God Will Provide – 4/15/79

The title for today's sermon 'God will provide', is taken from the OT Rdg, Gen 22:1-8, in which Isaac asks his father, "Where is the lamb for the sacrifice?"  Abraham assures his son. "God will provide it."

In our translation of this passage from the Hebrew at school, we felt that the word translated 'will provide' might be better translated as 'will see to it' or 'will take care of it'.  In the context it is clear that 'will provide' is proper, but the message might be better understood as meaning 'God will handle the situation.'  To say that God will 'provide' limits his options.  Thus if we were to make a motto for hanging on the wall with the words 'God Will Provide', we should understand that the promise means 'God will handle the situation'.

In the story of the Resurrection – from Mk 16:1-8 – we see another situation that demanded God’s attention – humanity's awareness of its bondage to sin and death.

Three-Mile Island

In the course of the crisis at Three-mile Island, reporters were interviewing some of the local residents to get their reaction to the situation.  They asked one middle-aged man how he felt – whether he was fearful for his safety.  His answer was, "No, I'm not fearful – I'm not afraid to die."  This answer seemed to almost embarrass the reporter, who quickly directed the questions elsewhere.  In fact, the whole subject of death seems to make many of us uneasy.  We would rather not talk about it.

Facing Death

During Mrs Bowser's (a neighbor, but not a member of our church) last days, I spent quite a bit of time with her and her family.  She was prepared to die, and sometimes she wanted to talk about it, but her family did not.

Discussing Death

I think one of the reasons for this reluctance to talk about death in the presence of the one dying, is that we hope to spare him or her some of the anguish we feel.  We need to ask ourselves whether this is a valid reason, or whether it might be that we just don't know what to say to one who is dying.

Yet death and dying is a subject that should be discussed and is being discussed more and more in church seminars around the country.  We need to realize that talking about an impending death is not necessarily morbid, at least it doesn't have to be – and it may be helpful in preparing a person and his loved ones for death.  Refusing to talk about it might increase one's fear of death.

Fear

Not that 'fear' is exactly the right word either.  We probably do not fear death in the same sense that we fear danger, but few of us can say that we are indifferent to death.  Even those of us with the faith of Paul, tend to have strong emotions about death.  A preacher asked a little boy, "Do you want to go to heaven?"  "Not yet.", he replied.  That would probably be our answer too.  We are never really ready to depart this life.  We even have a tendency to pretend that it will not come.

Human Apprehension

We need to be aware of this natural human apprehension about death in order to appreciate fully the significance of the resurrection.  It is in this event that God has shown us that we need have no fear of death.

But this does not mean that we are not swept with a variety of emotions as we contemplate death.  It is one of the big events in our lives.  Not only is our own death a big event – the death of a loved-one is perhaps even bigger – and perhaps one filled with even greater apprehension.  It is that separation that causes the most pain and suffering.

The Significance of Life

There is also a philosophical cause of anxiety about death.  Many, if not most, of us wonder, on occasion, about the meaning of life.  What is life all about?

Physically we see ourselves as an insignificant speck in an infinite universe – a speck whose existence as a living organism is of insignificant duration in a vast expanse of time.  A life is so insignificant against this back-drop, that we cry out with the Psalmist, "O Lord, what is man that thou art mindful of him?"  And yet, even though an insignificant speck of insignificant duration, we alone of all the creatures, are constantly aware of our status in the universe – we are constantly aware of our progress through our life stages – of our condition of happiness or unhappiness – of joy or of sorrow.

The Meaning of Life

If then, philosophically, we come to see ourselves as a part of the vast universe, we can belittle the significance of death – death is nothing.  But the other side of the coin is even more frightening, because the converse must also be true – life is nothing.  It is no wonder that modern man searches so frantically to find meaning in life – he rejects the teachings of the church – that man is helpless to save himself.  He keeps seeking alternate answers but finds none – thus keeping himself in a continual state of anxiety and desperation. 

It is in the life of Jesus that God has answered our questions about the meaning of life.  It is in the resurrection that we have the answer to the meaning of death.  Jesus has conquered death for us and has promised life more abundant.

Faith

Does our concern and apprehension about death mean that we doubt the validity of these answers?  Of course not!  But, we are still humans and subject to all human emotions.  The stronger our love for one another, the greater our grief will be when we are separated by death.  The stronger our love for one another, the less we are concerned about our own death, and the more we are concerned about the loved-ones we leave behind.  We hate to think of their grief at our departure.

Separation

Jesus was aware of this situation, and spoke to his disciples about it.  He had prepared himself for his own death, and he tried to prepare them for it too.  But even so, that separation was not easy, and he never said that it would be.  What he said was "Let us face the future with confidence in God and his steadfast love for us – but let us face the future honestly.

Honesty

Pretending that death will not come is not really being honest.  Being honest with ourselves, we will admit that we face death with concern and apprehension.  Easter speaks to us about that concern.  Whatever we are aware of as to the human condition – God is even more aware of it.  God knows that we are very much aware of our mortality – of our short-comings – of how we have fallen short of our potentialities – of the brevity of this life.

God has proven his awareness in the resurrection.  Young people sometimes get themselves in a lot of trouble by wanting to experience all that this life has to offer.  Within limits, this desire to experience life has its merits. [I am probably referring to drugs here]

The Incarnation

God, too, has experienced life.  In the incarnation, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  In the incarnation, God experienced what it was to be a human: to love, to work, to become tired, to rest, to be happy, to be angry, to strike out at money-changers, to be humiliated and abused, to suffer and to die.  Through Jesus, God has experienced human life – and more important, he has shown us that he has experienced all of our human emotions, too.

We know this now, and so we can with confidence approach God with and about our own human emotions, knowing full well that he will understand.

The Atonement

God has shown us that he is at one with us.  Some see in the word 'atone' the two words 'at one'.  I am at one with the Father, so also you are at one with me.

God has experienced this life to show us that he knows us – our troubles and sorrows – our joys and triumphs – our doubts and anxieties.  If we ever had doubts about the meaning of life, we now have been reassured.  This life is significant to God therefore it should also have significance for us.

Significance

We will not find that significance by searching inward – we find our significance in the higher calling – in knowing that we have been called by God to serve him.  It is in this service that our lives have meaning – it is in this service that we become part of an everlasting kingdom.  “I go to prepare a place for you.  If it were not so, I would have told you.”  And we go – soon or late – to meet our Savior face to face.

Pastoral Prayer

Glory be to thee, O Father Almighty, who on this day didst raise up thy Son from the dead, and makest us partakers of his victory over sin and death.

Glory be to thee, O Christ, who for us mortals, and for our salvation hast overcome death, and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life.

Glory be to thee, O Holy Spirit, who doest lead us into all truth as it is in the risen Christ.

O God most high, all praise and thanksgiving be unto thee, for thy loving kindness and the multitude of thy tender mercies unto us, and to all people.  It is mete and right that we should at all times give thanks unto thee, but chiefly this day we are bound to praise thee for the glorious resurrection of thy Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, who hast taken away the sins of the world.

O Heavenly Father, we commend to thy merciful care all who are in anywise afflicted.  Relieve those who suffer – restore health and strength, as thou doest will, to those who are sick.  In Christ, who is the resurrection and the life, let the heavy laden find strength to endure – and let those who are in the valley of the shadow see the light of life eternal.  Give to those in sorrow or loneliness the assurance that nothing can ever separate them from thy love.

May the living Christ dwell in us richly and direct our lives, for in his name we pray.                       Amen.