Eliezer – The Marks of a Faithful Steward

Readings: Genesis 24:1-67
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, on September 29th 2013

A printable PDF file can be found here

In our services the past couple of  Sundays we took a look at two Old Testament characters, Abraham and Lot. Today, we take a look at a third, lesser known character called Eliezer, who was Abraham's senior servant and commissioned by Abraham to carry out the important task of finding Abraham's beloved son, Isaac, a wife.

Eliezer first appears back in Genesis 15. It appears that if Isaac had not been born, Eliezer would have inherited Abraham's wealth for himself. He was something more than just a servant, he was virtually family. Abraham is getting older. Before he dies he wants to ensure that Isaac has a wife from amongst his own people. He implicitly trusts Eliezer to carry out his wishes.

The whole story takes up 67 verses of Genesis 24, and there wasn't time in our service  to read the whole account. But here's the headlines! Eliezer prays. God leads him to a spring. A beautiful young woman comes to the well. Eliezer has prayed that if she is the one then she will offer both himself and his camels water to drink. That's exactly what happens and negotiations take place with her parents (who turn out to be amongst Abraham's wider family) to ensure she can be taken as a wife for Isaac. Mission accomplished.

What marks out Eliezer as person of God is that he exemplifies faithful stewardship. As Christian people, called to be faithful servants of our Lord Jesus Christ, we can learn from the life of Eliezer what faithful stewardship involves.

1. Trustworthy

This is obviously a very personal matter. Eliezer is taken into his Master's confidence and entrusted with his affairs. There is a lot riding on Isaac's future. The choice of a wrong partner for him in marriage could have disastrous consequences. A nations future was at stake. Making a wrong choice at this juncture could negate the promises of God.

St Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church “Didn't God give you everything you have?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Eliezer was entrusted with a great task. God entrusts us with the task of building God's church in our own generation. He invests in our lives the future of the Kingdom. Are we to be trusted? Faithful stewards are marked by trustworthiness. Our lives are greatly blessed by God. Can we be trusted to faithfully respond to the trust God has placed in is?

2. Teachable

As you observe the way Eliezer carries out his mission, it is clear that he has spent important time meditating, reflecting upon and absorbing the spiritual values of his master, Abraham. He knew how to pray. He knew how to discern the voice of God. He knew that his life could be guided and directed by God in such a way as God's purposes were achieved.  He was a godly man who shared, along with his master Abraham, a sense of deep communion with his God.

Way back in 1677 an author called Thomas á Kempis wrote a book that became a spiritual classic called 'The Imitation of Christ'. In order to be an imitator, one has to have a teachable spirit. The book begins with this paragraph...

“He that followeth me, walkest not in darkness.” These are the words of Christ by which we are admonished how we ought to imitate His life and manner, if we are to be truly enlightened, and be delivered from blindness of heart. Let therefore our chiefest endeavor be, to meditate upon the life of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”

A faithful steward is trustworthy. A faithful steward is teachable. Thirdly a faithful steward is;

3. Tactical

Eliezer has a game plan. In verse 7 of Genesis 24 Eliezer is told that God will send an angel ahead of him to prepare the way for Isaac to find a wife. All well and good, but thankfully Eliezer does not interpret that as meaning he just had to sit back and wait for something to happen. On the contrary he has to bring all his common sense and understanding to see that things work out.

He is tactical. Where would be a good place to find a young lady? It it was a responsible daughters task to fetch water, so down by the well would be a good start. What time of day? Evening time was the usual, out of the heat of the sun. How could one quickly discern if a woman was of good character? Her generosity would be one indication, so he waits to see if she offers to assist himself and his camels.

I have heard people say, “I've asked God to help me do this or give up that”. You meet them a while later. They still have the same problem. “I'm still asking God to help me with this or that!” Sometimes one has to ask, “What steps are you taking … apart from asking God to take care of everything?”

If you are going to pass that test you have to do the homework. If you are going to live healthier you have to take on the diet and do the exercise. If you are going to change your job, you have to start applying for another and think through the financial, traveling, and lifestyle implications, for yourself and those around you. Why expect God to take care of things that God has already given us the resources to deal with?

Eliezer trusted implicitly, that God would go ahead of him and open the right doors. But he also understood that he had to plan to create opportunities and use the resources God had placed at his disposal to make things happen. Only God could show him the right girl, but he could position himself to meet potential wives. When the right one came along, he would know, but he had to be there!
A faithful steward is trustworthy. A faithful steward is teachable. A faithful steward is tactical. A faithful steward is;

4. Timely

Eliezer has a sense of urgency regarding his masters business. He gets the people together, gathers the resources and gets on with the job. There's no committee, followed by a sub-committee, followed  by a statistical analysis which produces a report that is safely confined to a minute book whilst the members congratulate themselves on a job well done.

