, your God.

8 I do not accuse you because of your sacrifices; *
your offerings are always before me.

23 Consider this well, you who forget God, *
lest I rend you and there be none to deliver you.

24 Whoever offers me the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me; *
but to those who keep in my way will I show the salvation of God.”

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. 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. 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. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 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. 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.” All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. 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.

Luke 12:32-40

Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

Collect of the Day

Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

[1] Timothy F. Merrill (Exec. Ed.). “By faith living.” August 13, 1995. Accessed 9 August 2007 at HomileticsOnLine, http://www.homileticsonline.com/subscriber/btl_display.asp?installment_id=2469.
[2] Pete Grieg. God on Mute. Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 2007.
[3] This paragraph and the following section were adapted from Timothy F. Merrill (Exec. Ed.). “Destination faith.” Homiletics 19(4):57-61, 2007.

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Copyright © 2007, William G. Stroop - All Rights Reserved.
9 August 2007

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