Gen.24:34-38 42-40,58-67
Mt. 11:16-19; 25-30

When we first heard or read the passage from Genesis this morning, I don't know about you, but it raised several questions for me. For example, why would Abraham send a servant, even his most trusted one, to search for a wife for his son Isaac? Why not send Isaac, himself? And why send the servant back to the land they had long ago left, instead of having Isaac chose a bride from the land of milk and honey--Canaan, where God had sent them long ago? Those do seem like peculiar actions--especially for people of faith, until you realize that it was because of their faith. It was God who long ago had sent Abraham and his family to journey to Canaan, never to return to their original homelands, and indeed they had made a covenant that if they journeyed to that land, God would always take care of Abraham and his family. So Isaac could not return to their old homeland himself, without breaking that covenant. Yet at the same time, it was because of their faith that Abraham wanted to Isaac to have a bride of their own people, with their particular relationship with God. Hence the trip to their old homeland. And indeed when the servant reached there, it was an angel of God who saw to it that the servant found Rebecca for Isaac, and then brought her to the new homeland in Canaan, so Isaac.

So yes, it was because of their faith--and a concern that the generations to follow would properly learn their faith in one God, as opposed to what was seen as the more pagan practices of the Canaanites. The importance of carrying on the faith from generation also shows up in our gospel reading, Jesus chides the generation of his people at that particular time, for not living the faith,. So even though, either message may seem at first glance to be exclusive, racist or discriminatory relative to interaction with people of other faiths, there is here I think an important lesson for all of us, in our current generations, about the importance of passing on faith to those who will follow us. While Jesus called all of us to go into all the world to make disciples--a calling we all share as United Methodists today--it is to make disciples of the faith and our faith foundation--not to be sure that others have our particular family, or racial, or even religion-related customs. Rather, we're called to share the faith with those who will follow us. With each generation.

And to show us just how important that is, we sent the word out this week, to some of you by e-mail, and some by phone, inviting you to bring in a memento or picture of some one--a person or group of persons in your past, or from a previous generation in your family , who have been key contributors to your particular faith foundation.

I brought a picture of my father. For me, the connection was obvious--my Dad was Methodist pastor, and I became one too. And indeed I remember well growing up, occasions when my Dad would take me along sometimes when as a seminary professor he was invited to preach on a Sunday in some church or other--and I could still tick of the points of some of his more memorable sermons. But even beyond those obvious influences on me, just the fact that he and my mother saw that I attended Sunday school at a very early age--back as far as I an remember; and said prayers with us always at meals every time our family sat around the table together, and read from the Bible at special religious holidays like Christmas eve--before putting up our stockings. And, too, I'm sure, just learning some loving values from my family, instilled in me lessons I didn't even realize were lessons, about the faith--about the loving ways in which people of faith interact with all kinds of people, all around the word.

So what about all of you? How many of you brought in a picture or a memento today of someone who was a key contributor to your religious faith?

Okay, then I tell you what--let's take a minute and have your share some lessons of faith that those people in your past, passed onto you. Let's all gather with the 5 or 6 people sitting closest to us, and share our pictures and mementos and memories of how those special people for us--gave us a faith foundation.

///Okay now-- take a minute in your group and decide it there's one person story, that the whole congregation ought to hear.
Alright let's all come back together -- and using the microphone --let's have you share with the whole group--those each group chose to share. ///

Thank you all for sharing in the sermon this morning, and I hope we can all take away two very important lessons from this "joint sermon" today. First of all, that whether we realize it or not--by the way we live our lives, and the efforts that we make, we help to determine the faith of succeeding generations. So we need to ask ourselves--have we, in a similar way, passed on the faith to the next generation, as others did to us? And if not, why not?

And secondly, from some of the examples we've heard from others today, we need to remember as Christians that we're a part of not just "our own people" --but a part of God's world family. Each of us in our lives have learned many lessons of faith from those beyond your family--and you may have shared some of those with your small group this morning. And indeed, with every person we meet, we witness to our faith--either in a negative way, by actions and words, or a positive way, through Christian, faith based, loving actions and words.
We need perhaps to remember that saying, we've all heard-- "if you were arrested for a being a Christian today--as many have been in our faith family over the centuries--would there be enough evidence to convict you? We're fortunate today that we live in a land-- on this fourth of July weekend, a land of religious freedom, yet still, far too often, we hide our faith, rather than passing it on--almost as if we we're afraid we would be arrested for living or sharing our faith. But if that's the way we live, then let us not be disappointed if in future generations we find our faith disappearing.

Christians past brought you here today. We give thanks for them and all the saints who have shared at the same supper with our Lord as we share in today. As we do, let us pray for the courage, to pass on the faith that has so nourished us and given us a foundation of, faith, hope and love--to pass on to as many as we can, so that it will continue to be a faith --- for all generations! Amen.