Eliezer is a man on a mission. When he gets to the city of Nahor, he begins his search at once. After he's been received into Rebecca's home, they offer him food, but he says, “I will not eat till I have said what I have to say”. When Rebecca's mother and brother try and delay his departure by 10 days, he pleads with them, 'Don't make us stay. The lord has made my journey a success; let me go back to my master”

Rebecca, conscious of God's part in the whole thing, is equally diligent and urgent. She is going to be Isaac's wife, as soon as possible. There is no, “Well, I'll to think about it... I've got a hair appointment Tuesday, shopping Thursday, coffee at Leah's Friday, and whose going to fetch the water if I go 'now, I’ve got to work on finding a replacement.” . She, like Eliezer, walks with God and trusts God. She senses God is at work and simply says 'Yes!'

I understand that there are times when we need to think things through and consider the options. But then there are those other times when we need to say 'This is the will of God. Let's go for it!” As churches we are often gifted procrastinators. We sometimes think that because we have talked about doing something that somehow the job has done.  “Go!” said Jesus “Take my message to the world!”

A faithful steward is trustworthy. A faithful steward is teachable. A faithful steward is tactical. A faithful steward does things in a timely manner. Fifthly a faithful steward is;

5. True-Hearted.

Eliezer's deepest concern is to honor his master. He understands how much trust his master has invested in his life. He does not treat his duties lightly or flippantly. He has no desire for personal glory, but his heartfelt passion is to see that the masters will is accomplished. He is true-hearted.

If only we were as true-hearted in our service of Jesus Christ. If only we placed the same priority on the tasks He calls us to, as we do seeing that our own needs are met. If only we could realize that all we have, all that we are and all we shall ever be is a gift of grace God has freely bestowed upon us. Such would cause a revolution to take place in our attitude towards stewardship.  An attitude for gratitude is always a mark of a faithful steward.

At the tender age of just twelve years, Jesus was conscious of His servant relationship with God His Father. When on a trip to Jerusalem, He went missing and his parents found Him in the temple, He told them 'Didn't you realize that I have to be about my Father's business?'  His heart, from an early age, was true to His God.

A faithful steward is trustworthy. A faithful steward is teachable. A faithful steward is tactical. A faithful steward does things in a timely manner. Fifthly a faithful steward is true-hearted. Finally a faithful steward is;

6. Tenacious

Eliezer doesn't give up. He sees things through to the end. He prays. He plans. He follows through. He negotiates. He gives thanks. He worships. And it all works out. As they are returning to Abraham, Rebekah spots a handsome young guy some way ahead. 'Who's that?” she asks. “Eliezer replies, 'Why that's Isaac!”So she takes a veil and covers herself.

Chapter 24 finishes, verses 66-67 “Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.”

From the first moment of commission to the joyful conclusion, Eliezer sticks to the task in hand and thanks God for the outcome. Faithful stewards often have the joy of seeing their plans come to fruition. They experience moments of joy and thankfulness that those who never see things through to the end never get to witness.

As we begin our stewardship season, take a moment to consider the marks of a faithful steward, exemplified by Abraham's servant Eliezer.

• We see that he is Trustworthy. He's taken into his masters confidence and trusted with his affairs. Our Lord Jesus Christ entrusts to us the mission of his Kingdom.
• We see that he is Teachable. Eliezer learns from his masters faith. So we are called to be imitators of Christ.
• We see how he is Tactical. He balances faith with common sense and planning. Our lives require a similar equilibrium.
• We observe how he acts in a Timely manner. There needs to be a sense of urgency to our mission if it is to have a cutting edge.
• We see how he is True-hearted. He gives glory to his Master.
• We see that he is Tenacious. He never gives up. He sees things through.

Such are the marks of a faithful steward that we do well to take note of... to the glory of God!

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

Lot – The Road Away from God

Readings: Genesis 13:1-13, 2 Peter 2:1-12
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, on September 22nd 2013

A printable PDF file can be found here

Abraham was a man of faith. He had a nephew called Lot. Lot also was greatly blessed by God. So blessed where they that the land could not contain them both. Too many herds of cattle and sheep. To much stuff, not enough room. It was causing a lot of conflict. Abraham suggests to his nephew Lot that they should divide up the land. And Abraham gives Lot first pick of where to go.

We read in Genesis 13:10 “Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)”

After a time of  journeying, away from Abraham, and away from his spiritual roots, Lot ends up living in the city of Sodom, which as the closing section of our verse told us, was not a good place to be as it became destroyed by it's wickedness. Abraham was a man who walked with God. Lot traveled a road away from God. Along Lot's road were signposts that we do well to take note of.

I'm calling the first signpost 'Just Looking.'

Our verses begin; “Lot looked around ...” and he really liked what he saw. A whole vast, fertile plain of possibilities. The fact that it included the unfriendly, rather dangerous, area of Egypt, wasn't a problem. After all he was 'Just looking”.

When Moses gave Israel the 10 commandments they included one that said, “You shalt not covet your neighbors house. You shall not covet your neighbors wife or his man-servant or maid-servant, or his ox or donkey, (or his BMW or his boat) or anything else that belongs to your neighbor'.

To covet something meant to have an over-eager desire for something that wasn't yours.  'Just looking' could lead to all sorts of problems. Over-eager desire distorted clear thinking. To always want more inevitably led to dissatisfaction with what you already had and destroyed any attitude for gratitude.  The grass isn't greener on the other side – you just think it is.

