“Traveling With God” – Genesis 12:1-9 – June 8, 2008

This is the time of year when many families experience change. Students are graduating and moving on to college or the job market. Some folks are getting married. I have a good friend who recently retired. His lifestyle is changing. Since his wife still works, he gets up early in the morning and fixes her lunch, then, he goes back to bed.

When folks marry or start a new job they often move. We move for other reasons too such s starting a new career. Some move for health reasons. Some move to chase a personal goal or dream. Others move to downsize, like my friend who moved from a house to a condominium. Sometimes people move to run away from a painful experience. Here in Genesis, Abraham moved because he was called by God.

Abraham left his homeland for a land that was totally unknown to him. He responded without hesitation and except for his immediate family he left all of his support network behind. But he went and God promised him that he would be blessed.

I believe that Abraham’s journey was more than just relocating in a different place. It was necessary for him to move in order to grow spiritually. Moving would also be fulfilling and as a result the nation of Israel would be born.

When we need to make a move in our life, something has to die. Like Abraham, we may have to leave the clan in order to create new beginnings. Moving away from our roots is not easy. On the other hand, growth and fulfillment cannot be realized unless we are willing to leave something behind. I believe that our lives are enhanced when we are able to move on and leave something behind. Perhaps the reason so many people cannot find fulfillment is that they are trying to take everything with them.

Recently I was standing in line at the airport in Baltimore, Maryland. The couple ahead of me was having a rather heated conversation. I don’t know where they were headed but they certainly seemed anxious. At one point the woman said to her significant other, “Are you sure you have all seven bags?” Wherever they were headed they were obviously taking excessive baggage. Like Abraham, traveling with God means we have to leave something behind.

Luciano Pavarotti was an Italian tenor, who crossed over into popular music and became one of the world's most famous vocal performers. He was one of The Three Tenors and was well known for his televised concerts and media appearances. He was born in Modena to the family of a baker. When Luciano Pavarotti was a boy, his grandmother often put him on her lap and said, “You’re going to be great, you’ll see.” His grandmother, however, had dreams of Luciano becoming a banker. Pavarotti had a dream of being a professional football goalkeeper. Instead, at the urging of his mother, Pavarotti became a school teacher. He taught elementary school for awhile and yet singing infrequently at special events. His father became the one who goaded him into developing his voice, chiding him for singing below his potential.

Finally at age twenty-two, Pavarotti stopped teaching to sell insurance. He continued to look for something stable on which he could rely financially in case he couldn’t make it in the music world. The insurance business allowed him time to take voice lessons, and the rest is history. The opera star once said, “Studying voice was the turning point of my life. It’s a mistake to take the safe path in life.” Pavarotti made some key moves in his life and consequently he became a blessing to millions of people.

Few people know that Pavarotti left his dream of playing professional football to became a professional singer. Ironically, his last performance was at the Winter Olympics in 2004 at Turin. But had he not heeded his father’s advice, he may never have become an opera star.

We never know where our lives are going to go. One thing is sure. If we stand still and resist the call we may never discover who we really are. God chose Abraham because of his faithfulness and leadership abilities. He must have been a person of great courage since he traveled such a great distance. The distance from Ur to Canaan is about 1,000 miles. He reached the promised land but he never had the opportunity to make it home. Instead he was diverted to Egypt. Abraham died having never settled in the land of promise. Nevertheless, because of his faithfulness he is credited with being the Father of Israel.

No doubt, Abraham grew in spirit as he made his journey. Along the way he faced many obstacles and overwhelming odds. But he kept moving forward. Most importantly his faithfulness resulted in a blessing to those he led and for those who came after him.

Abraham was blessed, not because he obeyed God and journeyed to the promised land but because he was a blessing to others. Pavarotti was also a blessing to others, not only because of his singing but because of his works of charity. Pavarotti annually hosted the "Pavarotti and Friends" charity concerts in his home town of Modena in Italy, joining with singers from all parts of the music industry, including Eric Clapton, Elton John, Sting, Bono, Sheryl Crow and Jon Bon Jovi, to raise money for several UN causes. Concerts were held for War Child, and victims of war and civil unrest in Bosnia, Guatemala, Kosovo, and Iraq.

After the war in Bosnia, Pavarotti financed and established the Pavarotti Music Center in the southern city of Mostar to offer Bosnia's artists the opportunity to develop their skills. He performed at benefit concerts to raise money for victims of tragedies such as the Spitak earthquake that killed 25,000 people in northern Armenia in December 1988. He was a close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales. They raised money for the elimination of land mines worldwide. In 1998, he was appointed the United Nation's Messenger of Peace, using his fame to raise awareness of UN issues, including the Millennium Development Goals, HIV/AIDS, child rights, urban slums and poverty. The moves Pavarotti made resulted in many blessings for the people of God’s world.

Abraham was promised by God that he would be blessed. That promise however was in the future. Consequently he had to trust that God would provide for him along his journey. Incidentally Abraham was 75 years old when he began his journey, a journey that would last another 100 years. In addition, his wife, Sarah, was barren. How could he possibly be promised descendents when his wife could not give birth? We have no account that Abraham questioned God as to how that might be possible. He moved, not knowing how God would fulfill God’s promise. When we travel with God, we go, and let God take care of the details.

God calls everyone to ministry, not just ministers. Perhaps you have felt the call to be a volunteer in some local program or event. It seems that whenever we are called we are an unlikely candidate. When we do finally say “yes” and participate in a program that helps others we end up being blessed by the experience. The call can come at anytime. It can come whenever there is tension, conflict, unfairness, apathy, ignorance, boredom or anxiety.

Rick Palieri tells the story about the time he was returning home to Vermont from Bellingham Washington. When he arrived at the airport he noticed there was a big problem. All the flights were delayed. People were stressed out, anxiously trying to find alternative flights. The ticket agent suggested that a bus could take the stranded travelers to Seattle, about an hour a half away where they could make connecting flights. Finally, a bus pulled up and as Rick boarded the bus the driver said, “They just pulled me out of bed after an all-night shift, and they expect me to perform a miracle by getting you to Seattle to catch your flight. Good luck!” Needless to day everyone was in a bad mood and the driver’s attitude didn’t help.

Rick was carrying a banjo that he had slung on his shoulder. “Are you going to play that thing?” the driver asked. “I really hadn’t planned on it,” Rick responded. “I was only kidding,” the driver said. But Rick started thinking about it and so he took out his banjo and started playing. The tension in the bus was great but when Rick started playing his banjo, some people started humming along. Before long, the whole busload of people started singing. “Do you know, You are my Sunshine?” someone asked. Pretty soon others made similar requests. As the bus continued its journey to Seattle people sang, exchanged photos of their summer vacations and grandchildren and they also shared what food they had on board.

The bus arrived safely at the Seattle Airport with time to spare for those making connecting flights. Everyone clapped their hands and someone shouted, “We wouldn’t have made it without the banjo player.” As Rick was leaving the bus the driver said, “This was the best ride that I ever had, thanks for your music.” While the busload of people stood in line to make their connecting flights they exchanged addresses and phone numbers. A couple of weeks after Rick returned home he received all kinds of letters and postcards from his new friends. A little music turned a tense situation into a magical moment. (from Chicken Soup for the Soul; Stories for a Better World)

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio