So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. –Romans 12:1
To “Place Your Life Before God” takes a huge amount of trust.
Think about those leaps of faith, those risks taken in your own life — the deep breath, the closed eyes, the measured step forward into the unknown. Whether it’s accepting that new job, or having that difficult conversation, or taking a risk to try something new – our risks and leaps of faith have a foundation – and that foundation is trust.
Last week with the help of the confirmation students, we began this season of Lent thinking about “placing our lives before God as an offering”.
In the special offering we received in those worship services – many prayers were shared as well as a wide-ranging number of commitments to engaging the world in new or renewed ways – a few examples, there were:
- Commitments to supporting families in need because of recent tragedy – as well as organizing business leaders in support of at-risk kids.
- Renewed commitments to offerings of time and finances – and sharing our church’s message with others.
- A desire to support people of all religions – for Muslim and Jewish communities, Palestinian people and all who are perceived as Other – to learn about challenges for immigrants and how to be a person of support.
- To prepare Easter baskets to share God’s love in the community – and strengthening support of the Northfield Township food pantry.
Commitments to being the best parent, spouse and friend possible – to be more loving and accepting.
- Sharing gifts of music in worship – and supporting those with health struggles in the community.
- Commitments to being in conversation about things that matter at Gloria Dei.
What I appreciate so much about these is that they are a step on the path – when we name something or write it down or share it with someone else, we are on that path to actually doing it – to finding another person who has the same interest or desire and combining our efforts – on the path to asking God to bless and make a way for this thing to become real.
All of this leads us to this week’s topic – TRUST.
This past Friday night and Saturday, six of us from Gloria Dei were a part of a group of twenty who spent time in retreat over at Techny Towers. The retreat’s focus was on the practice of “Sabbath Keeping”.
The retreat leader introduced us to a four-part process of entering into a time of Sabbath – the first part of that process is called “Ceasing”. An exercise in laying down your burdens, concerns and cares – entrusting them to God to hold onto – if even just for an hour or a day.
Inherent in one’s ability to “cease” – to lay down one’s burdens is the ability to trust. To trust that God will run cover for you – that God will have your back and allow you the space you need to rest, to be strengthened and to be renewed.
The retreat leader, a pastor named Dick Bruesehoff, made a simple statement that resonated with me in thinking about today, saying: “Trust itself is a gift of God”.
One of the great scenes in the Indiana Jones movies is one that centers on the idea of trust. Indy has to cross a chasm to complete his quest. By all appearances there is no way to cross. However, the clues tell him to trust that there is a bridge, even when nothing is visible. With great drama Indy takes that step to discover the bridge was there the whole time.
I think about that deep breath, the closed eyes, the measured step forward into the unknown. Whether its accepting that new job, or having that difficult conversation, or taking a risk to try something new – our risks and leaps of faith have a foundation – and that foundation is trust.
We see this throughout the witness of scripture – this morning with two examples, one from Abram in the book of Genesis, and the other from Nicodemus in the Gospel of John.
The story of Abram who would become Abraham is exceptional – we hear that:
The Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4aSo Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. (Genesis 12:1-4a)
The Lord offers this sweet deal – does Abram negotiate further? Or wonder if this whole thing was too good to be true? No, we simply hear the words: “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him.”
I am going to go out on a limb and say that there is probably a pretty small percentage of us that would respond to God’s offer without hesitation – without question.
Instead, I would submit that we are probably much more like Nicodemus when it comes to the trust department. Nicodemus has heard Jesus teach. He has heard about and experienced God present in Jesus’ ministry. And yet, Nicodemus can’t quite commit, can’t quite make that leap of faith to trust in who Jesus is.
Instead he comes to Jesus at night – in other words, not in the light of day, not in an upfront manner – for Nicodemus still has questions – he is looking for more proof, more reasons to come out in the daylight for Jesus.
And I get it – I know that feeling – I know that desire that Nicodemus has – that need to be sure – to be informed and careful. And I feel the sting of Jesus’ question to Nicodemus when he asks:
If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? (John 3:12)
You see, Jesus wants to give us the world – and we often struggle with that first step, with the very basics of trusting this one of God.
Even though we may be more often like Nicodemus than we are like Abraham – there is one simple truth that is the bedrock of our faith – “For God so loved the world”. The gift of Jesus coming into the world that the world might be saved through him is what we call grace – the gift of God for the world.
I agree with our retreat leader this weekend that “Trust itself is a gift of God” – in the shelter of that gift we can lay down and entrust our burdens, our cares and concerns, our disappointments and failures – in the shelter of that gift we can find rest and strength and hope.
And know this, whether we are more like Abraham or more like Nicodemus, God will never tire of inviting us to trust – of inviting us to receive more fully these gifts that God offers – to grow more fully our ability to place before God our trust as an offering.
Let us pray…God of grace, our ability and our capacity to trust come from you as a gift. May that gift be one that grows inside of us, strengthening our confidence to step out in faith and entrust our lives to you. Thank you for your love, sent into the world in Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Rev. John Berg
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church,
Northbrook, IL