The Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee



Proper 5, Year A, 2008, June 8, 2008, St. Ann’s Church Nashville

“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” (Gen. 12:1).

God is not always helpful with directions. He orders Abram to “Go” without specifying a direction, telling him to start moving without giving him a clue as to North, South, East, or West. When Jesus calls Matthew he tells him to “follow”, but gives no indication where they’re headed. I don’t know about you, but I like to have a route laid out, the “Map Quest” directions before I start moving. The words “go” and “follow” are just not specific enough for me. I get lost even when I’ve got a map, so where am I going to end up with the open ended words “go” and “follow”? God only knows.

That’s right: God only knows where we’re going to end up. The point is that when God calls, we follow; we head in the direction that we discern, knowing that the important thing is to get moving and respond to the call. We’ll still have questions about where we’re headed and what’s it all about anyway; the story of Abram is full of how he keeps pestering God to clear it all up about ways and means. Abram is the original “anxious presence”, though he’s celebrated for his faith. I imagine Matthew also had his questions for Jesus, as to where the road was leading. Deeply seated within us is the desire for a “global positioning system” that will let us know exactly where we are and where we’re going.

Still, God only knows the answer to those questions, and that is really the point. The call to “go” and to “follow” demands our faith, our trust in God. Abram becomes Abraham, the father of faith, because he is willing to strike out in obedience to God. He gets moving and responds to the call. Matthew becomes an apostle, one who is “sent”, because he’s willing to go. We don’t know where we’re headed, and that is why discipleship is a matter of faith that demands faithful people who will follow. There is a goal, the presence of God, of course; we’re not just wandering around “with no direction home”. But we do not know exactly where we will be when we start following Jesus. God only knows where we’re going to end up. That’s what faith is all about.

This weekend we celebrate a hundred and fifty years of faithful following at St Ann’s Church; a hundred and fifty years of stepping forward in faith. The route that this community of faith has taken in response to the Gospel has cut a wide swathe through East Nashville. Improbable and unlikely people have been called to this community of faith, to join in the journey and to follow Christ; people as improbable and unlikely as the folks gathered in the house for dinner with Jesus. Folks no less improbable and unlikely, however, than those who are gathered in Christian churches all over the world today. Some of us didn’t know what we were getting into when we heard the call. When we follow Jesus we are going to explore some obscure paths, seek out some out of the way places, go to the margin and back again. We are moving into the future. That is part of faithful following, of the call to “go” and to “follow” and to “be sent”.

Today, on this special anniversary, we celebrate confirmation and reception with those who are willing to re-affirm their faith and to claim their baptismal vows. This is the way in which the Church helps to remind us of what is true for all of us. You are in the great tradition, placed among the rest of us who are willing to respond even though the map and the itinerary are not clearly laid out for us. You are in the great tradition of those who have decided to trust God, and to move forward in faith. You are in the great tradition of those who have decided to follow Jesus to the margin and back again. On this great anniversary day, we take the road together as disciples, into the future that God is creating.

The Rt. Rev’d John Bauerschmidt, Bishop of Tennessee

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