Slice of Sermon

September 12, 2021

Faith is often about seeing things with different eyes, hearing things
with different ears and trusting what you see and hear with those eyes and
ears of faith.
The Israelites struggled with trust in those early days of living in the
wilderness. They had been freed from the bondage of slavery in Egypt, they
had experienced God’s protection at the Red Sea, they had received God’s
guidance at Mount Sinai in the form of the law, but as they stood outside
Canaan, the promised land, their fear and lack of trust made them want to
retreat.
After hearing the report of spies, sent to scope out their new
homeland which God had promised them, fear took over trust. “This
Promised Land was certainly prosperous, but those who lived there were
strong,” they said. “they are stronger than us.” Only Caleb and Joshua
disagreed. “Yes, they are strong, but our God is stronger,” they proclaimed.
In the end Caleb and Joshua’s words fell on deaf ears and the people
were ready to find a new leader who would lead them back to Egypt.
Facing an uncertain path forward is always difficult. It is easier for us
to stay put or return to something we already know. And yet, our God is a
forward-thinking God. Jesus, was a faithful and forward-thinking Messiah.
When God is calling us forward, our insistence to stay put or go back
demonstrates a lack of faith and trust which limits our possibilities.
As we come out of a time of pandemic, a time that certainly altered
our ministry and disrupted our journey, there is a temptation to return to
what we already know, to return to the familiar. But what if God is calling
us forward? What if God doesn’t want us to return to the ministry we had
but to move forward into a new and still unknow pattern and process of
ministry?
In these times of change, we must remember what is unknown to us
is known to God. God is with us and is taking us into what we do not yet
know. May we find a way to step out in faith and trust.
Melanie’s Takeaway: Always so much easier said then done! Step
out in faith where there is nothing but ‘fog’ ahead. But ‘what if’ we truly
throw all caution to the wind and trust in the faithful one who promises us
he will never leave us? Oh the possibilities…