Pilgrims of Promise (Sermon)

Pilgrims of Promise

Sermon for August 10, 2025 – Proper 14c
Genesis 15:1-6, Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16, and Luke 12:32-40
Ebenezer UMC & Black Creek UMC

Biblical Preaching

Let me speak for a moment about myself.

I strive to be a biblical preacher. I start with the lectionary texts for a given week often looking for connections between the lessons. I then develop those connections into a framework for a sermon following the themes that spring up out of those texts. As the sermon develops, I may then look at other biblical texts that help in understanding those themes.

I spend hours each week praying over the texts, meditating on the texts, and studying the texts. My desire is to please God in my study and in the proclamation of the Gospel message found in the texts. I seek to be faithful to our Wesleyan tradition and to faithful in “dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV).

Since I usually plan ahead by weeks or for an entire season of the church year, each week’s sermon likely builds upon the sermons of previous weeks. In recent weeks we have been looking at God’s expectations for his people and how the prophets were called to remind God’s people of their failure in keeping the commandment to the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love their neighbors.

Earlier this year the biblical texts have strongly emphasized the importance of hospitality as an expectation of God’s people. It is an essential part of our discipleship that demonstrates our love of neighbor, and it leads into an evangelical outreach to others – all people – regardless of status.

“There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28, NRSVue[i])

Hospitality to the stranger is how we live out that reality and how we invite others to join in that new community of Christ.

Today’s texts remind us of how we are all Pilgrims of Promise, and we have the incredible privilege of inviting other pilgrims to join us.

Our Pilgrim Forbears

In the 12th chapter of Genesis, we read…

Now 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. ² I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (NRSVue)

Abraham and Sarah were likely living a comfortable life in their hometown of Ur.[ii] The archaeology of Ur during the time of Abraham reveals it as a bustling urban center, known for its wealth, trade, and advanced society. Excavations have uncovered significant artifacts, including cuneiform tablets and royal tombs, indicating a highly developed culture and economy. Indeed, “Ur was at the height of its prosperity when Abraham lived there.” [iii]

So, we might ask the question: “Why would God tell Abraham and Sarah to leave the comforts of the home they had made for themselves to go to a distant land where they would experience all those things that migrants and strangers will experience in a different land?”

I believe there are several reasons for this call to leave the comforts of home to settle in a strange place.

1.      God had a plan for the chosen land to be a place of blessing for the whole world. The land of Canaan was located at the crossroads of the ancient Mediterranean world. People travelling on land between Europe and the Middle East to Africa would have to traverse this land.

2.     Abraham was told that in that location he and Sarah would produce offspring that outnumber the stars of the sky and thereby they would be a blessing to many.

3.     The promise was to be made manifested through the faith Abraham and Sarah would demonstrate through their trust in God and in God’s promises.

To Be a Pilgrim of Promise Meant Being an Immigrant

Remember that Jesus and his parents spent time as refugees in Egypt when they fled the tyranny and threat of Herod who wanted to kill Jesus. In Matthew 2, we read…

¹³ Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt ¹⁵ and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”

Jesus and his parents fled to the very land where his ancestors lived as refugees from famine for 430 years!

⁴⁰ The time that the Israelites had lived in Egypt was four hundred thirty years. ⁴¹ At the end of four hundred thirty years, on that very day, all the companies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:40-41)

 When God delivered the people and brought them to the land he had promised in his covenant with Abraham, he would often remind them of their time as strangers/foreigners in Egypt. Some key references are:

1.      Exodus 22:21 – “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” (NIV)[iv]

2.     Leviticus 19:34 – “Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens. You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.” (CEB)

3.     Deuteronomy 10:19 – “So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.” (NLT)

These constant reminders were meant to instill a sense of empathy and justice towards others, emphasizing the importance of treating foreigners with kindness and respect.

Hebrew has several words that variably translate as sojourner, foreigner, stranger, or migrant:

Gēr: By far the most common term, generally viewed positively, referring to a “stranger and guest” or “foreign resident” who typically is dependent on an Israelite family or community The gēr is someone who “has severed the connection with his former country” and “thus seeks to become a member of the new community.”

tôšāb: Appears frequently in the Holiness Code. It seems to refer to one who cultivates land they do not own. It may or may not have an ethnic connotation of foreignness. Some scholars suggest the gēr and tôšāb refer to two distinct statuses, with tôšāb indicating a lower status resident alien.

nokhri: Refers to someone from a different nation, perhaps a more dangerous stranger due to strange gods or strange ways of living.  

zar: A more neutral term, denoting someone ‘strange’ or ‘foreign’ in terms of a particular behavior or habit.

The Issues of Immigration

The biblical witness of God’s word to God’s people is a witness to us as we seek to navigate the often divisive issues of immigration today. While the issue is divisive, there is nevertheless a common ground that can be found on both sides of the aisle in our legislative branch of government.

We see that Republicans tend to focus on the importance of border security, the strict enforcement of immigration laws, and efforts to reduce illegal immigration to maintain national sovereignty and legal order.

Democrats tend to advocate for a path to citizenship, protections for Dreamers under DACA, family reunification, and expanding legal immigration to foster inclusion and opportunity.

