Promises, Promises (Genesis 11:27-12:9)

Abraham is one of the Bible’s best known characters, but why is this man who lived 4,000 years ago so important? Find out how the promises God made to him are so important for understanding the whole Bible and why Abraham himself is a great example to us.

Below is a version of the sermon preached at St. George’s on 17th January. You can also watch a video version of the sermon preached at St. Luke’s on that day.

Why does Abraham matter?

Abraham was born in the city of Ur around 2,000BC. We live about 2,000 years after Jesus, Abraham lived around 2,000 years before Jesus.

We might imagine that his world was rather backward, but actually it was one with well established cities and cultures that extended across the middle east. After all the great pyramids of Egypt were built hundreds of years before his time and many of the cities mentioned in our reading had been around for hundreds of years – far longer than the United States has existed in our time!

The city of his birth was Ur. It was a key trading city and around 2,000BC was at the height of its power with an empire covering much of Southern Mesopatamia. The city would have had a population of about quarter of a million – about twice the size of Thanet’s population today. It’s culture was dominated by worship of the moon and even today you can visit the remains of a Ziggurat built there at this time, which was about 30m high and had a temple to the moon God, ‘Sin’ at its top.

Abraham grew up in this cosmopolitan place, but for some reason his family left Ur – possibly fleeing from a foreign invasion or possibly because of the call of God. They planned to go to Canaan, but ended up in Haran, a similar size city with another temple to Sin, the moon god, but far to the North West of Ur. Here the family settled, in what would have felt a bit like a home from home.

That is a bit of what we can glean about Abraham’s background. But why does he matter? Why is he probably the only person from that time period you have ever heard of? What was special about this man from Ur? Why does he matter for us living 4,000 years later!

To answer that question, we need to look at both the Big Picture of how Abraham fits into the story of the Bible and the Small Picture of his own life and how he is an example for us to follow. But lets start with the big picture.

Big Picture: New People of Promise – God’s Plan for History

If you have watched an action film, then you may have noticed that there is a set pattern to how the films begin.

They usually start off with an exciting action sequence that whets your appetite for the action that is to follow, sets some of the key themes and feel of the movie, but most importantly draws you into the film before you get too bored.

However, after the opening action sequence, there is usually a less exciting scene that sets up the plot or the story. This scene is really important to help you understand what is going on in the rest of the film.

So, in a James Bond film, there is usually an exciting and dramatic opening action sequence and then we have James Bond meeting with ‘M’ to talk about the mission that he needs to carry out. It’s not exciting, but it is crucial to understand what is going on.

Well, the Bible is a bit like that. The first 11 chapters of Genesis are spectacular action packed setting up some of the big themes of the whole Bible, there’s God’s creation, the dramatic fall of man from the Garden of Eden, the first murder and a flood that nearly wipes everything out. This is all big dramatic stuff.

Then we have this section about Abram. But this section is really important if we want to grasp what is going on in the rest of the Bible. It sets up the story ready for us to follow.

Let me briefly show you how.

A story of promise fulfilled

Firstly, note that God promises Abram that he is going to make him into a great nation. This is a crucial idea and much of the rest of the story of the Old Testament is how this nation that is descended from Abram is going to become great.

People:

Firstly, to be a great nation you need to have lots of people.  This gets off to a slow start. Abram’s wife is barren he cannot have children! But, much of the focus of the rest of Abram’s story is about how God provides him with one son!

By the end of Genesis, the family has grown. There are now 72, but this is still a long way from being nation sized!

However, at the start of Exodus we are told that now this family has become people sized. But they are in the wrong place.

Place / Land:

Secondly, a nation needs a place to be or a land to live on.

In this passage God makes clear to Abraham that the land of Canaan would belong to his descendants. But at this point it is already full of other people. How will this be?

