The call of Abraham in Genesis 12 is an unlikely beginning to God’s plan of salvation for the world. In many ways, Abraham was unqualified to play this most crucial role that God asked him to play. Yet he was successful. Why? Because of God and his grace. We can be sure that when God calls us, he, too, will give us everything we need to be successful, too.
Sermon Text: Genesis 11:27-12:9
[To listen on the go, download an MP3 by right-clicking on this link.]
Adam LaRoche was a major league first baseman for 12 years. In fact, he began his professional career with the Atlanta Braves in the early 2000s and played with them for a few years. During spring training last March, he quit. Suddenly. It turns out that for the past six years his son Drake, who is now 14, had been allowed by all the teams that LaRoche had played for to accompany his dad to the clubhouse each day. None of the other players seemed to mind; in fact, they liked having him around. But this year, the Chicago White Sox management put their foot down. The kid can’t be in the clubhouse. His teammates briefly staged a walkout in support of LaRoche and his son, but it didn’t work. And so, in response, LaRoche did what no one expected him to do: he quit baseball. Just walked away.
And in doing so, he walked away from the $13 million that the White Sox were going to pay him this year. Who would do that? Doesn’t that seem crazy? To leave behind your career and livelihood; to leave behind your status as a member of one of the world’s most elite clubs—those relatively few athletes who are good enough to play baseball at the highest level; to leave behind, well… a guaranteed $13 million! Even if he were riding the bench this season, he’d make that money!
In a recent ESPN magazine article, LaRoche was asked about his plans today. He said that he and his family are now traveling in an RV along the West Coast and Canada. They don’t have a destination. They don’t know how long they’ll be gone. They don’t really have a plan.
If you think about what LaRoche gave up in order to take this trip with his family, it’s safe to say that it’s probably the most expensive family vacation in history!
My point is, if LaRoche’s adventure seems costly and slightly crazy to you, then you might appreciate the costly and seemingly crazy adventure that Abraham and his family went on. By the way, in today’s scripture, he’s called Abram. Later on, God will change his name to Abraham, which means “father of many nations.” His wife Sarai’s name is also changed to Sarah. I’ll call them Abraham and Sarah in this sermon. Read the rest of this entry »
