Abram gladly became a nomad because that is what his God demanded of him. But surely there was another reason. It had to do with the promise. If Abram followed God's demand, perhaps he could finally fulfill his name. He would truly become Abram, "exalted father."
The old poem says: "And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year // "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown." // And he replied, "Go into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God. // That shall be to you better than light, and safer than the known way."
I have entitled today’s sermon "Fragile Grace" because it is the focus on what "I" need to do to improve my relationship with God that puts grace in danger. Grace is a very fragile thing, because it is can be easily overwhelmed by our human need to do something to get into God's good books.
Romans 8:38 says, "Nothing can separate us from the love of God." Do you know what that means? You and I didn’t do anything to earn God’s love, and we can’t do anything to lose it. That’s the bottom line of grace; that God’s love is rock solid and can never be taken from us.
Grace is undeserved kindness. It is this undeserved kindness that saves us. Paul tells us that God has sent Jesus Christ to give us what we weren't capable of winning on our own. It matters not whether God must forgive a little or a lot. He gives us the same gift–– the gift of forgiveness––the gift of life.
Few of us like to live with uncertainty, but that’s the condition in which we find ourselves right now. Given that, there’s something very appealing and life-giving about God being our refuge and strength. But what might this mean for us today?
Like Paul and Martin Luther we are challenged to tell other people about God’s love and gift of grace. People won’t know there’s hope unless we share the good news with them. Talking about our faith can be very difficult; even embarrassing. But we have the words found right here in this book to help us explain our faith.
On this Reformation Sunday, as we review our heritage let us renew ourselves in that Spirit of transition, that miracle of ‘forgiveness' in Jesus Christ that set fire to the Church once again at the time of the Reformation.
Paul starts his letter to the Romans by identifying himself. "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ," he says. Paul clearly wants us to know who the boss is. Jesus is in charge. Paul is only a servant—a person under orders—someone who does what he is told. But then he gives us the other side.
Feelings of being trapped can be overcome when we are passionate about what we believe. Physical confinement doesn't prevent us from using our minds. Also, we can escape the walls that surround us by focusing on the needs of others. We can also be assured that God is aware of our bondage and is just waiting to set us free.