Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church
Sermon – Genesis 24 – A Love Story
July 5, 2020
This weekend we are celebrating the birth of our country. On July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, our founding fathers approved the Declaration of Independence which began the process of separation from Great Britain and the creation of a new country, the United States of America. This weekend is also my birthday, next Tuesday. So it is a time when I usually reflect on my life, the things I have done well, and my failures. It is also a time when I think about the future and my hopes and dreams. As I reflect on where I am today I am amazed at all the God has done in my life since the day I first read this morning’s scripture nearly 25 years ago. I will tell you an amazing story, but first, let’s pray.
Lord God, we know of your steadfast love for us. We know that even when we pass through the darkest valleys you are there to lead us. And when we rise to the mountaintops you are there too. So be with us today wherever we are and give a bright hope for tomorrow. We pray all of this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let me tell you the greatest love story in the Bible.
Genesis 24:34-38 34 So he said, "I am Abraham's servant. 35 The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys. 36 And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and he has given him all that he has. 37 My master made me swear, saying, 'You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; 38 but you shall go to my father's house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son.'
Genesis 24:42-49 42 "I came today to the spring, and said, 'O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way I am going! 43 I am standing here by the spring of water; let the young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I shall say, "Please give me a little water from your jar to drink," 44 and who will say to me, "Drink, and I will draw for your camels also"-- let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master's son.' 45 "Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, 'Please let me drink.' 46 She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, 'Drink, and I will also water your camels.' So I drank, and she also watered the camels. 47 Then I asked her, 'Whose daughter are you?' She said, 'The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms. 48 Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to obtain the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son. 49 Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the right hand or to the left."
Genesis 24:58-67 58 And they called Rebekah, and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" She said, "I will." 59 So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham's servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, "May you, our sister, become thousands of myriads; may your offspring gain possession of the gates of their foes." 61 Then Rebekah and her maids rose up, mounted the camels, and followed the man; thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
62 Now Isaac had come from Beer-lahai-roi, and was settled in the Negeb. 63 Isaac went out in the evening to walk in the field; and looking up, he saw camels coming. 64 And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she slipped quickly from the camel, 65 and said to the servant, "Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?" The servant said, "It is my master." So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent. He took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
Isaac had entered middle age. He was in his forties, unmarried, and spent his evenings wandering in his father’s fields with nothing to do. And his mother had just died. I know Isaac very well. I am a lot like Isaac. My mother died when I was 27. As I entered my 30s I tried to make a business work and deal with being unmarried and living alone. I would come home each night to a beautiful three-bedroom townhouse near schools where I had hoped one day to bring a wife and raise a family. But as I approached 40s those goals seemed very elusive. I did not have many friends or participate in outside activities. I went to a big church where I could be anonymous; I arrived at 11, left at 12, and spoke to no one unless I had to. My evenings were spent staring at the TV until I got too tired and went to sleep.
I was not happy with my lifestyle, but I did not know what to do about it. I started taking piano lessons and hung out at bookstores and coffee shops to look for a wife. It appeared that I was destined to live alone my whole life and have to deal with the constant loneliness.
So I turned to the one thing I hoped would work, I started to pray. And I prayed that God would change my heart, create in me a heart of flesh rather than the heart of stone that was keeping me from building relationships with others. I prayed over and over that God would bless me with a new life, with new friends, and with a wife.
One day in September of 1995 I was driving to church one Sunday morning. It took about 40 minutes to drive from my home in Virginia to the National Presbyterian Church in Washington DC. As I drove I prayed and prayed and prayed. The more I prayed the angrier I became at our Sovereign God would allow me to suffer in loneliness. I prayed for my business to do better. I prayed from a wife. I continued praying silently as I entered the church and took my seat in the pew. I have no idea what the pastor said that day because I was in a conversation with God, an angry conversation with God. God was waiting for me to be seated in the midst of a group of faithful believers before he acted.
I will never forget what God did at that point. I heard God’s voice. It was not the voice of the pastor who was speaking at the time. Nor was it the voice of anyone sitting around me. I was certain that the voice was that of God and that God was speaking to me. And what God said to me as I sat there in worship was simply, “It’s in the book.”
“It’s in the book?” I knew exactly what this meant. God was calling me to open the book right there in front of me in the pew. God was saying that the answers to the questions I was asking were contained within the pages of scripture. All I had to do was to read and study what the Bible had to say and my prayers would be answered.
So I reached down and picked up a Bible in the pews. I opened that Bible and started to turn pages in Genesis until I stopped at Genesis 24 and read, for the first time, this beautiful love story of Isaac finding a wife, Rebecca. That is when I knew that if I dedicated my life to the study of this book then I could expect to be blessed by God beyond my wildest imagination.
The very next Sunday I joined SOAR, a single’s group at the church, for Bible study. I started to attend a Bethel Bible Series class, a two-year overview of the Bible, every Wednesday evening. And I began to make lots of friends. As a result of my encounter with God, I found myself richly blessed. Within a couple of years, I was asked to be on the leadership team of the SOAR group. The church ordained me as a deacon. And I started a two-year intensive teacher training class with the pastor for the Bethel Bible Series which prepared me to teach Bible to the adults at the church.
I came to love reading, studying, and teaching the Bible more and more. I knew that this was my calling from God. God had clearly said, “It’s in the book.” And I wanted, I needed, to know more and more about what was written in that book.
A few years later, I realized that my appetite for the scripture required that I go beyond the church. So I started looking for seminaries. Several of my pastors had come from Fuller Theological Seminary. That year I was privileged to hear Dr. Richard Mouw, the president of Fuller Seminary, speak at the annual church retreat. Dr. Mouw and my pastor told me how wonderful southern California is. My mind was made up. I applied to Fuller to start in their Master of Divinity program in the Fall of 2004.
But I was still searching for my Rebecca. That story which I had read years ago still echoed in my ears. God had blessed me richly with numerous friends and abundant life but there was still one more thing that I wanted, one more thing that I prayed for. Then I was blessed by God far more than I ever expected. Ten years after reading this little story about Isaac finding Rebecca, I found and married Grace.
Since then I have served churches in Los Angeles, Pocomoke City MD, Ocean City MD, Middletown DE, and now in Daretown NJ. In each church, I have watched as the Bible transformed people and gave them new life. And as we read, listen to and study scripture we too will see the transformation of our lives.
So as you sit in worship today remember to listen for God’s voice. God is ready to call you to your ministry. Just follow God wherever he might lead you. And the promise is that you will be richly blessed more than you could ever expect. God does listen to your prayers. God may take years to answer them. But God will answer your prayers in surprising ways. Join me on this remarkable journey as we go through the pages of this wonderful book. Though our study of scripture together, God will bless this church and each of us. Let’s pray.
Lord, I thank you for all the blessings that you have poured out upon me and upon this church. We have experienced your steadfast love for us. Speak to us through our study of scripture. And guide in your way that leads to a blessed life. Amen.
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