  • Abram makes a start to a claim by pitching his tent in the hills and building altars.
  • By the end of Genesis they have burial plots in the land, but the people are living in Egypt.
  • But, God leads them out of Egypt and through the wilderness under Moses and eventually in to the promised land led by Joshua.
  • But then they are hardly a great nation, they are constantly oppressed by surrounding peoples, until eventually a monarchy under David is established and they truly become a great nation.

Purpose:

  • But, as well as people and place God gives this great nation, a purpose. They are to be a blessing for all nations.
  • In the Old Testament this is meant to happen, because they are unique in having received God’s Law. By showing the rest of the world how God wants them to live, they are to be an example that brings blessing to the world. A light to the nations as Isaiah puts it.
  • Yet, the people keep turning away from God and ignoring his commands. They are no better than anyone else.
  • Until Jesus comes, a descendant of Abraham and David, Jesus is the greater king of God’s people, who through his death and resurrection brings hope and life for all nations and creates a new  people from all nations, not just the literal descendants of Abraham. A people who bring blessing to the world as they live for Christ in the world.

So, these words to Abraham, are words that help us to understand the plot of the whole Bible, to see God’s great plan. A plan that worked through a n historic nation, but ultimately led to Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

But, there are two more things to say about the big picture.

A story of blessing not curse

Firstly, it is a story of blessing not curse.

In a way Genesis 1-11 has been dominated by judgement and curse:

Adam is kicked out of the garden of Eden and barred from the tree of life.

Cain is sent into exile for murdering his brother.

The world is destroyed by a flood because of the wickedness of man.

Those building the tower of Babel are scattered and divided, because of their pride.

Now, as God comes to Abraham he says his intention is to reverse the situation. Now, God wants to bring blessing not curse, life not death.

The Bible is full of God’s judgement, which is a necessary consequence of human sin, but this passage shows us that God’s plan and purpose is to bring blessing on the world not curse.

A story of divine action not human achievement

Then this big picture shows us how the Bible history is different to the way normal human history is told. Notice in these verses, Abraham is not really asked to do anything other than start a journey with God, but God says five times, “I will….” emphasising that it is all about divine action not human achievement.

God promises Abraham that he will make his name great. Well in the previous chapter, the people of the earth came together to build a tower in order to make their name great:

“Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselve….” (Genesis 11:4)

God’s response to their proud ambition is to scatter them over the face of the earth. A great name does not come from achieving great things, but in trusting in God’s promises.

As you go through the Bible, again and again it tells us what God does for the sake of his people:

Joseph recognises that he was able to rescue Egypt and the world from famine, because of God’s providence.

Israel escape Egypt not because of any brilliance or strength on their own part, but because God acts to send plagues.

Jericho falls, because it is God that brings the walls crashing down.

David slays Goliath, not because he was a sharp shooter with a sling, but because he trust God to win the battle for him.

This is the gospel, for our salvation is based not on what we do, but on what God has done for us in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

So, these verses are a crucial point in the Big Picture of the Bible story. They give us the outline of the promises that will be fulfilled as the history of Israel unfolds and show us that this story’s ultimate aim is blessing not curse brought about by divine action not human achievement.

But there is also a small picture aspect for us. This is not just about the people of promise that God would create, but about a person of promise: Abraham and how he can be an example to us.

Small Picture: New Person of Promise

Let me briefly show you three things about Abram’s life.

A life resurrected – Gen. 11:27-32

Firstly, it was a life, resurrected. At the end of chapter 11 is a quick outline of Abram’s family. It is not a pretty picture.

There is incest, with his brother Nahor marrying his other brother’s daughter. In fact we later learn that Sarai is Abram’s half-sister!

There is also an emphasis on death. His brother Haran has died and tragically before his father, Terah. And all we are told about Terah is that he too died in the city of Haran.

Then we are also told, that Abram’s wife, Sarai is barren. She is unable to have children. Abram’s family line seems to be coming to a dead end.

Yet, too this dead end, God promises abundant life.

