Posted on April 18, 2021 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
Leaving Home
By Sarah Hahs
I started walking during my first pregnancy. In an effort to exercise, my husband Matt and I would walk around the block. It became one of my favorite things to do. I looked forward to hearing our footfalls together in the silence of early morning and processing what had been stored away for a time when we could have space to say it out loud and to hear each other’s thoughts. We still go for walks, even if the stage of pregnancies is behind us. We still like the space it gives us to talk. And there is something about both of you moving in the same direction that subconsciously feels like you are in agreement, even when you’re not. The journey between feels like those walks. Where we have no destination, and in the early morning you and God fall into step with one another and there is space to say all the things that you have stored up. To ask questions in each season.
Abraham and Sarah left home, left their familial culture, because they had been told to go. But that message comes from listening, and probably from God saying it repeatedly. It comes from going on a walk with God and processing our thoughts with Him. It comes with asking the questions–should I wait, should I stay, where can I grow, or where do I go? Those questions are seasonal. They come around again and again through all types of transitions. Not just times where we are asked to leave, but times where we are asked to end one season and start another. What I find comforting in each of those transitional seasons is God’s presence. He is always up for a walk, always up for a hard question, always there. For those of you reading who don’t think that is true . . . try it, I dare ya! Go for a walk where you are inviting God to come with you. If you are in a transitional season, ask him the four questions we were given today. Should I wait, should I stay, where can I grow, or where do I go? And then, stop talking. Let your footfalls align, let the silence allow you to process the thoughts you have stored up, and listen for His voice.
A personal note: Ministry a lot of times feels like a walk in the same direction. You walk alongside others to accomplish what God has called you to. I have walked with Seth for many years. I will miss him dearly. And yet, I am so incredibly excited for what the Davidson family has next. I can’t wait to see where God is calling them to walk. I know He is beside them the entire way.
Observe, Reflect, Apply: The teaching today was an invitation to engage God in a conversation, to listen to his voice. We are actually hard wired to engage with God, as his created beings, made in his image. Hearing takes practice. It requires quiet, maybe stillness. People "hear" God in what we read, the words of trusted friends, in visual imagery, in a sense of knowing something (but not knowing how you know it), and in nature (earth, wind, water). How might you practice knowing your shepherd God’s voice. And, once heard, what will you do with that encounter?
{prayer for the week}
Join us this week in a shared community-wide prayer.
Thank you for being a God who is for us. Who goes beside us, and behind us, and prepares the way for us. God, we invite you into the conversation, into the middle of our in between spaces in life. Help us listen for your voice, your direction, your wisdom. Help us engage the transitions on our journey, asking boldly, "Should I wait, should I stay, where can I grow, where do I go?" And help us listen patiently for your lead, and act confidently on what we hear. Amen.
Observe, Reflect, Apply: Noah and his family spent a long time in the Ark before the rain subsided. And more time before they got out of the boat, and more time until Noah built an altar and gave sacrifices to God. They did not know how long they’d be in the boat. They did know when they got out their lives would be utterly different. One thing would remain, their love and commitment to God, and God’s unrelenting love for them and humankind. While Noah and the Ark and COVID-19 are very different occurrences in human history, we can relate to Noah and his family: the long unending days, the new way of life when it’s over, and encouragement to continue to look towards and follow God.
Observe, Reflect, Apply: The rainbow. What does it really mean? How was it created? Where do we see it in our culture today? Does it represent why God created it and his covenant to all people? Today’s reading is one of my favorites. We see the role God made between human and animals, reminded us humans are made in God’s image, and the meaning behind all those beautiful rainbows we see in the sky after it rains. Remember today’s reading the next time you see rainbows.
Observe, Reflect, Apply: “From these three sons of Noah came all the people who now populate the earth.” Gen 9:19. That’s mind blowing to think about. These three sons. As you look around all the people in your neighborhood, your work, your church, your screens, somewhere through our lineage we are all related, no matter our race, ethnicity or nationality. We have more in common we need to recognize. This verse reminds us all of that. I often wonder if Ancestry.com and “23 and Me” tests could go all the way back to Noah’s three sons and help show how connected we really are.
Observe, Reflect, Apply: If Ancestry.com and 23 and Me can’t date back to Noah’s three sons, wouldn’t it be amazing if it could show our linkage to the clans of these three sons?
Observe, Reflect, Apply: As Noah and the ark continued to bob along and rise as the waters relentlessly continued, do you imagine he questioned his decision to follow God’s commands? When the waters are crashing all around us with no end of the storm in sight, it can feel like an eternity. There is a relentless, exhausting and seemingly hopeless state that can surface. When you read (verse 24) that this took place over 150 days (roughly 5 months) that doesn’t seem too bad. But when you are in the thick of it, and the sea is vast and endless, it can bear down in a crushing sort of way. But we know the end of the story. The water does cease, dry earth does appear, and the storm was weathered. What is the flood you are navigating? It may feel as though your ark is bobbing, forgotten, but you are seen by our God. He created the waters and will see you through them.
{extra journey resources}
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources).
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
The Bible App For Kids YouVersion partnered with OneHope to develop the Bible App for Kids, designing it specifically to engage children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The Bible App for Kids is a free app for Android, Apple, and Kindle devices, available in over 60 languages.
Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
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