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St. Paul nails it on the head this week for me spiritually in what journey and promise are to truly mean for the disciple, he says: “16For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all…” He was obviously talking about the amazing faith journey of Abe and Sarai as Abram not only obeyed God’s call but completely and faithfully embarked on God’s mission.
Thinking about or imagining, I should say, Abram and
Sarai starting their journey, had the holy spirit of all things, play snippets
of a song from Leonard Cohen called ‘Travelling Light.’ If anyone has actually ever heard the song,
the man cannot sing at all… BUT the lyrics, some of them anyway, pinpoint that
very human tendency to battle anxiety or harbor complete trust. Promise is another one of those amazing words
that is so full of profound hope and God’s peace that I know, we spiritually
fight the very meaning and challenge of that word, daily! Satan loves to prey upon the spirit there, as
well….
The dialogue of the song goes back and forth where the
person sounds as if he is having an internal conversation with God. He, at one
point, wants to give up on trusting in the journey but vacillates between his
doubt and his hopefulness on what he’s already opened himself up to commit to. In
so many ways, the character in this song talking internally with God about
trusting the journey and having faith reminded me not only of Abe’s journey,
but really seems to fit what perhaps was going through Nicodemus’ mind in
battling his secret discipleship to Jesus.
I’ve seen it used in many a sermon title of colleagues, “Nick at Night.” Nicodemus in his struggling discernment to
truly hear Jesus’ Gospel was wrapped in his own anxieties and fears about what
his Sanhedrin Pharisee colleagues would think of him seeing him following Jesus
by Day.
The concept of night and day as well, Biblically, is tied
to either darkness spiritually or enlightenment, guidance by the bright light
of God. The entire Epiphany season of
all things, is bound to the image of the light of that beautiful star! With the
Lenten Season, we are currently embarking upon, we are challenged to
spiritually reform, transform to the Light of Christ. We know as well as the
Gospel writer John, was spiritually called to proclaim—Jesus is the true light
to the world for all nations to see and come to follow, become children of
promise, children freed by God’s amazing Grace!
The Leonard Cohen song continues to refer to saying, “goodnight to the
fallen star.” But then the light he refers to seems to speak of two different
images—one of packing light and the other, of that travelling light of God that
does not leave you (whether you like it or not!). God’s light is always there
for us, period.
Travelling light in regards to physically moving forward
means leaving the past behind by giving things away to a friend or charities. A friend of mine noted in a humorous way,
that my husband and I’s preparation to uproot and move to Vegas is living into
a great sacrifice for Lent. Let me tell
you, 48 years of collecting/ hoarding quite a few things has been something
else to vet through and purge! My art alone, has been the most difficult to
prepare and plan to “move.” God, indeed
though, works in amazingly mysterious ways that are always teaching moments.
For we are all in some shape or fashion similar with our struggles to be
obedient to faithfully trusting fully in God’s promise. That scary word, promise… It is as murky and as vague and uniquely
personal, as faith is, in itself.
Humanity has a hard time with either becoming perhaps
unrealistic “Pollyannas” about the promised land of the future or becoming
anxiety-rattled cynics doubting the very notion of what really and truthfully
promise is to mean for us all. I think it is interesting when you do, as St.
Paul says, in discussing Abe, in example, to faithfully step outside of
yourself to see past, present and future—you then get to see God’s guiding
light, travelling light as a spiritual GPS system in the heart, shaping your
faith as I speak! The Promised Land spiritually speaking, is finding peace with
where God has called your heart to transform into, take shape to.
Peace like God’s Grace is something that not only creates,
renews and restores life but indeed was created by God to truly sustain us. But
our human nature, the Old Adam and the Old Eve, are hardly ever at peace. We hardly ever give it a rest in regards to
our fears, anxieties and doubt. We fail
miserably many a time staying out of spiritual turmoil. What’s the matter with
us?! Is it just too much to ask (coming
from God), to simply put it in His Hands and be graciously hopeful? What a sad
thought, but unfortunately too true! God is that amazing gardener though,
remember? The Psalmist is delivering the opposite in contrast to the Leonard
Cohen tune. The Psalmist is singing a song of light, hope and faith—seeing God
clearly as the great maker of heaven and earth. God is very active in our world—this
is truly illumined by faith, alone.
