CP W1 D1 The Call of Abram (Gen 12:1-3)

(To explain the code in the title, it's Choosing Pilgrimage, Week 1, Day 1 - to make it easier to find things on the right-hand panel.)

Today's reading is about God's call to Abram to leave his country and journey to another. When I opened the book this morning, I was looking forward to focus on something other than God's call, so this hit me by surprise. You see, all summer long, I've been wrestling with a growing sense that God is calling me to do something different. Throughout the summer, different options have come into my mind, only for me to realize they wouldn't work out. Maybe it was because I couldn't see a way to get there from here, or the call involved more than just myself and God didn't seem to be calling a key partner as well. Most recently a flyer inviting me to apply for a very prestigous position in a neighboring state came across my desk.

Throughout my life, I've let "calls" with respect to my education and employment determine my path through life. Each one has taken me to a different faith community where, like Abram, I have received many blessings from God (and hopefully have provided blessings in return). I can think of several like growing up in Holy Trinity Lutheran and learning about God, imersing myself in the faith community on the Lebanon Valley College campus, starting work with youth at Luther Memorial church while attending graduate school in Blacksburg, and passing on my faith to my children while at High Bridge Reformed.

As I think back on these "calls", each of them was preceeded by a period of searching that lasted a year or more. None of them were "smooth" transitions - they were all preceeded by several calls I thought I heard, but which didn't turn out to be genuine. The corresponding faith journeys weren't smooth either as each new location brought a (sometimes difficult) search for a faith home.

Going back to Abram, what was his path like? My Study Bible says his path was a journey of around 500 miles - or a month of caravan travel. Today some people do that distance in a day by car and 500 miles by plane is trivial. He brought some of his extended family with him, so he had the core of a faith community, but still had to interact with people who didn't understand God the way he did. I'm sure it was very scarey setting out.

As it is for us... trying this new daily reading, the new spiritually intensive classes, and learning to walk with God while we walk with each other will take some effort, and determination. I'm sure it will turn out quite rewarding as well.

It's going to be an incredible journey!