Abraham is revered by three religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It would be difficult to name any other single individual who has had a more far reaching impact on the human race. Christians familiar with the writings of St. Paul think of Abraham as "the father of the faithful." Unfortunately, our familiarity with Abraham sometimes gets in the way of fully appreciating what exactly he did.
To review: "The Lord had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people, and your father's household and go to the land I will show you...' So Abram left as the Lord had told him... Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out..." (Genesis 12:1-4).
To those of us who are accustomed to having family scattered far and wide, or disconnected by the hectic pace of life today, it is easy to overlook the significance of what God was asking of Abram (later known as Abraham). He lived in a time of tribes and clans wherein one found identity, significance, security and inheritance. One rarely, if ever, ventured outside the confines of family and community. To be separated from one's heritage was a fate dreaded by all. So when the Lord asked Abram to leave it all-- the familiar faces, the local customs, the family religion, his inheritance, the familiar landmarks, his established identity, and his tribal traditions-- it was an unimaginably huge sacrifice Abram would have to make to obey the Lord's call. Especially when we realize that at first Abram had no clue where he was being asked to go. His departure had to preceed knowledge of his destination. That required audacious faith and thus the revered title "the father of the faithful."
Throughout history God has led people into what I call "Abraham moments"-- radical departures from the familiar in order to venture hopefully toward an uncertain future. Moses did it when he gave up the "treasures of Egypt" to 40 years later become the deliverer of the Hebrew slaves. Joshua and Caleb did it when they went against popular opinion and said Israel could possess the Promised Land. Jesus' Apostles did it when they abandoned their various vocations and followed him. Martin Luther did it when he defied Rome and started an history altering Reformation. The founding Fathers of the United States did it when they conceived the radical notion that government was to be in the hands of the people not a monarchy. Mohandas Ghandi did it when he non-violently confronted British imperialism. Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu did it when they ceased to conform to Apartheid in South Africa. Martin Luther King did it when he prophetically called America to accounts for our racism and the ills of segregation.
As a churchman, I believe the Christian religion is right now facing an Abraham moment. Followers of Jesus Christ are being asked to leave behind a host of things that have been familiar to us. Many of our traditions, organizational structures, liturgies and defining and excluding doctrines will go by the wayside as the "faithful" venture forward. Since I, personally, set out on my own quest of obedience a year and a half ago, I have encountered numerous others who are similarly responding to a "call" toward a yet to be known destination. Like tributaries that converge to form a river, the many who are responding to the Voice that is demanding change are becoming a strong current that is carving out new channels and altering the spiritual landscape.
Every Abraham moment has its naysayers-- those fear ridden souls who instinctively see every change as a direct threat to all they hold dear and cling to the past with everything they have. The fact is it is a threat. Unless we are willing to walk away from our defining past as did Abraham, we can never get to our destiny of promise. As Robert Schuller said, "It takes guts to get out of the ruts." And, it takes nothing less than a complete disruption of the status quo prompted by radical faith and obedience to successfully navigate through Abraham moments.
In future blogs I intend to unpack this with specifics and practical applications. If you wish to get a head start, pick up the A New Kind of Christian Trilogy by Brian McLaren, or go to http://www.emergentvillage.org/ and take advantage of the many resources they offer, or check out http://www.theooze.com/blog/index.cfm. These resources will help you look beyond what is only familiar to you and get a taste of what can be. Must be. Will be.