In some senses you can say that Psalm 121 is Abe and
Sarai’s travelling music while they’re on the road to the Promised Land. What’s
your life’s travelling music? It’s funny
discovering in packing these past few weeks, the record collection I have been
blessed with over my 40 plus years of appreciation of music! I became a Beatles’ fan when I was only 10
years old and have all of their albums and some collector’s items as well as
have a variety ranging from Jazz to Christian rock. Nothing as vast as the
pastor to my first church had, though. Pastor Bill had a museum of music. It was amazing to see. In 2014, he chose to retire from Bethany
United Church of Christ and basically had to start packing his amazing museum… I was asked to help which was delightful for
my curiosity to see just all of what his life had accumulated.
Speaking though, of travelling within your spiritual
formation journey that God creates, shapes and sustains you upon; that first
church which was the church I came back to, before my conversion experience
with the Lutheran church, was United Church of Christ. The beloved Simpson’s
character of Reverend Lovejoy becomes something of special appreciation for me
these days since I feel that God has led me to become a theological hybrid of
sorts between Lutheran and Congregationalist.
The most important thing here to realize however is, that ours is a God
for all people and His Gospel is to be a light to all nations. This uniting
light does indeed bring peace and the message of His unconditional Love to
reveal that amazing Grace we so undeservedly take shelter under.
Abram and Sarai, as we know, will be transformed and
shaped to become Abraham and Sarah. Through them, the birth of faith travelled
and planted truly begins… If I was an
anxious gardener, church planter, I would be worried about those uprooted limbs
being transported well, travelling well to be planted in a whole new beginning,
a whole new ministry with a whole new family of God… but, I am not. I am and I will hold peace in my heart that
the Lord sustains me and His travelin’ light is one that is shining bright with
hope and encouragement! We will all have
moments though, where aspects of that travelling music from either Psalm 121 or
from the Leonard Cohen song will shake our hearts to one direction or another,
but always be assured that God is ever so active in our lives teaching and leading
us to where He needs us to be as His children.
This past Saturday night my husband and I shared a time
of celebrating and a time of goodbyes.
We celebrated his 50th birthday milestone and celebrated with
some tears, goodbyes with 50 years of friends and families we have come to know
in Illinois. This Sunday morning, my husband Phil and I will be blessed to say
Goodbye to a wonderful community I have been doing my discernment time within,
Ravenswood United Church of Christ. I
chose this church a year ago because I needed to have a new experience. I could’ve
gone back and completed that discernment time with Bethany, the church where it
originally all began, but God’s voice, inner light led me to be here. I choose Ravenswood
church because it was a church in my hometown, the city of Chicago. Chicago
will always be my spiritual home but where God leads my heart as His disciple,
must graciously and joyfully follow.
Nicodemus sadly, couldn’t make that complete leap of
faith and truly against all fears and trepidations, follow Jesus. He would
behind the scenes only, follow Him. His
heart as well, couldn’t understand what Jesus was teaching him, leading him to
faithfully understand. The ways of the
world and the laws of his Pharisaic culture, he used as a crutch which he felt
secured him on his man-made journey of faith. He just couldn’t understand yet
alone wanted to deal with the thought of the Spirit guiding us to be
spiritually recreated, transformed, and resurrected into the New Creation. God’s
love was seen with the blinders of man-made law, not with the Gospel’s
boundless freedom of Grace and promise.
Making that leap of faith takes sacrificing everything
and anything that encumbers the heart to fully grow with God’s Word—what He
needs us to hear, live fully into. The Promised
Land is the Kingdom of God—where we plant it by living graciously into our
faith, loving God and neighbor as we travel onward towards His final goal.
Let us Pray,
Gracious Lord Jesus
You do indeed, shine a loving light
Upon our paths to tread with faithful feet
Open hearts and fill our souls with Your beautiful peace
May our lives come to shine for all to see
And the Glory of Your Kingdom’s mission, fully made known
For Your Love is what sustains and continues to encourage
us, daily
AMEN
March 12th,
2017; Second Sunday in Lent; Year A; SOLA Lectionary
Sermon By:
Reverend Nicole A.M. Collins
Psalm 121;
Genesis 12:1-9; Romans 4:1-8,13-17; John 3:1-17
~
The link below is to the video of the Leonard Cohen Song: Travelling Light:
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