Lot looks at the well-watered plains of Jordan and is struck by the thoughts that, firstly it looked like the Garden of Eden, and secondly, it reminded him of the glory days of Egypt. You couldn't really find two more glaring opposites. The Garden of Eden was the place where the most intimate experience of God could be found, whilst Egypt was a place known for it's rebellion against God!

It's as though Lot is saying 'I want the best of both worlds, I want the best God can give me and the best the world can give me. I want it all!'

A second signpost appears. 'Taste and See'

Desire leads to action. Scripture simply says “Lot chose for himself the whole plain of Jordan and set out towards the East”. Reading between the lines, Lot has said to himself, 'Not only do I want it all, I want it now!” He's not worried that entering this territory could have serious consequences both for his personal spiritual journey and his future relationship with Uncle Abraham.

There are many things in life that invite us to 'Taste and See'. There are tremendous pressures on our youth to try it all... be it in realm of alcohol, drugs, sex, petty crime... or just to have a good time and forget about the consequences. As we go through life there are always temptations.  The dodgy business deal. The short cut that we are not sure is completely honest. Choices that we make based entirely on personal benefit without considering their effect on others.

At this point in Lot's life you kind of hope some angel will come by and say, “Hey, what about those altars you made to God, what about those commitments you made with your words, what about the nurture and leadership you received from your uncle?” It seems that when we choose to no longer influenced by the one, true God, then lesser gods exert such an influence upon us that we forget about all our previous commitments, no matter how sincerely they were made at the time.

Throughout the years of my ministry I have lost count of the people at funerals, weddings, or just community events, that will say “I used to be a member of such and such a church.” “What happened?”There's usually a tale of gradual disengagement and of other commitments taking their attention. They give the impression of being liberated, and free. They don't need the mindless ramblings of a minister and the company of those hypocrites that make up the church.  They are doing their own thing now. Which leads us to our next signpost.

One Way Street

We read in Genesis 13, 11 of Abraham and Lot, “The two men parted company”.  When folk decide to pursue their own path there will be separation.  For Lot it meant separation from his places of worship, his wider family, and the godly influence of his uncle Abraham. Abraham only sought to put a distance between himself and Lot so that there herds could have room to graze. He hadn't wanted to drive his nephew away! Lot doesn't see it that way. Lot sees their separation as an opportunity to free himself from the narrow confines of his uncles world and embrace something new, and exciting.

It's sad when people separate themselves from you because they think they can do better.  I can think of people I knew when I was growing up and we were good friends. Some have gone on,  in their own eyes, 'to make something of themselves'. They've got no time for church... and because of what I do, very little time for me. I'm no longer able to be of service to their ambitions.  One wonders if their involvement with church in the first place was nothing more than a stepping stone to what they see as 'better things'.

Separation can be such a one way street! As Lot went further and further away from Abraham's influence he moved further and further towards making his home in a place that was notorious for it's ungodliness, the city of Sodom.  The further he moved from godly influence, the more accommodating he became towards the ways of ungodliness, and the colder his heart became towards the things that had once blessed his life. And as he drew near to Sodom, he found another sign.

NO U-TURNS

If you are on a one way street you have to keep going. You can't do a U-turn.  Lot did not go from the blessings of Bethel to the sins of Sodom in a day. Step by step Lot moved away from godly influences and God's altars and towards sin, idolatry and ungodliness. His 'Just Looking', turned to 'Taste and See” which set him on a 'One Way street' upon which there could be no 'U-Turns'. Verse 12 tells us 'He pitched his tents near Sodom.” Having pitched his tents nearby it wasn't long before he took up residence. He never intended his life to go that way . When he was just looking, it all seemed so innocent.

Every alcoholic had their first drink too many. Every drug addict had their first fix. The man who sits alone, separated from wife and children, never intended that brief fling with another partner to lead to the breakdown of his marriage. The lady with debts on their credit card that led to the repossession of her home says, 'I couldn't help it. Things just got out of hand.'

There comes a point on the road where there can be no U-turns. You make your bed, and  you have to lie in it. According to Peter's Second letter, Lot hated it in Sodom. He knew he was in a terrible situation. 2 Peter 2: 8 tells us of Lot, “That as a righteous man, living among them day after day, Lot was tormented in his  soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard”. The final sign in Lot's journey away from God came as he reached...

A DEAD-END

Lot could no deeper into misery. The only way to get off a one-way street is to find another road.  The only hope he had was that by some act of grace on the part of God he may be delivered from the mess he had created for himself.

The positive side to this story, is that Lot is plucked out of Sodom in the nick of time. In Genesis 19 we are given the story of Lot's redemption. Without going into detail, let's just say it didn't come easy. He escapes the destruction of Sodom not with great riches but with only the shirt on his back.

His wife is not so fortunate. Even as they are fleeing the destruction of the city she looks back and is lost. He ends up, through the treachery of his daughters, fathering children    who become the head of two nations, the Moabites and the Ammonites, who later become two of Israel's most feared enemies. Not exactly a happy ending! But if you head down a road that leads away from God – where do you think it's going to lead?

