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I donât know if many of you have ever spent much time riding a city bus, but if you have, thereâs one very, very important piece of information posted on a bus, without which you probably wouldnât board it. Itâs the one word posted on the front that tells you where the bus is going. Now, this may not be your particular destination, but if your destination is on the way, the bus will drop you. If you get on a bus with the wrong destination, youâre in big trouble. If you just get on any old bus, who knows where you might end up? Could be exciting, right?
We like certainty in this life. We like to know where the bus, airplane or car is headed. We like to be very clear about where we are going. You donât just get on any old bus. You donât go to the airport and board any old plane. You donât take any random exit off the freeway just to see where it might lead. We have tickets and GPS and maps for a reasonâwe like to know where we are going.
So we come to church and worship a God who isnât always exactly clear on just where we are going. Now, weâre all very clear about the final destination. There is no doubt about that. God promises that those who acknowledge Christ as Lord and King will dwell with him forever. Period.
But on the way, well, itâs a little less than clear. Iâd like to read a selection of passages from Scripture:
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Genesis 12:1-4
12 Now the Lord said to Abram, âGo from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And 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. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.â 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
Matthew 28:16-20
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, âAll authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.â
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Now, here are just a few examples of calls from God. Sometimes, God can be quite specific, as in the case of Moses or Jonah. Sometimes, however, God is pretty vague. Abraham didnât get an end destination. He didnât get much information at allâonly a call to go forth to an unnamed land and a promise to make of him a great nation. At the age of 75, this was no easy journey, but the Lord said go, so Abraham went.
In the same manner, the disciples arenât given a lot in the detail department. They are charged with making disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe everything Jesus has commanded over the past 3 years, but the specifics are a bit fuzzy. How exactly theyâre going to accomplish this is left in the margins. But theyâre still called to go.
As Christians, this word âGoâ is an important one, but one I think we have minimized over the years. Go is a challenge, one that should perk up our ears and fix our vision forward on the next step in our lives. Go is an indication that we should not stay, that we are being called to a new location. Go is a word from God that should be heeded.
For centuries, the Presbyterian church has heeded this call. Weâve sent missionaries around the world to establish churches and schools and hospitals. The legacy of our work is often incalculable, and millions have come to know Christ as Lord and Savior through the dedicated work of missionaries. They continue to go forth today, often setting forth into unknown lands and situations in the hopes of proclaiming the Gospel with faithfulness.
We as a church continue to go. The question for us today, is whether we go as individuals or not.
For the last 6 weeks, weâve talked about Rich Warrenâs Purpose-Driven Life. Through that experience, I hope youâve taken the chance to explore what it means for you to live with purpose for God. Today, Iâm hoping to wrap up the entire book, and thereâs no better word to do so than âGo.â
God sends Abraham. God sends the disciples. God sends you.
As people, we are programmed to seek comfort and stability. We like that. I think it is part of our DNA, and when we were living in a cave hoping that the next meal might wander into a nearby trap, comfort and stability seemed like a great thing. They still do, only we get overly drawn into a life of comfort. In short, we stop growing. We stop going. We let others do the work, and we stop looking for the places into which God has called us next. Each and every person today is continually being called forward, called to grow in faith, called to explore new relationships and engage in new challenges. Weâre called to take bold steps so that the work of the church may advance, so that Godâs Kingdom may expand, so that others may come to know Christ as Lord and Savior.
How are you contributing to that growth?
Are you willing to go forward in your personal life of faith, to go forward in mission and evangelism, to go forward in selfless love of others? Are you willing to go?
Or do we reach a place where itâs easier to stay?
Itâs always going to be easier to stay, but think of Abraham at the age of 75, leaving everything behind to wander into a new life.
Think of the disciples, standing on the mountain, watching their Lord and Savior ascend to the heavens, left with a command to go and evangelize the world but no idea of exactly how to do so.
The key to all of this is in Christâs final words.
âRemember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.â
If we have to figure this out on our own, weâre lost, abandoned, and may as well never even try. How could we possible do this by human strength? We may as well stay.
But we can go, and do so with conviction and courage, because we have the promise of Christ to be with us. Heâll never abandon or forsake us, and heâll never be more than a moment away. You are in his hands, and he will lead you forward, and will protect you on the way. We go because He goes with us, and his power and Holy Spirit lead us. The disciples would have fallen down laughing had they had to figure this out on the way, but instead they could go back and join in prayer, trusting that God would reveal the next step for them.
We are the same. If we have to figure it out, itâs a massive task, far beyond what our tiny minds can imagine. But if Christ is with us, we donât have to figure it out. Itâs like a corn maze, which are so popular around here. We donât have to see the whole maze. We only have to go forward with prayer and humility, trusting in the leadership of Christ with each and every decision, continuing to move forward rather than hovering back in fear, and we trust that each and every decision will lead us closer to the faithful life, closer to the life to which we are called. We simply continue to go, and trust that we will end up where God wants us to be.
Let us pray