Genesis 12:1-9 on September 20th, 2026
Above is audio of the sermon pulled from the video and amplified.
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Abram's Call: Stepping Into an Unseen Future
Genesis 12 begins a new set of stories which differ greatly from the ones that came before. Genesis 1 through 11 centers on God's creation and near destruction of the universe, essentially giving us the big picture of how and why things are the way they are. The rest of Genesis, starting with today's story, shifts the focus to God's relationship with one particular family. The founder of that family is Abram, whose name will be later changed to Abraham. And out of the blue, God calls on Abram to move from his country as people and his father's household. And God promises many things for Abram. Through Abram, God will create a new land, a new people, a future far larger than the one that Abram can presently see. And for everything that Abram leaves behind, he gets back exponentially more. And while this particular story is called Abram's call, and there technically isn't a covenant here, the groundwork for the upcoming promise is laid.
And there are a few things about this call that stand out to me.
First, Abram didn't really do anything in particular to draw God's attention or favor. Even if you turn the page back one and read the end of Genesis 11, Abram's just kind of there, living his life, marrying Sarah and following his own father around in a nomadic lifestyle. Pretty simple and straightforward.
Second, God doesn't really give Abram a lot of direction. Go to the land that I will show you. No Google Maps, no GPS, no self-driving Tesla. Just the promise that I will show you. Which implies, at least to me, that God isn't sending Abram out to figure this out on his own. But God will be right there the whole time directing, guiding, showing.
And third, God will do all these things. I will show you. I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you. I will make your name great. God will do these, but not for Abram's benefit. This is so that he will be a blessing. He will be a blessing to others. And him, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. And these promises will be repeated throughout Genesis. And not just with Abram and Abraham, but Isaac, Jacob, Israel. God really, really wants us to know that this is meant to be a gift for the world, not just for one family.
Now, Abram has his part to play for sure. His role is to listen, to discern, to go. Listen to God, discern what God is saying. Go to where God is showing. Abraham is stepping into a future that God is already at work creating.
And in this story, I think, is a poignant message about moving forward. It is easy to stay put, to want to be comfortable, to hear promises of more, but I feel like where you are is already pretty good. I'm sure that Abram had those thoughts. But instead, Abram went on ventures of what he could not see the ending by paths as yet on Traden through peril's unknown. And that message speaks to us too. Can we open ourselves up to the future that God has in store for us?
It has a personal question for sure. What does life look like in the coming months and years ahead for each of us? Some are adjusting to new phases in life. The Lee family soon will have a third driver in our household. Others are newly retired and trying to find meaning when life is no longer defined by one's occupation. There are those dealing with a new diagnosis or the loss of a spouse after decades together. Where is God leading us through whatever comes next? How is God going to use us to bless others? These are not always easy questions to answer.
And the question of what future does God have in store for us is for St. Philip too? There has been so much happening here lately. And despite the bathroom situation, there's so much good. So many changes with more activities and more people involved. We are blessed. But the question still remains, what is the future that God has planned? And can we open ourselves up to what God is planning? Because the temptation is just to hang out for a while. I mean, we are in a sweet spot, aren't we? I mean, why would we want to do anything different than this? Where we're at is already pretty good. And yet the Lord calls. So not quite as clearly as with Abram.
This past week, as you heard, we sent out our annual stewardship letter. And hopefully most of you will receive that tomorrow or Tuesday. It is a recap of all the generosity that you have shown. Not just in the past year, but for the past several years. Everything is growing and moving all thanks to your time, energy, gifts, and prayers. And our congregation council has noticed this. And for the past several months, it's been discerning the future that God has in store.
With so many things going so well, one area that's fallen behind is our youth ministry. We have over 30 youth on our roles. And you see them. Week in, we gout as accolades. Last week, we gave out 10 to Bibles to kids of various ages. We are set for another full confirmation class this year with more in the coming years. A national youth gathering is coming up in 2027. God has placed these young people in the life of this congregation. And we have an opportunity to help nurture a faith that will shape them for the rest of their lives. Or to say it in the language of our story for today. We have been blessed so that we can bless these young people.
Which is why we will be adding a staff person to focus on youth ministry. We'll start off with a youth director as is typical, but we also will be discerning what a more robust youth minister position would look like. With ministry for all ages and all types of families. And even beyond youth, what other ministries at St. Philip could be strengthened with more consistent support? Where else might God be calling us to expand the table? What else is God promising to show us in the coming year?
And so we are actively living out this call to Abel. We don't know exactly what all this is going to look like a year from now as God did not hand over any blueprints to me. But we are listening. We are discerning. And we are taking a step into a future that God is already at work creating for us. And through it, we trust that the God will show us that God will be with us. And that God will continue to bless us so that we can bless others.
We don't know the future. Abram didn't either. He couldn't see the ending. He didn't know every turn on the road or every danger along the way. He simply had the promises of God. And so do we. We listen. We discern. We take the next faithful step. Not because we know exactly where the road leads, but because we trust the one who goes with us. Because God is already there already at work already making a way. And wherever God leads, the promise remains. I will show you. I will be with you. I will bless you. And through you, I will bless others.
Amen.