There are lesson to be learned from this cautionary tale.  Lot's story reveals signposts that are along the road away from God.

• We see him 'Just Looking'. But in his heart he'd already gone further.
• We watch him 'Taste and See'. He likes what he tastes and he's hooked.
• We see how his road turns out to be 'One Way Street.' It leads to separation from the people and values he once counted as all important.
• He discovers that there are 'No-U-Turns' on a one way street.
• Finally, he reaches a 'Dead End.'

In response to such an account I can only say that there but for the grace of God go us all! It makes me all the more thankful for the love that we find in Jesus Christ. It makes sense to call Him the Savior. He can save us from having dead end lives. And though God's love can certainly redeem the most desperate of situations, we do well to listen to the promptings of His Holy Spirit that prevent us from falling into those situations in the first place.

The simple disciplines of regular worship and involvement with our church community, of heeding the advice of godly family and friends, of being thankful for what we have and treating others in a way we ourselves would like to be treated, of not throwing away what we have in pursuit of lesser gods, greener pastures or imagined fertile plains... these simple things can keep us on the right road.

Though in our increasingly self-serving, materialistic, spiritually shallow society,   throwing ourselves heart and soul into pursing a kingdom lifestyle may not be an option that the majority favor, one of the images of spiritual journeying that Jesus gave to us is that pursuing His Kingdom is like walking on a narrow road. That though there were other roads that appeared to offer a more appealing destination, only His way led to true blessings.

Let us then learn from Lot to pay attention to signs that lead away from God! And by the Grace of God may we choose to follow paths that lead us in the right direction, the way of Christ, the road illuminated by signs of His Spirit's presence. And to God's name be the glory. Amen.
 
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

Abraham, Man Of Faith

Readings: Genesis 12:1-9, Hebrews 11:1-10
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, on September 15th 2013

A printable PDF file can be found here

Hebrews 11:8  “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”

Abraham was a man of faith. In his life, his faith is linked to action. It was not some dry, academic belief in a theory. Faith for Abraham was a living principle.  Abraham’s faith answered three questions that we all encounter if we seek to be disciples.

• Where am I going? His faith enabled him to see his life as a mission.
• What can I do when I make a mess of things? His faith enabled him to overcome his failures.
• How do I get through the hard times? His faith gave him courage to face the darkest situations.

Abraham's faith enabled him to see his life as a mission. It answered the question 'Where am I going?'
Although such times are well in my past history I still remember the excitement when a school dance took place.  Back then the question would not be, 'Are you going?' (because if you didn't go you might as well not exist), the question was 'Who are you thinking of going with?' The preoccupation was not with destination, but with the company one may keep.

Our text from Hebrews tells us that Abraham obeyed God's direction  “Even though he did not know where he was going.” For Abraham  faith sprang from relationship, his relationship with God. His faith was not based on having a clear sense of where life may be leading him. Relationships are important. We knew that back in school when we thought about who we should go to a dance with. We know it as we seek companionship for our lives. We know both the pain of bad relationships and the joy of good relationships.

Faith for Abraham meant that he was going on a journey with God. The destination was not significant, the company he kept was everything. Because of his relationship with God, he saw life as a mission.

A sense of mission is a feature of faithful people throughout the ages, exemplified most clearly by Jesus Himself. At the age of 12 we discover Him sitting in the temple and explaining to those searching for Him, 'This is my Father's house'.  In situation after situation in the gospels we hear Him explaining His actions in terms of 'The Father sent me' or of  'Doing His Father's will'. His life was not defined by geographical location but by faithful obedience to His Father. A life of faith is not so much defined by 'Where are we going?' as it is by 'Who are we going with?'

If we allow our life to be defined by our relationship with God, then we can find a new sense of purpose in everything that we do.  I overheard somebody complaining the other day; 'Life around here is just so daily!' Many folk seem to drag along in a kind of treadmill existence, bored to tears with the whole thing.

The faith of Abraham challenges to consider that it doesn't matter where we are going, just as long as we can see that life is meant to be a journey, a pilgrimage, a walk with God. That though, through faith in Christ, we can know our ultimate destination is to be with Him, we don't need to know what twists and turns the journey will bring us. Abraham went out 'Even though he did not know where he was going.'

Faith in God is not an intellectual exercise in believing things that are hard to explain, but
an invitation to a relationship. A relationship with God as Father, Jesus as our Savior and the Holy Spirit as our inspiration and guide. Jesus spoke of love as being best revealed when we walk with Him and seek to follow His way.  When we walk in His commandments, it gives a whole new melody to the song of our life. Abraham's faith enabled him to see life as a mission.

Abraham's faith enabled him to overcome his failures. It answered the question, 'What do I do when I mess up?'

 Genesis 17:1 'The LORD appeared to (Abraham) and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.” ' 

Be blameless? Abraham was blameless? He had to reach perfection and only then would God bless him? Abraham, like most of us, had his good days. He also had his bad days!

