I realized yesterday that, as of this week, I have completed 8 years at Bethany. I first walked up here to preach on June 6, 1999…I remember it well, because I was scared to death of all of you!

Well, after our one week break for Pentecost last Sunday, we resume today our reading of the stories of Genesis 12-50, the early beginnings of God’s people.

In these last weeks we’ve been considering the stories of Abraham and Sarah: leaving their land to journey with God, the side trip to Egypt and dealing with Pharaoh, receivers of the amazing three-fold promise of God (land, offspring, blessing to all), the angelic visitors, the miraculous pregnancy and birth in their old age, the testing of Abraham with his son on the mountain…pretty extraordinary stories.

Next week we’ll start some of the stories of Jacob, beginning with Jacob and Esau, and then Jacob’s dream, his trickery, the blessings handed out, his wrestling with God by the river, his twelve sons born…pretty extraordinary stories.

And after that we’ll read about Joseph, his dreams, his kidnapping, the false accusation and time in prison, his dream interpretations and becoming the manager of the entire Egyptian empire, his reunion with his family. Extraordinary stories.

But today. Today we’re going to sit for a moment in the ordinary. We sit for awhile with Abraham’s son, Isaac. There are far less stories about Isaac than any of the others, and most of the time he is in the background, including in this story. Remember that Isaac was the miracle baby born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age He was the boy that Abraham nearly sacrificed, chapter 23. He later experienced the death of his mother.

Today’s story of Isaac and Rebekah is the longest one in Genesis. We’ll read just the very first part and the very last part, and then we fill in the middle as we go. Please stand for the reading of God’s Word:

Read: Genesis 24:1-4, 62-67

The story is an old one, from another time, another culture. You can tell that by the technique that was used in finding a spouse, can’t you? Abraham is getting old, Sarah has died, and their son Isaac is about 40 years old. It’s time for him to get married and have children, if the promise is going to be fulfilled. Abraham wants to make sure before he dies that everything is in order, so he commissions a trusted servant to find Isaac a wife.

Now, if they lived today, clearly there would be no sending someone on a long trip. They would simply jump on the Internet and use eharmony or match.com! In fact, I’m still getting used to asking couples “How did you meet?,” expecting them to say “at school,” or “at a ballgame,” only to hear them say “We met online!”

But not back then. Walk through the story with me. Abraham was merely doing his ordinary fatherly duty to arrange a marriage. So he sends a trusted servant off to the land of his ancestors to find Isaac a wife. Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth,” that you will do this thing, he says to the servant.

Abraham appeals to his highest authority, the Lord. Nothing extraordinary. But it is the first of some ten times that we will read in this account about what ordinary faith looks like. Abraham appeals to his highest authority, the Lord.

The servant presses Abraham for more specific instruction: what if he finds a woman, but she won’t come to their land? Abraham says “That’s okay, but whatever you do, don’t take Isaac back to that land.” And Abraham then rehearses part of God’s promise to him that we read way back in chapter 15: “The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me… “To your offspring I will give this land.” Abraham REMEMBERS, he RECOUNTS God’s promises. Nothing extraordinary here.

Further, Abraham confidently says, “The Lord will send his angel before you…” and grant you success. Abraham trusts. Nothing extraordinary here. Simply part of Abraham’s life and story.

So the servant leaves and heads back towards modern day Turkey, where Abraham’s family had last lived. The servant took all kinds of riches and goods, including 10 camels with him, as Abraham and his family had become very prosperous.

When the servant reached the town of his destination, Nahor, he stopped at a well as evening came on, knowing that the women of the town would come to draw water. And he prayed. “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.” He prayed and asked for guidance. Nothing extraordinary here.

As he prayed, he asked that God would let him know which girl was the one for Isaac. The sign would be that if the servant asked a girl for a drink, and she showed great hospitality by watering not only the servant but his camels as well (a large undertaking), that would be the one.

Before the servant even finishes praying, Rebekah, comes to the well: beautiful, the right age, a virgin. And right on cue, she quickly shows great hospitality to the man and his camels.

“Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.” He waited on the Lord. Nothing so extraordinary.

Abraham’s servant unpacks some of the jewelry he has brought as a bridal price, a very common practice in those days. He finds out which family Rebekah belongs to, and lo and behold, not only is she from the right area, but is probably a grand-niece of Abraham’s! She extends the family hospitality, inviting the servant to her family’s home.

