During this season of Ordinary Time, let’s look at some basics of faith by examining the life of Abraham. By faith. I don’t mean some intellectual assent only, but an active TRUST. By all accounts, Abraham’s life and witness, chronicled in Genesis chapters 12-25 and summarized in Hebrews 11, sets the tone to what we are all called - a hero’s journey. Three religions look to him as the paragon of faith: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. He was called out of his homeland and asked God "Where?" God said, “I’ll tell you later.” He was to go to a certain land, but didn’t know when. God said, “I’ll tell you later.” He was to have a son with his wife Sarah and when he asked God “How?” God said,  “I’ll tell you later." Finally he was to offer up his son for sacrifice and when he asked God "Why?" the Lord said, “I will tell you later.”

Abraham’s story is our story as we are all called on a journey not knowing where, how, when or why. There are patterns of thought and meaning that permeate so much of life that are seen in myth, literature, religion etc. These are called archetypes of the collective unconscious. The hero’s journey. Think in modern terms, Star Wars and most all superhero movies. Like Abraham, the heroes in these movies follow a similar pattern. We do too.

The story begins in a familiar, cozy domesticity like Abraham with his clan in Ur of Chaldea.

Then there is a call out of that into an adventure.

There is a journey into some kind of unknown land calling forth courage to face down all sorts of obstacles including fear and ignorance.

If they focus on the true foundation of trust in God, there is a landing area where new land is established and made available to others.

This is the life of not just Abraham, but all of us. Faith means a willingness to leave your comfort zone, to search for something that God is going to show you. Because he was willing to go on an adventure, he opened up something for everybody else. It’s because he was willing to trust and go on that journey that we are here today thousands of years later. This pattern is repeated up and down in the Old Testament in Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Saul, David. There's always more. There’s always another adventure.

But isn’t it true that the real story of the Bible is God going on his own hero’s journey? Perfect and absolute. In the Incarnation, God in Jesus takes a kind of hero’s journey when creation falls into sin to rescue his creation. “Though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men…” Philippians 2:5-7.

You may say God doesn’t appear to me like that. But look at all the difficult circumstances, inexplicable calls, and confusing tragedies that you deal with. Like Abraham, we can master these circumstances because of the call of God and presence of the Holy Spirit. ASD has been on a journey of her own with the Biblical emphasis of the Holy Spirit, planted 15 years ago with 17 people, a move to the eclectic Oak Lawn area and then downtown. Only by God’s call, his grace, and his provisions have we trusted and born fruit.

This Sunday we will celebrate several baptisms. Those who are baptized will begin their hero’s journey as well. We will hear from some teachers from our schools in Dallas who are on their hero’s journey.

Come and see.

+Philip