A couple of times in his life he pretended his wife was his sister in order to get himself out of a tricky situation. The first time was when he sought help from the Pharaoh  in Egypt.  There was a famine in Canaan, and Abraham went to seek help. But he was afraid that when  the folk in Egypt saw how pretty his wife was, they'd kill him and steal her. 'Right' he thinks 'I'll say she's my sister'. He saves his own skin, but his wife ends up in the harem.

Then all sorts of bad things started happening to the Pharaoh. He discovers that Sarah was actually Abraham's wife and he's mad at Abraham. 'What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me she was your wife? I've gone and angered your God...  please take her and get out of here.' It's a sad picture. The man of God being rebuked by a pagan ruler. When you consider some of the stupid things we do, as individuals and as church communities, the world around us is often right to rebuke us.

It's not as though we are quick learners! A whilst later Abraham gets into a confrontation with another ruler, King Abimelech of Gerar. Again, he does the same thing. He tells the King his wife is his sister. The King takes her. Bad things start happening to the King. He finds out Sarah is Abraham's wife, and... again... Abraham is rebuked by a pagan ruler. Abraham … perfect, blameless and faithful? Hmm.

And then there's the whole business of Abraham having a child by his slave girl Hagar, because he simply didn't believe God when God told him that his wife Sarah would have a child. Things didn't turn out well! Often times in Scripture it seems that great characters of faith have some appalling falls from grace. Saints often turn out to be less than perfect!

The thing that marks them out though is this. They get knocked down, but they get up again. They understand that to fail is human. They are not defined by their failure, but by their recovery. They are not great people because of their capacity for perfection, but because they allow themselves to be transformed by grace.

When Jesus died upon the Cross. He prayed, 'Father, forgive them because they don't know what they are doing'. Before God we have to be honest and declare; 'God, You are right.' We can be so clueless. Sometimes we are just dancing in the dark.

The Cross stands as a central symbol of the Christian faith, because time after time, we blow it.  But if we look to the Cross we find there a love that tells us 'Rise up and walk. You are free. You are forgiven. Not because of what you have done, but because of what I, Jesus Christ, have done for you!'

Abraham's faith enabled him to overcome his failures. It answered the question, 'What do I do when I mess up?' What we do? We confess our sins. We accept the grace God offers and we move on down the road. That is faith.

Abraham's faith gave him courage to face the darkest situations. It answered the question 'How do I get through the hard times?'
The supreme test of Abraham's faith was the day he felt that God was telling him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, on a mountain-top. It's one of those difficult bible stories that make you wonder, 'What kind of God would ask anybody to do that?'

One can only imagine the conflict in Abraham's soul. Maybe there have been times in our own lives when we have really questioned if we are doing the right thing. Times when our actions seem capable of doing far more harm than good.  But in the midst of that darkness Abraham carries on trusting. The altar is laid. Isaac is placed upon it. The knife is raised, but before it falls God intervenes and Isaac is saved. Part of me says, this is going to far. This isn't heroic. It's foolish. It's cruel. It's abusive. It is not right to ask anyone to do as Abraham did. To sacrifice their only son.

Then I think of another only son. The One we call the 'Lamb of God.' The One we declare was sacrificed for our sins.  The Son of John 3:16. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whomsoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.” Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Tradition has it that the temple in Jerusalem was built on the site where Abraham had been led to sacrifice Isaac. This was the temple where Jesus challenged those who opposed Him with the words;  “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." (John 8:56 NIV). Abraham saw Christ's day on the mountain with Isaac, the day his faith went beyond what should be asked of anybody.  The day when in the midst of unthinkable darkness, he held on and witnessed God's salvation.

Great faith may bring moments of great peace, assurance and joy, but it travels through great doubt, disillusionment and despair. Faith involves victories, but also defeats. There is no crown without a Cross, no resurrection without their firstly being a death. How do we get through the hard times? I'm not exactly sure. But we do! I'm convinced it's got a whole lot to do with grace.

So I offer you today three faith lessons to learn from Abraham.

• Relationship is more significant than destination. If we know that we walk with God, then where it leads us is not as significant as who we are walking with. Walk with God, through faith in Jesus Christ and we will know the guidance of God's Holy Spirit.
• Our lives are not defined by our failures, but by our recoveries. We all mess up. We find in Jesus One to be our Savior. Who prays “Father forgive them they don't know what they are doing”. We are saved by grace through faith.
• Sometimes all we can do is trust God for the next word! Life lays before us unthinkable challenges. Faith can be defined by struggle and doubt as much as by peace and joy. Yet even in the midst of the darkest situations love can break through with unexpected, transforming power.

Abraham – A great man of faith. Hebrews 11:8 (Message Bible)  “By an act of faith, Abraham said 'yes' to God's call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going.”

We have no idea what coming days may bring. But if we put our trust, today, in Jesus Christ, we can know the assurance that we don't have to take one single step of our spiritual journey alone. We can share the truth of the Psalmist who has said; 'The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want.'  To God's name be all glory. Amen.
 