But both sides have shared views that stress the need for immigration reform, skilled worker support, recognition of the economic role of immigrants, and legal action against those who commit crimes.

Christian views on immigration, rooted in biblical teachings, emphasize hospitality, compassion, and justice toward migrants, refugees, and strangers. The Bible consistently presents a theme of welcoming the foreigner, grounded in the Israelites’ own history as sojourners in Egypt.

Jesus amplifies this call in the New Testament, identifying care for the stranger as care for himself: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35, 40). The Epistles reinforce this ethic, urging believers not to neglect hospitality, as some have “entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2). Christians are reminded that they, too, are temporary residents in the world, called to live with reverence and love.

1 Peter 1:17, “Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.” (NIV)

1 Peter 2:11, “Dear friends, since you are immigrants and strangers in the world, I urge that you avoid worldly desires that wage war against your lives.” (CEB)

And from today’s Epistle text, Hebrews 11:13, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.” (NIV)

The Apostle Paul tells us that “Our citizenship is in heaven. We look forward to a savior that comes from there—the Lord Jesus Christ.” And, because our citizenship in the reign of Christ, “you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household.” (Philippians 3:20, Ephesians 2:19, CEB)

In our Gospel lesson, Jesus calls upon us to stay alert and focused on that which is truly important. “Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:33b-34).

Putting the Promise in Jeopardy

The Book of Genesis presents us with a portrait of Abraham and Sarah often struggling with the realities of their status as foreigners and migrants in a strange land. They were called to leave their home and travel to this strange land. They were to be a people of blessing living in a land of blessing. But this was a promise they would not see in their own lifetimes (Hebrews 11:13). Because they could only see the fulfillment of that promise in the distance there would be challenges of being those people of promise in the present, here and now.

Twice, Abraham passed off his wife Sarah as his sister because he was afraid he might be killed so that local leaders might take her for themselves. Yet the Lord watched over and protected Abraham and Sarah, not only the first time they did it, but when they did it again! (Genesis 12, 20)

When they realized they weren’t getting any younger they sought others ways to have an heir. At first, he asked God to accept his servant – whom he adopted as a son – Eliezer of Damascus – to be his heir. God said no. Abraham would have his own biological son as an heir.

Then Sarah convinced Abraham to impregnate her servant Hagar to have a biological son of his own. He did so. Hagar gave Abraham a son named Ishmael. But when Abraham presented him to God, God reminded Abraham that the promise was to Abraham AND Sarah. Together they would have a son. (Genesis 16)

The thought of this was so ludicrous that it was funny – so funny that they would laugh out loud. Abraham laughs out loud in Genesis 17 and Sarah laughs out loud in Genesis 18. But finally, it is God who laughs when a son is born to Abraham and Sarah.

God says “you shall name him Isaac – which means laughter – because you laughed at my promise. Now when you say his name you can laugh with me as a God who keeps his promise!” (my paraphrase).[v]

Learning to Trust in God’s Promise

Abraham and Sarah were learning that the foundation of faith was trust. Genesis 15:6 says that Abraham “believed the Lord, and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.” In Hebrews, we read that…

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he set out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents…” (vss. 8-9a).

In our Gospel lesson today Jesus says…

³² ”Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. … ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Luke 32-34, 40)

To live like this – to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ – means we can only follow Jesus by trusting in Jesus. What does this trust look like? There are several aspects of trust worth mentioning here.

First, trust means relying on God’s character – the character of our Lord. We recognize and rely on God’s nature as loving, merciful, and faithful. We know that the mind of Christ is one of humility – he had a willingness to empty himself of his divine prerogatives on behalf of our humanity (Philippians 2:1-8).

Second, trust is having faith in God’s promises. Trusting here and now what will only be seen and realized in the future (Hebrews 11:13). Trusting even when circumstances seem uncertain or unfulfilled. It means trusting that God’s promises are sure and that he will fulfill them in his own time and way.

Third, trust is demonstrated in a willing response to God’s initiative and grace. We recognize our faults and failures and our own need of salvation understanding our dependence on God’s mercy, love, and forgiveness.

Finally, we trust in God’s plans and purposes. We seek to be led by the Holy Spirit and to see the importance of our responses to his grace and initiative in our lives and in the lives of the people around us.

Sending

So, let us go forth as people of faith, trusting in God’s promises even when the way ahead is unclear.

Let us live as citizens of heaven while faithfully serving on earth.

Let us be ready always for Christ’s return, found faithful in love and service.

And may the God who called Abraham bless you with faith;
may Christ who promised to return grant you hope;
and may the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth give you peace.

Go in grace and peace to love and serve the Lord.

+ In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen 

---

[i] All scripture references are from the New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition, unless indicated otherwise.

[ii] Scholars disagree about which Ur is meant here. There are two candidates: the Ur in Anatolia and the one in Sumer. The description I use here refers to the latter which has been the traditionally accepted one.

[iii] Discover Abraham’s Birthplace of the Ancient City of Ur (retrieved 8/5/2025)

[iv] I am quoting from three other translations to show the consistency in meaning between them. I am using the New International Version, the Common English Bible, and the New Living Translation.

[v] For the laughter see Genesis 17:17, 18:12, and 21:6.