Paul puts it like this in Romans:

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead–since he was about a hundred years old–and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.” (Romans 14:18-19)

  • Abram is an example to us, that no matter how much our life may feel like it has hit a dead end. No matter how much we have been hit by grief or are mired in messy family relationships, God can still call us to a new hope, a promise of abundant life. If only we like Abram can believe.

A life abandoned – Gen. 12:4-5

So, Abram is promise a life resurrected, but he is called to set out with God and that means abandoning things from his old life.

Abram had to leave the comfortable city life of Haran, his father, his old culture and people like him and head off to a new life in Canaan.

And he did, because he knew that the blessing God had to offer was worth far more than what he was called to abandon.

For us as well, Abram is our example. To follow God today may mean abandoning things that are important to us. Jesus says:

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:35)

  • As we begin a new year, perhaps now is a good time to ask: “What do I need to abandon in order to take hold of God’s call on my life?”

A life embraced  – Gen. 12:6-9

Abram has to abandon some important parts of his life, but he also embraces what God has promises. We see this in the verses about his journey through Canaan, which in itself is a celebration of what God is promising him.

He builds an altar in the midst of the Canaanites at Shechem, which was probably a religious sanctuary as a demonstration of his commitment not to the gods of the land, but to the true God of the universe.

This is a man who is embracing what God has called him to. As it says in Hebrews:

“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. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:8-10)

  • So another question to ask as we consider Abram’s example is this: How are you embracing God’s call today? How are you showing to the world around that it is that which is driving your life?

Conclusion:

This passage about God’s promises to Abram is crucial if we are to understand the big picture of the Bible story.

But, it also shows us a man like us, who although he lived 4,000 years ago is still a great example to us of the faith response we are called to as we respond to God’s call.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2022

We saw his star in the East

Week of Prayer of Christian Unity (18th – 25th January)

Materials for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2022 have been prepared by the churches of the Middle East.

The story of the Magi visiting the Holy Family in Bethlehem is one very familiar to us. The Magi have sometimes been seen as a symbol of the world’s diversity – different religions and cultures – that comes to pay homage to the Christ-child. The story might therefore represent the unity of all created that God desires.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2022 has been prepared by the churches of the Middle East, the history of which was, and still is, characterised by conflict and strife, tainted with blood and darkened by injustice and oppression. The Christians of the Middle East offer these resources conscious that the world shares many of the travails and much of the difficulties that it experiences, and yearns for a light to lead the way to the Saviour who is the light that overcomes darkness.

Serving the Gospel today requires a commitment to the human being, especially the poorest, the weakest and those marginalised. It requires from the churches transparency and accountability in dealing with the world, and with each other. This means churches need to cooperate to provide relief to the afflicted, to welcome the displaced, to relieve the burdened, and to build a just and honest society. This is a call for churches to work together so that young people can build a good future according to God’s heart, a future in which all human beings can experience life, peace, justice, and love.

Daily Prayer Meetings at 9am:

Weekdays 9am at Hardres Street Church.

Saturday 22nd, Prayer Breakfast at Salvation Army, High Street

Asbestos Removal from the Crypt

This week work has begun on removing asbestos from St. George’s crypt. The work will last for about a month, but should not effect our normal services and prayer meetings in church other than to prevent us from using the organ (we will use the piano instead).

This work is costing around £35,000 and we are grateful to the Friends of St. George’s who are funding it. The work is necessary in order to make the crypt accessible so that other work such as upgrading the heating system in the church is possible.

Sequel – Talk at the Midnight Service

This talk was given at the Midnight Service at St. George’s on Christmas Eve. As we think about what kind of sequel we want in 2022, we look to Jesus as the one who creates a possibility for a different kind of humanity. A version of this talk was also given at St. Luke’s Ramsgate and you can watch a video of it here.

2022 – The Sequel

I wonder what your favourite film sequel is?

  • Mamma Mia: Here we go again!
  • Star Wars: The Empire strikes back!
  • Terminator 2: Judgement Day!