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

The Potter

Readings: Psalms 139:1-18, Philemon 1-21, Jeremiah 18:1-6, Luke 14:25-33
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, on September 8th 2013

A printable PDF file can be found here

Ever thrown a pot? I don’t mean thrown a pot at somebody, but had a chance at working on a potters wheel?  You watch a professional doing it and it looks like the easiest thing in the world. But, if you are as creatively challenged in the pottery field as I am, and you get to take your turn, then you pretty soon realize that it is not that easy.

Clay just does not behave itself. You squeeze it one way, and it all squirts out the other way. Bits fly off and won’t go back on again. You get covered in the stuff and end up with a, “Well I’m not quite sure what it is, but, man, I’m proud of it. Fire up that kiln Mr. Potter and let’s bake this creation to be preserved for eternity”.

You can imagine archeologists 2000 years from now, digging up your weird object and having long debates.
 “Well I think it’s a holder for flexible pencils”
“No, No, No, it’s part of a musical instrument and you blow it like this”
“You guys, it’s not a musical instrument, it’s a medical tool for removing ear-wax. Oops. I think it’s stuck. Can anybody give me a hand?”

The job of the Potter is not such an easy one. Unless, that is you have the skill for it. Maybe it’s something you are born with. Yet even if you are born with it, you still have to work at it. That’s a lesson another potter had to learn. I’m sure if you asked some kids to think of a potter, they would probably come up with the name of Harry Potter.

Maybe some of you are familiar with the Harry Potter series. The very first volume “The Sorcerers Stone” gives the account of Harry’s earliest days.  Harry is the son of two good magic workers, who are killed when he is a baby by a wicked wizard and Harry is ‘adopted’, rather unwillingly, by the Dursley family, who treat him terribly.

The Dursley family has a spoilt brat of a son called Dudley Dursley, who gets all he wants and more. He has two or three of everything, including bedrooms, whilst poor Harry sleeps in a spider infested cupboard under the stairs at No 4, Privet Drive. Even though Harry “Not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous” is kept firmly in his place, he keeps turning the tables on his adopted parents and becomes vaguely aware of powers in himself that he can’t explain.

Later, things change, and Harry has to go away to a special school 'Hogwarts' where he learns how to use and be in control of the gifts and talents that he has inherited from those who went before him.

There is something special about Harry - but there is nothing particularly special about a lump of clay. There is nothing particularly beautiful about a lump of earth out of the ground. Yet in the hands of a skilled craftsman that lump of unsightly, no good, mess can be made into something wonderful, something priceless, some thing totally unique.

At the time of our Old Testament bible reading the people of Israel were in a bad situation. Their lives were being formed by a whole lot of things other than God. They were trusting in things that couldn’t satisfy, believing in idols made by their own hands to get them through their lives.

 God, who had chosen these people to be to be the nation who would show the world what astonishing things could happen when people opened up their lives to God’s influence, was not pleased to see what a mess they had become.

Through the prophet Jeremiah God chooses to speak to the people. Jeremiah is sent to watch a potter at work. But the Potter is having a bad day. The clay won’t act as it should. It’s almost as though the clay is fighting back against him. He pushes it this way and it won’t go that way. He makes it into one shape and it chooses to take another shape.

To use Harry Potter’s imagery, this is Dudley Dursley clay. Out of shape. Spoilt. In spite of everything that is being done for it, this clay is not going to shape up. This clay is exasperating the potter’s skill. What the potter has to do is start over again. Maybe pound it a little bit, shake it up, and put a bit more water on it to make it more malleable.

This time Mr. Potter gets it right! As the scripture says, “He remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make” (verse 4).  You can almost picture the Potter holding it up and saying, “Allright. Now that’s more like it.  Beautiful”.

Then comes a wonderful promise that Jeremiah takes to the people of God. For sure there is a message of judgment on them for being a stiff necked and rebellious people, but there is also a great dawn on the horizon.

“"Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD." Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand”.” (verse 6)

This is a tremendous picture and a hope filled promise that Jeremiah is laying before us.
Everyone of us is born into life, a little like Harry Potter, full of the special things, some inherited, some unique, that make us who we are. We are all astonishing creations and demonstrations of God’s creative work.

It’s fantastic when new mums bring their little ones to church. You look at those babies and you can’t help but go “Coo” and “Aah”. Of course at three in the morning when they want feeding and changing is another story – but there is just something so wonderful about a new creation. All the potential. All the trust. The helplessness and innocence.

Doesn’t last for long though does it? Doesn’t take long before the hands of different potters start to shape our lives and our minds. It can be a hard knock life that deals us a rotten set of cards and we can spend a lot of time in our own equivalent of a spider-infested cupboard under the stairs.

It doesn’t take long until something of the spirit of Dudley Dursley starts getting to us. We become self centered and arrogant and “I want it now” and “Give me more” types of people.  Particularly in regard to God.

“Lord, I know what you say about following You, but You just don’t understand what I’m going through right now!” Really? The God by whose power we were knitted together in our mother’s womb, doesn’t know what a hard time we are having? Jesus who died upon the cross in heart wrenching agony, doesn’t understand what a tough time is?

