Saint James UCC of Hamburg, NY

Hebrews 11:29 - 12:2

Preached by Pastor Alva Looze
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There are many, many volumes and they are called scrap booking. They are all burgundy in color because that is my accent color and they look good on my bookshelves. When I first started this I only wanted to get my pictures in order and in acid proof albums to protect the few pictures I had while growing up. My story is unexceptional I have lived and will probably died within 30 miles where I was born. But I want my children, grandchildren and great grand children to know where their families came from. My mother's and father's story was much more adventuresome than mine so along with the scrap booking I'm trying to write part of that history.

"Tell me the stories of Jesus." remembering singing that song as a child. Christians are a storytelling people. It was stories, not sermons or learned dissertations that took Christianity from being a tiny Jewish sect to the major religion it is today, with church in every country of the world. It's in the ordinary that we spend most of our lives. And it's in the ordinary that God meets us, and journeys with us. It is this long stretch of ordinary time that we call the Season after Pentecost. Ordinary people take every day Bible stories and in these stories learn amazing things about God, Jesus, the world, human relations and how to be disciples.

But Christians don't just tell the stories of Jesus. We tell stories of perfectly ordinary women and men who struggle to live their faith as best they can in a harsh and unsympathetic world. By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Canin did. By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death. By faith Noah built an ark, by faith Moses parents hid him for three months after he was born. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be know as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. By faith the Israelites were able to cross the Red Sea. Our scriptures speak of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, Israel's greatest king, David and the prophet-priest Samuel. As a result of their faith, all of the people of faith named here were able to defeat enemies and overcome obstacles.

The community for which Hebrews was originally written is believed to have faced serious persecution. Concerned that people would turn away from Christian faith, the writer encourages the people to hold fast, calling on the memory of the faithful who have gone before or the "cloud of witnesses."

Remember the stories told around the kitchen table? Stories of our lives that express our faith far more accurately and honestly than any statements we may make. This has been an interesting journey as my two sisters and I haven't been together to reminisce for about fifteen years. This summer we were all together, with much laughter we began to tell stories. Do you remember when? Marylou telling the story of the popgun she had and one of her classmates took it from her. At her class reunion she approached him and he is now a State Policeman. She told him how he had taken her prize possession and he reached into his back pocket and said "Let me pay you for it. I couldn't have done that it probably was my brother."

Julie telling when she got mad at our mom would pack her suitcase and sit at the edge of the woods until dinner time and then come home. My own story of the mean bus driver who made the boys sit in the first six seats and the girls in the back of the bus. One day I was standing, as there wasn't a seat, a guy got up, and offered me a seat so I sat down. The driver pulled the bus over and by the scuff of the neck pulled me out of the seat. When I got to school I marched down to the principal's office, told him the story, and was transferred to another bus. We went on and on. These years are my "Sabbath", a time to reflect on the meaning and significance of my seven decades. Hopefully by these stories my future generations will know the meaning of my life and God's working in it.

My sister must have been thinking about the stories we shared and called me last week and asked. "Do you remember when Caroline got bit by our dog while jump roping? I could remember the dog was trying to protect us as she thought Caroline was hurting us. I could remember that she was a collie and my dad shooting her afterwards. Today we could not have done such a thing but then we couldn't afford to take the dog to the vet. It was a heart wrenching time for us. Stories aren't always pleasant and we need to let those who read them know that there were hardships and sometimes the way we live reflect the life that we have led. That because of the life that we have lead made a difference in our journey. I remember asking Rev. Gates, pastor of the First Church of Evans that I wanted to join the church. I remember the burgundy jumper and white blouse I wore as I proudly joined the church all by myself and later my parents and sisters joined. I remember Rev. Gates saying, "a little child shall lead them". My faith journey began right there and then. I strayed from the path many times and felt the hand of God turning me to the right direction.

It is my story that has made me the person that I am. It is your story that has made you the person you are. We are blessed with computers for doing family histories. It's so easy to rearrange, add, delete, or fill in missing information. We check with our siblings to hear their versions of the stories. We can scan our pictures and include them in our stories.

My story is a faith journey it is not an "I" story. It is a "we" and "us" story, as this is not a solo run. Instead, the community of the faithful journey together, not in competition but in collaboration and encouragement. Check our church history of those who have gone before us. Each day we are making new church history passing on wisdom and our expertise to the next generation.

Running a fruitful race, producing a fruitful vineyard - this is what God requires of God's people. As the metaphor of the race in the passage from Hebrews implies, choosing faithfulness is neither easy nor passive. It can be demanding and often require change and growth.

Hebrews 11 can inspire us by reading it we will learn the stories of our ancestors and these stories will inspire us and strengthen our faith. "To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see." It is my prayer that years from now, my children and grand children will read this family history as part of their story, and through it may learn something of the struggles of the past. And how common is it to struggle with the challenges inherent in blended families, including feeling of frustration, anger, pride, and shame? To let them know that we loved them with such strength that we'd do anything to protect that them and their future? How we struggle for meaning and purpose in life, and sometimes, like Abraham and Sarah, felt the warm, gentle hand of God moving us toward faithfulness.

PRAYER
Gracious God, open our hearts and minds to the stories of faith that have nurtured your people through the ages. Guide us in our journeys of faith.

Amen