Genesis 12

Leave

Posted on by Betsy

The first week of July marks the departures and arrivals of itinerate pastors in The United Methodist Church. Many of our clergy sisters and brothers have left their familiar pulpit for a new one this week. This is how our system of pastoral appointments works, and while it is what clergy signed on for, it is extremely disruptive, disheartening, terrifying, and strangely wonderful all in the same moment. A minister friend of mine was packing her U-Haul this week and she wore a t-shirt that read, “War is hell, but moving is a close second.” We hear you, sister! We pray for all those uprooted pastor-families and the churches who will receive them.

Today’s passage is a reminder to those folks and to us as well that sometimes you have to leave in order to do God’s will. Abram became the “father of all nations” but only after he obeyed God and left everything that was comfortable to pursue an unknown destiny. It took a lot of faith, hope, and trust for him to uproot his entire household and leave his land. Eventually, he even left the name given to him at his birth and became Abraham. His name is still revered among Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

Genesis 12 (Common English Bible)

The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your land, your family, and your father’s household for the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation and will bless you. I will make your name respected, and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you,
    those who curse you I will curse;
        all the families of the earth
            will be blessed because of you.”

When Abram obediently left Haran for the land of Canaan, he set into motion a missionary seed that would bless “all the families of the earth.” Jesus was born of that same family lineage, and you and I can count ourselves as part of the many descendants of Abraham.

Galatians 3 (Common English Bible)

8 But when it saw ahead of time that God would make the Gentiles righteous on the basis of faith, scripture preached the gospel in advance to Abraham: All the Gentiles will be blessed in you. 9 Therefore, those who believe are blessed together with Abraham who believed.

Do you remember the VBS song about Father Abraham?

“Father Abraham had many sons. Many sons had Father Abraham! I am one of them, and so are you. So let’s all praise the Lord!”

The challenge for us today is to consider what God is asking us to leave in order to follow our destiny. The many children of Abraham are promised a life of freedom in Christ. What do you need to leave in order to be free? Is an addiction blunting your joy? Are you so angry you can’t feel God’s hope? What bad habit or behavior is preventing you from entering God’s promised future?

Whatever it is, just leave it all behind. And then let’s all praise the Lord.

You Will be a Blessing by Mary Anne Mong

War is Hell, but Moving is a Close Second

Posted on by Betsy

A long time ago, I volunteered to help a new music director move into her new home. She was moving to take a job at my church, and a large group of us gathered at her house to help with the unloading of many boxes. One of my friends, an Army wife, showed up in a t-shirt that read “War is Hell, but Moving is a Close Second.” It still makes me laugh!

I spent the first eight years of my marriage moving around the country at the Navy’s behest. During the first two years, we moved four times. I never bothered to memorize my zip code…I just kept it handy in my purse, crossing each one off and adding the new one.

One of the many sacrifices our military service families makes is the willingness to move when and where needed. This probably goes under-appreciated by most people. But if you have ever served, you know the stress, anxiety, fatigue, and uncertainty of moving into a new community with all of your worldly goods, your kids, the dog, and memories of your last duty station and the friends you left behind. It can be heart-exhausting.

Genesis 12 (Contemporary English Version)

The Lord said to Abram:

Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless anyone who blesses you, but I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. Everyone on earth will be blessed because of you.

4-5 Abram was seventy-five years old when the Lord told him to leave the city of Haran.

I am always amazed at Abram’s obedience. He left everything behind to follow God’s command. He staked everything he had on God’s promise that all would be well if he complied, and even believed that God would bless him as he said he would. And God did. We are the evidence of that.

This example of obedience is a great teaching for us today. Did you notice that he was 75 years old when he left the safety and security of his hometown to go where he was sent? What a wonderful reminder that God calls us at any time of life to follow him, and the wise ones respond with acceptance and joy mingled in with the trepidation.

What is God calling you to do? Where is he asking for obedience today? Are you hearing him telling you to leave something behind so that you can experience a new joy?

The cost of obedience is often high, but the cost of disobedience is even higher. God always has a plan for your life, and that plan is guaranteed to prosper you and not harm you. It is a plan to give you a future with HOPE. Is God calling? GO.

A VERY Close Second by Nancy Bealer