Some people are thinking that the year 2022 will be a sequel to 2020 as in:  2020: 2, the sequel.

In other words the follow up to the year 2020!

But what kind of sequel do you think 2020: 2 will be?

Many film sequels simply repeat the basic formula of the original.

So you might call it:

2020: 2 – Here we go again!

2020: 2 – The Virus returns

2020: 2 – The Wrath of Covid

But some sequels are the next stage in the story and turn a bad ending into a good ending a tragedy into a comedy. So you might call it:

2020: 2 – The Vaccine strikes back

2020: 2 – A new Hope

2020: 2 – Covid: Endgame

So are you pessimistic that 2022 will just be like 2021 and 2020 with new variants of the virus causing further waves of illness and death.

Or are you hopeful that  2022 will see the end of the Pandemic and a chance to return to life without threats of illness or worries about lockdowns.

What kind of sequel do you think 2022 will be?

History – Repeating the Pattern

When we look at history, we find that in many ways it is a series of sequels of the kind that follow the basic formula or pattern of the past. Times of peace and prosperity followed by times of war and poverty. Humanity seems to keep making the same mistakes, the same stories of greed, lust, arrogance and anger play themselves out again and again at a personal and national level. History repeats itself. Yes, there are different characters, yes the technology improves, but the basic formula and story format remains the same. Each new generation simply repeats the mistakes of its forebears.

The Bible calls this sin and says it goes right back to the first man and woman and their decision to decide for themselves what was right and wrong, rather than follow God, the one who made them in his image. Generation by generation, we all follow the same formulaic story.

But how can this pattern be broken? If every generation is at heart just as corrupt as the previous generation, then how can there be any hope of a different kind of sequel? How can there be a happy ending?

Jesus – The Same but Different

This is where Jesus comes in. This is the point of the virgin birth. This is the heart of Christmas. It introduces a new start a new kind of humanity.

The virgin birth makes Jesus unique. Everyone else is born of a father and a mother, they inherit the same wrong attitudes and tendencies that tend to make a mess of the world.

Jesus is the same. He is born of a woman and fully human.

Yet, Jesus is different. He has no human Father, rather he eternally existed as the Son of God and the Word with God as John puts it

To sum these two ideas up, it says in John 1:14:

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14)

Like all humanity he bears the image of God, but unlike the rest of humanity it is not corrupted. Jesus brings a new start free from the sin of Adam, a humanity that is fully connected with God.

This is God coming to show us how humanity is meant to be, how we are meant to live, without greed, lust, arrogance and anger, but with pure selfless sacrificial love. Jesus was the same as us, but free from sin.

This became clearest when he willingly went to the cross. On the cross he took the judgement for the world’s sin. He died to condemn our wickedness, but also to take our place, that we might find forgiveness and a way back to God. Jesus’s selfless act of love creates a new Way, a new humanity and he invites us to become part of that humanity.

Do you want the same or different?

So, we are left with a choice. Do we embrace Jesus’s new humanity or do we reject Jesus and all he has to offer?

In John 1, it calls Jesus the light in the darkness. Many people it says, wanted to stick to the old ways and the old stories. They wanted to continue with the sequels that just repeated the same age old patterns, the ways of darkness. They didn’t want to change. So, they did not receive him. Is that how you treat Jesus?

Others, though it says did receive Jesus and they because of this something amazing happened. They became children of God. Children not from natural descent, but born of God. Not that we Christians become perfect or sinless. Not that we don’t struggle with issues of greed, lust, arrogance and anger. Our old habits and old ways still cling to us, but with God’s help we are being changed to become more like Jesus from the inside out, to start living out our new identity and the new humanity that he brings.

Finally we look forward to the ultimate sequel when Jesus comes and creates a truly new world, where sin and death are no more, where darkness is banished and we can shine with the light of Christmas.

2022 may not be a better year than 2020 in terms of Covid, but if you are willing to accept Jesus coming to change you, then it could be much happier year for you.

