Evidence of Things Not Seen

By faith Abraham obeyed… For he looked forward to the city… whose architect and builder is God.

In the name of the Father…

I want to share again with you what I believe God wants to do with St. Gabriel’s. Over three years ago, I told the search committee, and the Vestry, that I believe God has big plans for St. Gabriel’s. I see a church that honors its history and grows into the future.

I see a much larger church with multiple ministries and multiple staff members. I see a church that reaches out into the community, supports local churches, and impacts our Diocese. I see a church that sends new clergy into the world without decimating our own leadership. And I see a church thriving with families. I still believe this.

In my first year, I walked the property countless times, praying and dreaming about what St. Gabriel’s might look like when I retire. One of the earliest visions I had was to put two buildings out behind the Parish Hall to create a space for our children’s ministries to grow.

This year, it looked like God was going to fulfill that dream. Long story short, it didn’t work out. I admit… I am a bit frustrated. I had a plan… it didn’t happen. However, despite my frustration… what is clear is… God has something else in mind.

Life deals us all sorts of anxieties and frustrations. When we walk in faith, there will be things along the way to test that faith. And sometimes, like Abraham, while waiting for God’s plan… we might try to instigate our own Plan B.

Yet… In the face of our entitlements, our fears, and faith that is sometimes as small as a mustard seed… God remains a loving Father shepherding us along the way, fulfilling his plan… his promises. All he asks is that we simply believe.

ALL our readings this morning are about walking in faith. Faith trusts in the promises of God despite circumstances. Faith believes in intangibles because of the One we trust. Moment by moment, our Father is graciously walking us… sometimes dragging us… along the path of faith. His ultimate plan for us will not be thwarted.

In Genesis Chapter 12, God sent Abraham away from his land, his family, and all his support systems. He promised to make him a great nation; and that his name would be great. / Here he is, years later… still wandering in the desert. It’s just him, Sarah, and their servants. He has no land, no offspring, and little patience.

God shows up and immediately, Abraham lays out his plan for an heir. Despite the promises of God, Abraham has a Plan B. Patiently, lovingly… God says, “No… you will have a family of your own.” And for a brief, key moment, Abraham believes. But then this same story of Abraham inventing other plans continues at least another fifteen years until God finally provides a son.

Abraham got impatient. He focused on his circumstances and came up with a plan. The problem is God is God, and we are not. And our plans and God’s plans don’t always coincide. Proverbs 19 says, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” Another way to put that is, sometimes we make plans and God laughs.

Oftentimes, what we really want is for God to bless our plans. We lay our desires at his feet without ever acknowledging that he may have something different for our lives. Yet, this story shows that despite our plans, He is constantly bringing us along, graciously, into his plan.

This doesn’t mean we sit back and do nothing. Abraham couldn’t stay in Ur; he had to leave. He had to play his part in having a child. He still needed to be moving… walking in faith. A ship must be moving for the rudder to work. There can be no status quo when we are expected to grow and change.

It’s that way with churches as well as people. I still believe in this vision for St. Gabriel’s. I believe it starts with building our children’s ministries. And I want these buildings now… not later. But my timing is not always God’s timing.

God sees our lives from a very different perspective. We are so caught up in the here and now. We see “now” as the number one priority. However, He sees everything in the light of eternity. We make this life everything. God is ultimately preparing us for something greater.

We all live in the tension between promise and fulfillment. And the Hebrews passage magnifies this tension. The key is our responses while we wait. What happens when things don’t go according to our plan? Will we trust in ourselves or will we walk in faith.

Chapter Eleven is considered the great Hall of Faith. There are big names like Noah, Abraham, and Moses… as well as other heroes who were tortured, chained, stoned to death, and more. Then the writer states, “All these died in faith without having received the promises.”

They are commended, not because of what they received in the present… but for what they believed about the future. They believed in the greater promise of a kingdom that would one day come. They each looked “to the city… whose architect and builder is God.” Their faith was ultimately in the future.

Some people treat faith as simply an acceptable form of superstition. However, Faith is not naïve. It isn’t a “leap of faith,” or hope that you trusted in the right thing. Faith is something tangible. Faith is solid assurance that God will come through in the end.

Hebrews says, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith is not hopeful thinking; it is certain knowledge of that which we do not possess. Faith is believing the promise of something to come, and knowing the one who has made it, God himself, is faithful.

None of us are any different from Abraham. We all have faced, and will continue to face, our own trials of faith. We set out on this path with few details. We will fail and sometimes fail often.

And apparently, God’s people have always struggled with the promises of God. Both Abram and the disciples were told, “Do not be afraid”. If you fear that God will provide… join the club. All the saints have faced fear and anxieties throughout history. I must trust that God will provide for my family, my future, and for the future of St. Gabriel’s.

Ultimately, Faith is only as strong as the object it is in. That object is Jesus. Jesus himself is the assurance of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen. By Jesus, our ancestors received approval, and by Jesus we understand that the world was created by and for Jesus. By Him, I will trust that he will grow this church in his timing.
Because despite how frustrating our circumstances may be sometimes, ultimately, He has wonderful surprises in store for us.

Jesus’s parable is full of irony. When the master of the house returns, you would expect the servants to be running around taking care of his every need. But this story is different. This master is returning from a feast… a joyous occasion, full of celebration, dance, and wine! THIS master is coming home HAPPY. And instead of ordering around his servants, he puts on servants clothes and shares his joy with them by feeding THEM.

God doesn’t love us begrudgingly… but with great joy. Jesus says it is the Father’s pleasure to give us the kingdom. This gift is a foregone conclusion. It is not dependent on whether or not we are anxious, frustrated, or afraid.

God’s promises are not dependent on how wonderful our faith is. Despite what Hebrews says, Abraham’s faith was pretty dismal. It didn’t take him long to start making other plans. And yet, God walks Abraham outside and points to the stars. And in that moment, Abraham believed. In that moment, God considered Abraham righteous.

Do I still believe that God has big plans for St. Gabriel’s? Absolutely. And though it may not be unfolding exactly as I had dreamed, I will trust him to continue revealing each step as he sees fit.

In the meantime, we must be careful not to create our own Plan B. We should not become complacent with the status quo. A ship that is not moving will never turn.

Though all his promises are ultimately fulfilled when Christ returns to earth one day, there is still the work of walking in faith for us here today. He has a plan for each one of us. He has a plan for this church. It is up to us to walk in faith. And our trials are what drive us to greater trust and a deeper walk in faith.

Ultimately, he promises that we are always loved and cared for. And He WILL come through on everything that he has promised.