You Want Me to Go Where?

Watch today’s installment on YouTube!

Something I have considered the longer our current situation continues is when will what we are doing now be considered the norm, and when we do get the all-clear from the public safety officials will we be a little timid or anxious in yet another change. After all, many of us are coming to the end of our second month under a stay-at-home order, and while it hasn’t always been easy, we have found ways to manage.

On my way to the office this morning, I was reflecting upon the guidelines I received yesterday when we registered with the Open Safely plan from the Office of the State Fire Marshal. These guidelines are not going to be well-received by some, and even though we WILL follow them, I had been thinking about how returning to in-person worship on Sunday morning is going to be so different. It will not even be as simple as doing the same things we normally do, just in the gym so we can space out better.

Before we go too much further with this, it might be helpful for us to draw inspiration for these times from a story about a man named Abram, who ascended to leadership upon the death of his father. When it was time for Abram to lead, the Lord spoke some words to Abram we might think long and hard about applying to times in our lives when we are facing change - forced or chosen, it doesn’t matter.

Hear these words from Genesis twelve, verses one through three:

Now the Lord said to 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. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God made a heck of a promise to Abram, didn’t he? To vow to make of Abram a great nation - that’s a pretty tall order. To be blessed by God, to have your name made great…wow. Sounds great, huh?

Don’t gloss over a very important part of God’s word to Abram - Abram was called to leave the land he knew, to leave his kindred, to leave his father’s house, and not be told exactly where he was going. It wasn’t like God said, “Look, man, I’m taking you to this specific place.” God simply told Abram to go and leave it all behind.

I don’t know about you, but the idea of leaving it all behind for some unknown place where I know no one…that’s a PRETTY BIG ASK. After all, Abram was now the leader of the house after his father’s death. He had responsibilities many could not fathom, and it was his legal and sacred duty to fulfill these responsibilities. He had plenty of people counting on him; to just drop everything and go…REALLY? 

Also don’t forget that God sent Abram with the promise that Abram would be a blessing to others. Abram was not simply being parachuted into a new place with no purpose - Abram was being sent to bless.

Was this easy? No. And, yet, Abram did it. God’s promises were fulfilled.

Going back to what I mentioned earlier - I believe firmly that we will be heading, when our public health officials give the all-clear for us to resume our normal activities without restrictions, into an unknown land. We do not know how it is going to proceed. We do not know if our mitigation efforts will succeed long-term. We do not know the ways in which our revised routines will impact us in so many ways.

But we do know this: No matter where we go, and no matter the circumstances in which we may find ourselves, there is ONE THING we can always accomplish - to be a blessing. As I consider this story of Abram’s calling, I cannot help but draw from it inspiration to know that I do not have to know exactly where I’ll wind up and I do not have to know what all I will discover when I get there - but, dear friends, I can do my dead-level best to be a blessing no matter the location or circumstance.

Coming out of this, whenever that might be, is going to be on some levels anxiety-producing. We may feel at times that we do not have any control of things, and we might get to the point we are frustrated if not moved to anger about restrictions placed on us by others. Precisely when we hit these times is when we need most to remember there is one thing we CAN control - and that is we can bless and be blessed. Let us never forget that we CAN control our attitudes - may we have an attitude of blessing and being blessed. Let us bless and be blessed not by circumstances or control; let us bless and be blessed as God’s beloved.