Lantern Tower lit in memory of those lost to Covid

We hope you’ve noticed that the Lantern on the top of the church is lit again for the Christmas period? This year it is a particularly poignant reminder of all the Ramsgate people we have lost during the year to Covid. It is also a gesture of comfort to those who find themselves alone at this time of the year. We are able to do this through the very generous support of Trevor Shonk and a number of other local people who have donated to pay for the electricity. Thank you to all of them!

Midnight Mass

Our Midnight Mass starts at 11:30pm at St. George’s Church. There is no need to register or book beforehand, but we do ask people to wear masks and observe social distancing.

Join us in the beautiful setting of St. George’s church decorated for the Christmas Tree festival to welcome in Christmas Day.

Thanks to all those who have donated to light the lantern tower in memory of those who have died from Covid.

Carol Service (7pm, Tuesday 21st)

Join us at St. George’s Ramsgate tonight (Tuesday 21st) at 7pm for our Carol Service. Featuring many carols, candles, Christmas Bible readings, the dedication of the Tree of Loving Thoughts and the building of a crib scene. All in the setting of a beautiful church decorated for the Christmas Tree festival.

Photo by Frank Leppard.

Mary’s Faith (Luke 1:39-45)

As Christians we talk a lot about ‘faith.’ But do we think and talk about faith in a way that truly reflects a Biblical understanding? How well does our understanding of faith stack up against the kind of faith we see in the Bible?

When we talk about faith do we see it as ‘blind faith’. A kind of leap in the dark, a trust that can have no evidential support?

When we talk about faith is it a way of making ourselves feel superior to others? ‘My faith’ enables me to live a good life.

And when we talk about faith is it a serious matter, that produces no sense of joy or excitement?

Today’s Gospel reading is a short passage, but it is pivotal in the birth narratives in Luke’s gospel. These opening chapters are all about faith. In particular, whether people will believe God’s messenger, the angel Gabriel.

Luke starts by telling us of Zechariah and Elizabeth. They are very old and their deep sadness is that they have not been able to have children. Yet, they are good faithful Israelites. Zechariah serves in the temple as  a Priest and one day he is confronted by the Angel Gabriel. Gabriel tells him that the impossible will happen, he is going to have a baby boy, who he should call, John, someone who will play a key role in God’s plans. Zechariah, however, does not believe Gabriel – he thinks he and his wife are too old. So Gabriel strikes him dumb. Yet, when Zechariah goes home the  impossible does happen and his wife Elizabeth becomes pregnant.

Then Luke tells us that the angel Gabriel comes again, but this time to a young girl, Mary, a virgin, who is engaged to a man called Joseph. This time the angel tells her she will conceive a boy by the Holy Spirit, who will be called Son of God and have an eternal kingdom. Although, again this seems impossible, Mary does believe Gabriel.

Then we have our passage, where these two stories, one about unbelief and the other about belief come together: Mary visits Elizabeth. These short verses actually teach us a lot about faith. Perhaps that shouldn’t be surprising as the last verse has a kind of beatitude:

“Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” (Luke 1:46).

In other words here is an assertion, that faith brings blessing. Mary has a unique role in that she became the mother of the Son of God. Yet, she is also an example for us all to follow. True blessing comes from believing what God tells us. True faith really matters, so we should be concerned to check that our faith is shaped by the faith of these Biblical characters.

So, what kind of faith does this meeting between Mary and Elizabeth show us?

  1. Faith seeks certainty

Firstly, it shows us that faith is not simply blind faith. Rather it seeks out stronger confirmation of what has already been believed.

Luke tells us that Mary hurries to go and see Elizabeth. In fact we know from Gabriel that Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant at the time he spoke to her. Luke also tells us that Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, before telling us of the birth of John the Baptist. The implication is then, that Mary goes to Elizabeth almost as soon as Gabriel has spoken to her.

But why? Why does Mary, a young woman who would probably be expected to stay in her parents home and not go travelling by herself, travel the 70 miles or so to Elizabeth?