In every church I have served there are always those who are down on their church. “It’s not like the old days. What are we going to do? How are we going to get through?’

And the question that forms in my mind is always the same, “Where is our faith? Who are we trusting? What Scriptures are we believing in?” See, if we are trusting in what we ourselves can do, if we think that if we just try a little harder and do just a little more, then I agree with you, we haven’t got a hope.  That is not going to cut it.

Jesus has laid down the terms for being faithful so plainly that it’s almost frightening. “If any body wants to be my disciple then let them take up a cross and follow me”. The Dudley Dursley in us responds (sarcastically), “Yeh. Right. I’m going to do that!”

“What come to Sunday School? I’ll have to get up earlier! I’ll learn enough about God in my own way”. Oh yes?

“What, increase my offering! Don’t you realize how much I give already? I have more important things to waste my money on.” Oh yes?

“What, spend more time in prayer and getting to know God’s word and worshiping and serving, what do you think I am some kind of religious maniac. I have a life to live in the real world, you know. It’s a question of priorities’ Oh yes! How true.

I keep getting that picture of the clay in the potter’s hands that is kicking back saying, “No, I won’t go your way I do it my way or we don’t do it at all”. And it all keeps drowning out the promise, the promise that Jeremiah wants to offer, but the clay is so busy trying not be molded, that it can’t hear.

“Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD." Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand”

“Can I not, O people of God in First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord, “Can I not still take broken lives and wounded hearts and compromised promises and make something beautiful out of them? Behold, like the clay in the Potter’s hand, so are you in My hand”.

Of course if we are allowing our lives to be formed by a whole lot of things other than God, if we are trusting in the things money can buy to satisfy, if we have fallen into that idolatrous trap of believing that we can get by without so much commitment, (without going to extremes like taking up crosses) then for sure we will reap the fruits of what we are sowing. And it will be rotten fruit!

It doesn’t have to be that way. God is good. God’s love is a rock, a solid foundation. Christ wants our commitment, not so He can add our name to a list of those who are on the Lord’s side, but so we can enjoy the intimacy of a heart relationship with God through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Will we stand on the promises of God this day? Do we not have the light of God’s Word to uphold us and carry us through?  Then let it shine, let it shine, let it shine! Be a Harry Potter – claim your inheritance as children of an awesome God, children whom God has gifted with as many different graces as we are different people.

And grow in that Grace! Make use of the opportunities you have for study and worship. Get to Sunday School. Be regular in worship. Give as though God actually counts for something astonishing in your life. Fan that flickering spark until your heart is aflame for Christ.

Fighting talk, maybe. But this is Rally Day. And right now in the life of this church it’s not a time for sitting back and pondering what could be. It’s a time for rising to the challenge of taking up our cross and following in whatever way God may call us to do.

God hasn’t promised us an easy way. But God has promised that God’s Spirit can work
on the hard, misshapen clay of our lives and create something beautiful.

May such be an experience that we all get to see happening in our lives.
AMEN!

Rev. Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

Humility and Service

Readings: Psalm 81: 1-16, Jeremiah 2:4-13, Hebrews 13:1-16, Luke 14:1, 7-14
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, September 1st 2013

A printable PDF file can be found here

If  you have ever driven a van filled with youth on a church trip you will know that they will not be overly concerned about where the van may be going, as they will be  occupied with the internal politics of who sits where.

"I want the front seat."
 "I want to be next to him'
"Don't put me next to her!"
"I'll get sick if I'm not by the window"

Jostling for position. Everybody out to get the seat that in their eyes is the best. People do it all the time, in relation to numerous different things.

Our account from Luke this morning gave us a story in which there is a party going on and everybody wants to be on the head table.  Being on top table meant that you were important. Part of the in-crowd.  Jesus appears to be looking on in wry amusement as they hustle for places.

When everybody is settled, He offers the gathering some advice. He warns them of the danger of struggling for position all of the time.  That you may make a serious misjudgment and find yourself embarrassed by being asked to move down the table to a more lowly place because you've sat yourself down in a place of importance.

If you are playing the importance game, He suggests that it would be better to occupy a low position on the table, then be seen by the host, who would recognize you as a friend and invite you to a higher place on table. If that happened then everybody was going to be impressed!

At first glance it seems to be one of those "Sometimes by doing the wrong thing, you end up doing the right thing' type of stories. Sometimes you have to think things through in a way that isn't, at first, the obvious way. See what you make of these!

1. Is there a 4th of July in England? (Yes. It comes right after the third!)
2. A butcher in the market is 5' 10'' tall. What does he weigh? (Meat)
3. What was the Presidents name in 1965? (Barak Obama. He hasn't changed it)

Sometimes the way things appear are not the way they really are. The man who takes the high place at the table may not be all that he thinks he's cracked up to be.  The person way down at the end may turn out to be more important than anybody else there.

There's a story about the Marquis of Angelsey, who occupies a beautiful Stately home on the banks of the Menai Straits in North Wales. He inherited the place from one of his ancestors that lost a limb in the battle of Waterloo. Legend has it that his ancestor and another officer were observing the battle of Waterloo from horseback when a stray cannonball hit the ancestor in the leg.

