Oh the Places You’ll Go
Text:
Genesis 12:1-12
May 29,
2005
Aldersgate
UMC
I. Today we mark a transition
a.
With graduation next Sat.
b.
Seniors sent forth into the world
c.
Today we acknowledge this milestone in their
lives
Congratulations!
Today
is your day.
You’re
off to great Places!
You’re
off and away!
You
have brains in your head.
You
have feet in your shoes.
You
can steer yourself any direction your choose.
Oh!
The places You’ll Go!
d.
Perhaps you recognized book
i.
given to my daughter Sarah at graduation
ii.
Six years ago
iii.
Dr. Suess
iv.
Read on two levels
v.
Marks transition of high school graduation
vi.
Speaks today in a humorous way the words “Go
forth!”
I.
Abraham heard the word of God “Go Forth!”
a.
Leave behind known and familiar in order to find
the future
i.
progressive letting go
ii.
on one level left behind
1.
his land
a.
culture and known world
b.
neighborhood
c.
the place where he is known - where his
reputation opens doors
2.
second level his next of kin
a.
extended kin
b.
large family gatherings
3.
his father’s house
a.
personal
b.
scenes, smells in kitchen and family room
4.
parallel for our seniors, yet more dramatic
a.
way of worship
b.
the moon god that he knew
iii.
Structure of verses convey trauma of departure
1.
Leave all this for a place he does not know
a.
language of original Hebrew emphasizes the
radical nature of this break
2.
demands huge trust in God
a.
trust promise of land
b.
trust promise of descendants to fill the land
c.
even though Sarah is barren
b.
trust doesn’t mean it will be smooth going
i.
Remember Abraham’s life was not untroubled
1.
Trouble in
2.
Courted trouble in
1.
Finally not waiting for God, but giving birth to
first born son through Hagar
You’ll
be on your way up!
You’ll
be seeing great sights!
You’ll
join the high flier who soar to high heights.
You’ll
not lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll
pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever
you fly, you’ll be best of the best.
Wherever
you go, you will top all the rest.
Except
when you don’t. Because,
sometimes, you won’t.
I’m
sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true
that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
You’ll
come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And
the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a slump.
You’ll
be in a place where the streets are not marked.
Some
windows are lighted. But mostly they’re dark.
Do
you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How
much can you lose? How much can you win?
c.
Abraham trusted in an extravagant promise for
the future, can we?
i.
God’s promise to Abraham and to us is real
1.
for Abraham, land is concrete
2.
3.
Children, representing his future
ii.
For us the promise is just as real
iii.
leaving home necessary in order to discover the
promise that God has in mind for you
iv.
may seem obvious, but high school seniors
1.
Robin, Scott,
2.
have
to leave home to find a new life
a.
in the military
b.
or their own home
c.
or the work place
d.
or at college
v.
yes parents true, sometimes come back, but
relationship has changed
II.
Like Dr. Suess, two
levels, physical and spiritual journey
a.
all of us are repeatedly called forth by God
b.
to a place of wholeness (land of milk and honey)
c.
we leave our past as we journey through life
i.
leave past over and over
ii.
many ways and many times
d.
we give up or sacrifice past in order to take
hold of the new
e.
Hebrew word that communicates this dual journey
is lech-lecha
i.
only two uses of this word in scripture
1.
both
mean “Go forth.”
2.
Here and when God calls Abraham to sacrifice his
only son
a.
Called into unknown regions for incomprehensible
purposes
b.
frames beginning and end of Abraham narrative
ii.
Abraham asked to sacrifice future in this second
use
iii.
from this second use we learn that there is an
inward journey that accompanies the outward journey
Oh,
the places you’ll go! There is fun
to be done!
There
are points to be scored.
There
are games to be won.
And
the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame!
You’ll be as famous as famous can be.
With
the whole world watching you win on TV.
Except
when they don’t. Because
sometimes they won’t.
I’m
afraid that sometimes you’ll play lonely games too.
Games
you can’t win cause you’ll play against you.
iv.
God is the One who can lead us away from the
loneliness of playing games
1.
lying to self
2.
pretending that we’re fine
3.
living up to everyone else’s expectations
f.
When we give our life to God,
i.
we sacrifice the future that we would
have
ii.
in
order to take hold of the future that God chooses for us.
iii.
We find the love and acceptance that’s missing
from the world
g.
Remember Lech-lecha
also means
i.
go to yourself
ii.
go for your own sake
iii.
go to yours
iv.
get thee
1.
all these suggest the internal, introspective
journey
2.
urgent change of one’s focus and direction
3.
Christian journey about recognizing the claim of
God on our future
4.
Seeing the urgency of the change that is needed
in one’s life
III.
promise today just as real, but the promise is
for the future
a.
not happen overnight
b.
hard work involved
i.
transitions are about hard work of
1.
letting go
2.
living in between for awhile
3.
preparing for the future
4.
taking hold of the future
ii.
Building house on rock rather than sand
1.
Means embedding structure in stone
a.
drilling
b.
jack hammer
c.
maybe even explosives
2.
what must it have been like for original
audience
a.
enormity of manual labor
b.
exertion of time and expense
3.
much easier to sink pilings into sand
a.
So.
c.
Going forth for God is about change, conversion
i.
Sometimes comes through slow erosion of what had
been rock hard convictions
ii.
Or slow process of days added upon days of
listening to the word and acting on it.
iii.
It’s a journey that engages all of us
d.
But for the seniors, Robin, Scott,
i.
“I chose the road less traveled – now where
the heck am I?”
ii.
God knows, so let’s trust that leadership
iii.
May each of us hear God’s call into a new
future
iv.
God says, “Lech-lecha,
Go forth and be my people in your place and time.”
Amen.