1 El Shaddai Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 [A sermon preached by the Rev. Stan Gockel at the Bellbrook Presbyterian Church on March 4, 2012] I When I was a little boy, I can remember times when my mother became very exasperated with me. In those moments, she would say something like, Just who does he think he is? God Almighty? Of course, back then only a he would dare to identify with God Almighty. But in our age of gender equality, one might well ponder the signs of individual men and women and institutions that act out some overstated degree of identity with God Almighty. After all, the essence of human sinfulness is to place ourselves in the center of the universe, to make ourselves God Almighty. There are athletes who go through life being coddled and covered up for who end up thinking they are God Almighty. There are politicians, who have such a grandiose sense of themselves that they end up believing their own rhetoric, believe that that they are the ones the world has been waiting for. There are organizations that lose sight of their original purpose and end up perpetuating themselves for the sake of their constituents. There are talk show hosts who pontificate loud and long about how wrong everyone else is who doesn t agree with their perspective. There are pastors who abuse their pastoral authority and manipulate weak-minded persons into serving their pretentious needs. All of these examples of human sinfulness are nothing more than attempts to elevate ourselves into the place of God Almighty.
2 The opening verse of our Old Testament lesson begins to provide us with a picture of the real God Almighty, El Shaddai in Hebrew. Our task today is to consider what sets El Shaddai apart from all other pretenders. The first sign of God Almighty is a clear call. II God Almighty says to 99-year-old Abram, Walk before me and be blameless. Have you ever notice how in the Book of Genesis God never wants to walk alone? In the second chapter of Genesis, God creates Adam (adam) of the dust of the earth (adamah) to be a partner with God in tending the garden of creation. God desires relationship, and so Adam walks with God. Later when Adam and Eve have eaten of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, God walks in the garden in the cool of the day seeking them out. Later in Genesis 5:24 we read that Enoch walked with God then was no more, because God took him. An insightful student of the Bible said it must have been that Enoch was out walking with God one day, and as they got farther from Enoch's home, God said to him, "Enoch, why don't you just come home and stay with me. And Enoch went. Now in the story of Abraham there is a new beginning, a new creation with the invitation to walk again in God s presence. Walk before me and be blameless. If Christians were to choose such a way of life with intention, how might our lives, our churches, and our world be changed?
3 III The second sign of God Almighty is the desire of God throughout the Bible to reach out to people in covenant. Last week we considered God s covenant with Noah, and how it was an unconditional covenant made not just with Noah, but with his family, every creature, and all of creation. In the coming weeks we will consider the covenants God made with Moses and Jeremiah, all building up to the celebration of the new covenant made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God s desire for a covenant relationship with Abram cannot be more clearly expressed than in verse 2: I will make my covenant between me and you and will make you exceedingly numerous. God Almighty is about to form a new people, a nation of kings, and this covenant will include Abraham and Sarah s offspring for all generations. It will be an everlasting covenant. El Shaddai s spirit once again moves over the land, bringing forth new life out of chaos and confusion. Whereas the covenant God made with Noah was universal extending to all of creation the covenant with Abraham focuses on a particular people the Hebrews. IV The third sign of El Shaddai s presence is seen in God giving new names to Sarai and Abram. Of course, the first new name we have in this story is a new name for God El Shaddai, God of the mountain, or God of the high places. In biblical times, a person s name carried great significance.
4 A person s name revealed the essence of the person his or her character, personality, and destiny. Let me ask you: what names did people call you as you were growing up? What nicknames did your parents or grandparents saddle you with? I hope most of the names were endearing, but were others nasty or hurtful? Were you given a nickname because of how you looked or how you talked? Because of where you lived or what you wore? Did anyone ever give you a name because they felt they knew what your future would hold? If so, did that spur you on toward your destiny or did it hold you back and discourage you? I wonder what nicknames Abram had in school or on the soccer field before God got a hold of him. Perhaps he was called Abe or Ram. "Abram" had an impressive meaning already: "exalted father." Others might have been pleased, but not Abram, because he wasn't a father yet, much less feeling lofty or exalted. So when God changed his name to Abraham, which means "father of a multitude," Abraham had a choice: either see it as a cruel joke, or see it as a name given in faith by a God who could do the impossible. God always gives names that declare what God has done, even if it is only by faith at the time.
5 The name change also put a call on Abraham's life to be "exceedingly fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you" (v. 6). The entire Jewish nation has come from Abraham, including our Savior, Jesus of Nazareth. What nicknames did Abraham's wife endure growing up? What pet names did he have for Sarai? God changed her name to Sarah, princess., because God had something magnificent planned for her. She was destined to overcome the great burden of her life, her infertility, and become the matriarch of a great people. And because she did, all Jewish mothers are descendants of Sarah, and you and I are her spiritual descendents. V Friends, on Ash Wednesday we were called to change our ways, return to God, and begin the Lenten journey with Jesus. Last week, the First Sunday in Lent, we were called to remember God's eternal covenant with all of creation. Today we are called to celebrate our name change! The story of Abraham and Sarah reminds us of God's faithfulness and of our purpose in life. Lent is a call to renew our purpose for living on this earth. Why did God choose us in the first place? Why did God send his only Son to suffer and die on the cross? And why did God continue working through the Holy Spirit to change us? Is it just so we can enjoy a pleasant life and as a result of our faith in Jesus go to an even better place someday? I don't think so.
6 I think it is because of a covenant, an agreement, God Almighty made with Abraham and Sarah centuries ago. In contrast to last week's covenant, however, this one is two-sided. God had already called Abraham and Sarah to leave their home and their family and journey to a land that God would show them. Now God changes their names and places a specific call on their lives. If you are a believer in Christ, you are a descendant of Abraham, and you have already been given a new name. When you were baptized, your middle name was changed to "Christian." Stan Christian Gockel Even if you are named after a grandparent or parent, your given middle name is not nearly as important as the Christ at the center of your life. Another name that God has given us is "saint." Wait. Isn't that reserved for people of the stature of Mother Teresa or Pope John Paul II? No, you have the nickname of "saint" because you are made holy through the blood of Jesus. As the prophet Isaiah wrote: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; for you are mine" (43:1). There is a story about two young brothers who were caught stealing sheep. The punishment back then was to brand the thief's forehead with the letters S.T., which stood for sheep thief. One brother subsequently left the village and spent his remaining years wandering from place to place indelibly marked by disgrace. The other brother remained in the village, made restitution for the stolen sheep, and became a caring friend and neighbor to the townspeople
7 an old man loved by all. Many years later, a stranger came to town and inquired about the S.T. on the old man's forehead. "I'm not sure what it means," another told him. "It happened so long ago, but I think the letters must stand for saint. " VI Listen friends: No nickname or title you bear is as important as the name El Shaddai, God Almighty, has given you. And no one can take it away. The God who made a covenant with Abraham and Sarah has made a covenant with you and me. El Shaddai has called us to walk with him and be blameless. When we walk with God Almighty, we help pass on the faith of Abraham to a whole new generation followers. Just as Abraham and Sarah were faithful to God s call, so may we be faithful in the generations to come. Fulfill your purpose as a child of El Shaddai. As the poet has written: Amen. You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day, By deeds that you do, by the words that you say; People read what you write, whether faithless or true -- Say, what is the gospel according to you? Sources: Paul Kummer, A New Name, sermon retrieved from http://www.sermonsuite.com/free.php?i=788013968&key=wqugjzftxn15lfod James A. Wallace, Preaching the Lesson, retrieved from https://www.goodpreacher.com/backissuesread.php?file=8103 Elizabeth Webb, Commentary on the First Reading, http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?lect_date=3/4/2012&tab=1