The officer on the horse next to him said, "By God, sir, you've lost a leg!"  The gentleman looked down and replied "By God, sir, so I have". So they rode back to camp. Anyway to cut a long story short, for his stiff-upper-lip bravery he was given a country estate (and a wooden leg) and he and his ancestors (who still have the wooden leg in a display cabinet) have lived quite comfortably ever since.

Much of the home and its magnificent grounds are now open to the public. I guess their finances aren't what they used to be. However the estate and its owner the current Marquis of Angelsey are still considered to be the gentry of the area.  The story goes that on a visit there somebody was seeking an audience with the Marquis, with the intention of relieving him of some of his wealth by fair means or foul. The man came across a Gardener who was digging the flowerbeds.

    "What sort of person is the Marquis?" he asked the gardener.
    "Oh, I've heard this and that,” replied the gardener.
    "Has he got as much money as they say?'
    "Depends on who the 'they' are" replied the gardener.
    "Is he a generous man? I mean would he help somebody out if they said they were     in need?"
    "I dare say he might,” said the Gardener.

    "I've heard he's a bit eccentric, like a lot of these upper class rich folk" said the     man, "I mean if somebody got their hands on his money, he probably wouldn’t     miss it!"
    "I dare say" said the gardener, "Sounds like you'd like to meet him."
    "You could arrange that for me?" said the man; "I'd make it worth your while!"
    "No problem" said the gardener. He brushed the sweat from his brow and     removed a dirty garden glove to shake the mans hand.
    "Pleased to meet you!" said the gardener, "I am the Marquis of Angelsey!”

As the old saying goes, "You can't always judge a book by its cover". It is the same with people. Everybody has a tale to tell. Those who are at the bottom of the pile may not have always been so. Those who make it to the top can turn out to be the victims of good luck and whilst having around them all the trappings of success can be quite empty within themselves.

Joy in life does not come through occupying the high places or knowing the people of most influence.  Lasting happiness cannot be found in the multitude of possessions that people accumulate around themselves. Life is about more than position and possession.

The message within the message is that fulfillment comes to us through making a realistic assessment of our lives before God. We think of ourselves in one way. Sometimes we may over estimate our importance, at others put ourselves down and make ourselves out to be less than we are. Both are a denial of who God made us to be.

And then there's the way other people see us! Sometimes they may make a more realistic assessment of our lives than we make of our selves. Sometimes they will be wrong about us.  Sometimes we may have made a favorable or unfavorable impression on a person without even realizing it. Everybody we meet and spend time with forms some kind of impression of the person that we are.

That's why people like to hang out with the important folk. To make an impression. It happens every time there is a Hollywood Premiere or awards ceremony. The TV commentators go to great lengths to figure out for us 'who's who' and 'who's with who', who are the 'up and coming', whose 'on the way out'. Don't be seen hanging out with a loser... there goes that next movie offer!

The Kingdom of God, Jesus keeps telling us through the gospels, is nothing like that! In the Kingdom of God, everything is turned around. Verse 11 of our reading; "For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted."

To reinforce that message Jesus tells the dinner guests that if they really want to put on a party that, in Kingdom of God terms, would be considered the showiest, ritziest, most glamorous party of them all, then give a reception and invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. Ask everybody to come who hasn't got a hope of ever repaying you.

According to this teaching, Kingdom greatness is not measured by whom you know or whom you hang out with but by what you have done for those least able to reward you. That explains why Jesus is so critical of those who are at the party jostling for the best places. From the Kingdom perspective even if you are at the head of the table, you are still a nobody unless you have love.

As Paul’s famous words from 1 Corinthians chapter thirteen remind us, "I may have all the faith needed to move mountains, but if I have no love, I am nothing!” It is love of that nature which brings security, lifts up the fallen, and heals the broken hearted. 'Love of God' and 'Love of neighbor' are the two great principles upon which the Christian faith is built.

It is in the light of God's love that we are able to make a realistic assessment of our lives. If we want to observe true greatness than what better place than in the gospel story of Jesus Christ. To be Christian is to measure our life against Christ's.

When we do so, we realize it is only by the Grace of God that we can come to any table, and we sense the futility of worrying about our position there. When we come to the table in the humility of genuine faith and with thankful hearts, it is then we experience God lifting us up.

We love because Christ first loved us and gave His life for us. It is His love that is the motivation and it is God's love that sustains us through the action of God's Holy Spirit upon our hearts. 

As we come to a table laid with bread and wine may we reflect on the Kingdom values Jesus invites us to embrace. It's not where we sit when we come to this table that counts for anything. This is not the place for childish politics.

"I want the front seat."
 "I want to be next to him'
"Don't put me next to her!"

We are around this table only through the grace of God.  We who have done so little are offered so much. We who have failed to love are invited to be recreated by Christ's love. We who have lost sight of what is really important are bid to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit of God that we may be guided by the law of love written on our hearts.

Come to the table. Taste and see that God is good!

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.