The servant… “bowed down and worshiped the Lord, saying “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.” He stopped and gave thanks for answered prayer. Nothing extraordinary here. The girl runs home to prepare her family for the visitor.

Abraham’s servant goes to Rebekah’s home, is warmly welcomed by her parents and her brother Laban. The servant explains his purpose in coming, Abraham’s faith that God would lead him, the test that the servant used to find the right girl, and Rebekah’s kind and hospitable behavior. Rebekah’s family listens carefully to the story, Laban eyes the gifts that Abraham sent, and Rebekah’s father and brother say “This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is Rebekah; take her and go and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.” The family acknowledges God's providence in all that has happened, "As the Lord has directed." Normal bridal stuff for the culture. Nothing extraordinary.

And so Rebekah willingly goes with the servant back to the land where Isaac is. Isaac is out in the field, apparently meditating. Nothing extraordinary here. Isaac walks in a field as the sun sets, as he likely did many nights, thinking, praying, pondering. The servant tells him the story, and the narrative ends with “so (Rebekah) became his wife and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” And it is, of course, through Rebekah that the “large family” God had promised Abraham would become a reality.

There really is nothing extraordinary going on here at all. If you can accept the fact that this is a fairly typical process for people being married in that day and culture, all is good and normal. But along the way of this pretty ordinary event, with no special literary emphasis at all, we have run across at least 10 glimpses into lives of faith:

• Abraham acknowledges God as his highest authority.
• Abraham remembers and recounts the promise God had made him.
• Abraham trusts that God will work in this situation.
• The servant prays and asks for guidance for his task.
• He waited on the Lord, watching for what God would do.
• He worshipped and gave thanks for answered prayer.
• Rebekah’s family acknowledges God’s providence at work.
• Rebekah is willing to step out on this faith that God is working.
• And finally, Isaac himself is found taking a quiet time of meditation.

What I found really intriguing about this story was exactly this very ordinariness of people’s faith. Everyday stuff. Faith in God was just part of who they were.

But we live for the extravagant and the extraordinary, don’t we? Certainly in our culture we are always looking for the next thing. We are people who are so easily bored. We are obsessed with the more spectacular, more effective, more efficient, the better selling, the-I-have-to-own-it or-try-it-or-have-it-or-read-it-thing.

Right now one of the hotter selling books in the country is called “THE SECRET.” It was featured on Oprah, stirred up all sorts of email responses and continues to attract great interest, as does a video version. Here’s part of the summary:

“Once known only by an elite who were unwilling to share their knowledge of the power, the “secret” of obtaining anything you desire is not revealed by prominent physicists, authors and philosophers…based on the Universal Law of Attraction…(now) anyone can access its power to bring themselves health, wealth and happiness.”

As you probably have guessed already, “The Secret” isn’t new at all, nor is it a secret. It’s simply another round of “how to get what you want” positive thinking. But it will sell millions of copies and generate all kinds of coffee shop dialogue. Until. Until the next thing comes along, even more extraordinary.

And as Christians, I don’t think we’re so different. The fads, the trends, the ravenous hunger for the extraordinary fits Christians just as well. Oh, we put spiritual words around it. But it’s the same thing.

• Build a gigantic Christian Theme Park.
• Put a big screen in the sanctuary.
• Play a certain kind of music.
• Use words like “revolutionary” and “life changing” a lot.

I picked up the latest Christianity Today magazine and glanced at what I thought was the front cover. Upon closer inspection, it was a paid advertisement for a movie, with the subtitle “How a movie - and a movement - are partnering with the church to change the world.” Inside the magazine was a 2 page color advertisement for a 2007 ministry “world conference,” with “plenary speakers among the best in the world” and an “award-winning entertainment line-up” and “7,000 attendees expected” and “overflow hotels have been added.”

We love the extraordinary, we love to move to the next thing that is bigger, better, brighter. But what Genesis 24 does is remind us of the things of ordinary faith that happen every day:

1. Acknowledge God.
2. Remember the promises of God.
3. Trust God.
4. Pray.
5. Ask for guidance.
6. Wait on the Lord.
7. Watch for what God is doing.
8. Worship.
9. Give thanks for answered prayer.
10. Step out in faith.
11. Spend time with God.