Well when Mary asks how she can become pregnant, since she is a virgin, Gabriel mentions the miracle of how Elizabeth was pregnant despite being very old. It may be that Mary had not heard about this and so she goes to Elizabeth to see if what the angel said was true. Or perhaps she did know, but what the angel says suggests that Elizabeth is the best person to help her understand what is going on.

Mary believes the angel’s words, but she wants a deeper certainty and a deeper clarity. This is not simply blind faith.

Luke tells us that he writes his gospel so that:

” so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” (Luke 1:4).

God certainly seems to respect this desire on Mary’s part. When Gabriel tells Zechariah about his new son he says that he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born and will go before the Lord to make a people prepared for the Lord.

When Mary arrives, John leaps in Elizabeth’s womb and Elizabeth herself is filled with the Holy Spirit. The implications are that her words are inspired – and what words: “Blessed are you and blessed is the child you will bear!”

Immediately, Elizabeth independently confirms everything that the angel Gabriel has said to Mary. She becomes a second witness to the great truth and there is a principle in the Bible that you need two witnesses to prove anything.

Mary’s faith is not simple blind faith. It immediately drives her to seek greater certainty and God gives her that.

We see a similar thing with the shepherds. When the angels give them the message about the birth of Jesus, they go and check out whether it is true – can there really be a baby in Bethlehem in a manger?

We are not called to a blind faith. True faith takes God’s words seriously and checks them out in order to gain a deeper certainty and confidence.

  1. Faith needs humility

So, faith seeks certainty, but it also needs humility.

After our scripture Mary, says a wonderful poem that is based on Hannah’s song of praise at the beginning of 1 Samuel. Mary’s poem is called the Magnificat and is traditionally said or sung in the Church of England evening prayer. The hymn, Tell out my soul is based on it.

It is a song about the fact that God blesses the humble. It talks about how God has:

“been mindful of the humble state of his servant.” (Luke 1:48)

but,

“he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.” (Luke 1:51b)

Even when Mary accepted Gabriel’s message she said,

“I am the Lord’s servant.” (Luke 1:38)

But if you think Mary acts with humility what about the example of Elizabeth. Here she is the much older woman, but when her teenage relative turns up at the door she gives a greeting that you would expect a servant to give to a master.

What is more she doesn’t just treat Mary as having a higher status than her she calls the baby in her womb, ‘my Lord!’

God scatters the proud, but lifts up the humble. True faith comes humbly before God and before Jesus. Like Elizabeth it is not concerned to hold on to status or prestige, but to submit to God and his purposes and ways. True faith needs humility.

  1. Faith breeds joy

So, firstly, faith seeks certainty, secondly faith needs humility, but thirdly this passage shows us that faith breeds joy!

Elizabeth’s whole attitude her shouts of blessing at seeing Mary and expressing what God is up to all show a great delight about what God is up to. There is a real feeling of joy in the whole incident.

She tells us that the baby in her womb leapt with joy when he heard Mary’s greeting.

Mary goes on at the start of the Magnificat to say,

“My soul glorifies in the Lord

and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour!” (Luke 1:46-47)

True faith brings great joy, because it trusts that through everything God is acting to bring about the salvation of those who trust in him and love him.

That’s why Paul says,

“Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)

Christmas time is meant to be a time of joy and celebration. For the second year running it looks like Covid is going to make that difficult! But as Christians, Covid can never take away our joy in Christ. As long as the heart of our Christmas is about Christ, then we will always have reason to rejoice and celebrate.

That does not mean we will never feel sad or low, but it does mean that we can keep returning to the deeper reality of joy that only faith in Christ can bring, faith breeds joy.

How do you see faith?

So how do you see faith? Is it a blind leap in the dark, linked with a kind of religious arrogance and sombre seriousness? Or is it a joyful and humble seeking after certainty focussed on Jesus as the Christ, the one who truly is our Saviour and God with us.