God Means Go: Genesis 12:1-8 - 17th Sunday after Pentecost

Even though we have E-Z Passes in our cars, I will only travel on Pennsylvania’s costly toll roads as a last resort. Last week, we made our way to and from our vacation in the Poconos by traveling the country back roads. With so many twists and turns, though, I wouldn’t have dared to take such a route with only a paper map. Thankfully, we had Google Maps.

Not only did Google Maps provide directions, but it also helped me to plan out every stop on our journey. I knew what was on the menu at every restaurant, the price of a gallon of gas, if the attractions we visited were worth the time and admission, and if the hotel was clean and comfortable. Google Maps provided estimated arrival time and kept me informed of road construction projects and traffic jams.

Abram and Sarai didn’t have Google Maps. They didn’t have any maps, which was alright because they didn’t have a destination.

God simply told Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing”

It’s unfortunate the Bible doesn’t give us the details of Abram informing his wife that a God they’d never heard of was telling them everything and everyone behind to go somewhere, but God didn’t say where they were be going. God promised to make of them a great nation even though they have no children and are advanced in years.

I consider this Abram’s very first act of faith, and Sarai’s too, if she took him seriously.

It is unfathomable for anyone of Abram and Sarai’s age to leave behind everything they’ve ever known and starting over in a foreign land, particularly for a pie-in-the-sky promise such as this.

Couldn’t God have made a great nation of them right where they were? Why does God command them to go?

The answer to these questions has to do with the very nature of God. Ours is not a God who stays up in heaven and watches us from a distance. Our God is in the world; in relationship with people, redeeming his creation from chaos, evil, and death. Our God refuses to do those things from afar. Ours is a God who moves. And you can’t walk with God while standing still.

So how do you feel about going? If you were in Abram and Sarai’s shoes, would you go?

The fact of the matter is that the Christian journey is not one that any human being would choose for themselves. We want to pursue our own desires and ambitions. We want to go where the action is. Sometimes, we don’t want to go at all and instead remain in the safety of our comfort zones. If we go anywhere at all, it’s down the path of least resistance. But that’s not God’s way.

God calls you. God sends you. But it’s up to you to go. Faith is obedience in action. Otherwise, you’re the frozen chosen.

The Christian who does not go is the Christian who does not grow. You cannot know who God is nor can you understand God’s purpose for your life if you do not go with God. Without God, you’re either lost, frozen in place, or sliding down into the abyss.

God didn’t send Abram and Sarai away from the life they always knew to test them. God sent them so that God could fulfill in them the very purpose for which he called them, which wasn’t just for their sake, but for the sake of all.

The same holds true for Jesus disciples. When Jesus calls them and when Jesus sends them, they go. They are transformed, and the people they serve are transformed. The Church is born, and the world is transformed.

That same promise holds true for you. It’s not a matter of if God will call you or send you. It will happen. Every day. The only question is: will you go?

God will call people to leave absolutely everything and everyone behind and to go to far-off places. Some of those calls will make about as much sense as God’s call to Abram and Sarai.

I’m more concerned about the moments in everyday life when God whispers, “go and help that senior carry their groceries. Go and introduce yourself to the worshiper whose name you don’t know. Go and visit that lonely neighbor. Go and invite that person to church who you know needs the comfort of Christ. Go to Bible study, even though there are dirty dishes in the sink. Go on the women’s retreat, even though November’s a busy month for you. Go on the mission trip, even though you don’t know the difference between an Allen wrench from a monkey wrench. Just go, and God will take care of the rest.

So what will you say when the Lord says “go”? Will you go to places you’ve never been, to serve people you do not know, to do things you’ve never done, facing fears, dangers, and challenges along the way? You can’t walk with God will standing still. But those who go will see Christ’s faithfulness, mercy, and power. Those who go will see the Kingdom of God overcoming the chaos and despair of the present moment. Those who go will never be the same again.