Not rocket-science things. We’re not going to start a movement or get a best-seller or need overflow hotels from just living life the way God wants us to, are we?

Don’t get me wrong. I believe God is still bigtime in the miracle business, in the business of surprising us. God still knocks us over by bringing things to us from absolutely out of the blue. But in between the mountain peaks, in the ordinary times, what is going on? What does faith look like?

You know, I’m training to run a distance race next fall, Lord willing. And 48-year old body willing! I keep a running log in a little book. And as I get in better shape and up my mileage, it’s really fun to write in that when I do a long run, 8 or 10 or 12 or 14 miles. It feels kind of spectacular. But what I’m learning is that those long runs aren’t actually the key ones. The ones that are the really important runs are the shorter and more frequent weekday runs. It’s the 3-4 mile ones that happen routinely. It’s those consistent ordinary times that ultimately will make or break me, I think, for running the longer one.

Most of the 52 weeks of the year, we gather here on Sunday morning. But what goes on the other 313 days? Who you are, what are you about every day, as you drive kids around, show up at your workplace, hang out with friends, prioritize your time schedule, live in the ordinary? Those days will probably have the most impact, and build your character the most.

Listen to these “ordinary faith things” once more from our story, and think about your daily life. Where are these things present? Or not? I’m not going to comment on them all (lest I be accused of preaching a 10-point sermon!).

Acknowledge God as our highest authority.

Remember and remind each other of the promises of God. And maybe the things that are NOT the promises of God.

Trust that God is at work, not only in crisis times but in ordinary ones..

Pray. Are we praying people? Daily, big and small things? Naturally, easily?

When I was in Kenya last summer, up at Embita (where Gary and Maxine will spend most of their time), I was privileged to stay with Pastor Ezekiel and his wife Lillian. They really taught me about praying. Every morning when we left their very simple house, whoever was going out would gather by the front door in the morning, and Ezekiel would pray in his lovely voice:

“Father, we commit our day to you, we know Lord that you are in our lives and that you care what happens to us, Father hold us in the palm of your hand, keep us safe and help us to honor you with all we do today.”

In the evening, when we would return home, we would walk in the door and Ezekiel would begin to pray. No “let’s gather up for prayer,” it was far more natural.

“Lord, we thank you for watching over us this day, we thank you for your goodness and your mercies to us, we thank you for a house to come home to and for food to eat and for conversation with friends and family. We bless you Lord, and thank you for blessing us in Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Ask for guidance.

Wait on the Lord, watching for what God is doing.

Worship.

We gather at least 60-some times a year. It’s an ordinary thing that people of faith do, whether here or in a small group or somewhere else.

What’s the point?

It’s not to leave with a good feeling or rate the sermon or the music or get credit for coming to church or evaluate if my needs have been met. It’s to turn towards God and honor Him and receive from Him so that we might leave as different people, ready to live lives of self-sacrifice for the sake of others.

I’m reading a book from Mark Labberton right now called “The Dangerous Act of Worship.” At one point he says that through worship we want be in the transforming presence of God.

But how do we measure if that’s been accomplished?

The answer according to scripture, he says, “will be whether those who feel blessed by worship live changed lives.” Will sacrificial, for-others living become an ordinary part of who we are?

Gave thanks for answered prayer.

Quiet time.

People I talk to, bar none, have the toughest time, with setting aside time, almost any amount of time, to be with God. Isaac was walking in the field meditating. Why is this so difficult? How can people like us who say we want to have a relationship with God…rarely spend time with Him? We have no problem going to school events or serving in PTA or spending hundreds of hours going to soccer practices or music lessons or swimming lessons, or surfing the internet or watching TV. But it sure is hard for us to simply be with God, to stop and reflect a little bit.

These are the ordinary things that Genesis 24 points us towards. And they are not so much a to-do list as it is the marks of an ordinary life with God.

Far off down the road, an ancestor of Abraham’s, Jesus called the Christ traveled parts of this same region with twelve followers. As you know, he did some extraordinary miracles of healing. And he spent far more time in conversation, sharing meals, walking dusty roads with these followers.

Sometimes I wonder which Jesus would have called more extraordinary: the miracles, or the dusty miles and conversations?

Let us pray.