6/7/26 The Lord Said (Grantsburg) Barb Loomis

June 7, 2026 BL Worship Material

The Lord Said

I have a little story about Jim and me. When he proposed to me, he said don’t
answer yet. He wanted to tell me that when he was discharged from the Navy, he
would return to Grantsburg, WI. If I want to be close to my family, don’t marry
him. My first thought was that I have lived in five different states, as well as
different places in the same state. Wisconsin shouldn’t be a problem. Flying is
becoming more and more common. What I was not counting on was that his
discharge was in January. There just happened to be an earthquake the day
before his discharge date. We picked up his walking papers the next day and we
where headed for Wisconsin. We moved back in one of the worst winters in the
Midwest. It would snow one day, drop below zero the next day, snow again, and drop
below zero, over and over again. That June there was still snow in the woods. What
had I agreed to? That was 51 years ago and now, I love Wisconsin. Before this
message is over you hopefully understand why I shared this story.

I try to follow the Lectionary when I chose the scripture for a message.
Summertime is often a good time to choose an Old Testament Scripture listed in
the Lectionary. Some are simple old familiar Bible Stories. This one is familiar but
it raised several questions and controversies amongst theologians, scholars and
readers, including myself.

We may be familiar with the story of Abram and Sarai later known as Abraham and
Sarah. Abram was sent by God on a journey. Part of this journey is outlined in
Genesis 12: 1-9. It seems that the Lord chose Abram for this Journey 25 years
before what we read in verse 1, where Abram lived with his father and his family.

They had a comfortable , wealthy life. Abram did as the Lord asked of him. He
gathered his wife Sarai, nephew Lot, and the servants of the household. It seems
that on the first leg of the journey he also brought his father Terah. They lived in
Haran for 25 years, and the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your
kindred and your fathers house to the land that I will show you.”

Why did God choose Abram? Why did God come to him again? Especially after he
stopped in his journey. The scripture doesn’t say that he was especially righteous,
powerful, or deserving. The choices that God makes has been questioned by many.
Why did God choose Israel among nations?

Why did God choose David amongst his brothers?

Jesus chose ordinary men to follow him.

When God said to Abram go, the second time, Abram was 75 years old. Sometimes
faith truly begins when you step out of your comfort zone. That is what Abram did.
I try to keep things in my personal life as simple as possible. Even writing a
message for church takes time and challenges me to take the information I find
and bring it into a comfortable understanding. I try to listen for “ God’s Voice.” If
you should hear or sense the voice of God, would you “Go”. The “Go” for me is the
direction of this message. Not always my “comfort zone.”

Now just because Abram was called by God it did not mean that the Journey was
filled with Joy.

So often we remember the homogenized stories that are taught in Sunday School
about our Bible heroes. I remember teaching the 5th and 6th graders about David
and Goliath. When David beheaded Goliath the children became upset. Saying
“That’s not what we have been taught.” The best that I could tell them was that
they are older now and are able to understand the full story. They read it again
from the Bible, not their Sunday School material. It was almost as if they did not
believe what they had heard.

Abram believed what God said. He set out on the Journey with his household. They
would be staying in tents. They would have to herd sheep along the way, and take
care of pack animals. Gathering water was a necessity. I cannot even imagine what
it took for this journey and I loved to camp. Abram had no idea of where he was
going. There was no map to follow. All he had was God’s word. Those traveling with
him, including his wife, were likely believers in the Moon God of other idol type
Gods of their life and times. Yet they stayed with him.

When they arrived in the land of Canaan, the scripture says “at that time the
Canaanites where in the land” Imagine that!

God promised them this land. God led them to this land.
My husband has often asked why does God lead His people to land already
occupied? I do not have an answer for that.

The occupation of the land confused even the people following Abram. Some
theologians believe that the land is God’s, so God can give it to them.
The promise of the land was real, but the fulfillment of the promise was not
immediate.

How often has that happened to us in our own lives?
God promises his presence, but we still face loneliness.
God promises peace, but we still face anxiety.
God promises strength, but we face challenges.
Everything comes to us in God’s time.

Abram teaches us that faith means trusting God’s promise even when
circumstances seem to contradict it.

One of the most beautiful parts of this passage is Abram’s response. When God
appeared to him, Abram built an altar. When Bethel was on the west and Ai was on
the east, Abram built an altar. He built 5 altars on his journey, maybe more.
Worship was important to him. By building the altars he acknowledges God’s
existence in this journey. This was a brand new faith, no idols to worship, traveling
with people that most likely questioned ‘What is he doing?”

One of the things I did when I moved to Grantsburg was visit churches. I was
raised an Episcopalian. Stillwater was not the closest, Hinkley had a very small
Episcapol church. Winter did not invite me to drive very far for church. There are
many churches in our community. It took me over a year to walk into this church.
But when I did I felt at home. I give thanks for that day.

Abraham received a remarkable promise from God:” I will make you a great nation.”
But when he arrived in Canaan, there was no nation. There was no city bearing his
name. There was no visible evidence that God’s promise had been fulfilled.
All Abram could do was keep walking, keep worshiping, and keep trusting.

We look around and remember a fuller sanctuary, many children running through
because of Sunday School, a business. We can be tempted to think that God is
finished with us because we are not what we once were. Yet Genesis 12 reminds us
that God‘s work is not measured only by what we can count. Abrams first act in the
promised land was not to build an empire. It was to build an altar.

He worshiped. Then he moved on and built another altar. And again he worshiped.

The measure of faithfulness was not the size of the crowd around him, but the
depth of his trust in God. We may not be the biggest congregation in town. But look
at what God is doing through the people that are here. There are those that are
active on the Food shelf. Some deliver Meals. Neighbors are being cared for.
Prayers are being offered. Friendships are being formed. Needs are being met.
The kingdom of God is still being built.

Abram did not stay where he was comfortable. He continued the journey God set
before him.

We may not see all that God is preparing. We may not know what the future holds.
But if we continue to worship, serve, pray, and love our community, we can trust
that God is still writing the story.

The God who called Abram is still calling his people. The God who guided Abram
steps, is still guiding the church. And the God, whose grace sustained the saints
before us will sustain us still.
So let us keep walking
Let us keep worshiping.
Let us keep trusting.

Because the journey is not over, and God‘s grace is not finished with us yet.

Amen.