Sermons

HOW TO BE A PILGRIM
Topical Thanksgiving  Sermon by Shelley and Maylan Schurch
Bellevue SDA Church
November 30, 2024

(To watch and listen to this entire worship service, click the link just below:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOLxmdATnL8&t=17s

A message from Maylan:

This has been an interesting Thanksgiving week. As last week came to a close, Shelley and I were thankful that after 65 hours without it, our power came back on in time for Sabbath. But then on Monday I tested positive for COVID, which threw our plans again into disarray. One of my plans had been to preach a follow-up Thanksgiving sermon this morning.

But I am still overwhelmingly thankful — for a devoted wife and nursemaid and medical researcher (who arranged two tele-appointments with different doctors, and who stepped me through their prescribed medical advice, and who daily prepared and served me her usual magnificent meals). And to add to all of this, she was willing to take my sermon and stir in her own thanksgiving thoughts, and serve that to all of us this morning.

I miss you all. I’m at home, tuned in to YouTube, worshipping together with you in spirit. Thank you for being the gracious, understanding, loving and accepting congregation you’ve always been.

Shelley: Many years ago a good friend who was also a pastor’s wife, plus a writer and speaker, teacher and principal, told me that sometimes she and her husband would give a sermon together, in a way I’ve not witnessed. But I wish I had!

She said they would stand together in the pulpit, and her pastor husband would start preaching, and then pause during his sermon so that she could respond to what he was saying at that point, and they would continue like that through the sermon. I wish I had asked more about how they did that, because it sounds most interesting. From my memory, it sounded as if her comments weren’t written out ahead of time, but more off the cuff, but I could be wrong.

She’s been gone for many years now, dying way too young at the age of 53.

She left a lively legacy, and I look forward to reuniting with her one day. Maybe I’ll ask her then exactly how they worked out those joint sermons, or sermon duets.

I thought of her this week, while Maylan was in the midst of earnestly trying to recover from COVID, and planning his sermon for today. When he realized it would be best if he didn’t come and speak today, even though he’s much better, he invited me into part of his sermon preparation. I wish we could be standing here side by side, but, instead, he has words to share with us, to which I have, in places, responded or added some Shelley words.

Maylan begins:

How to be a pilgrim . . .

Much of what I learned as a young schoolboy about how the people we call Pilgrims arrived and settled in this country many years ago has been debated and discredited.

Rather than wade into that debate this morning, I’d like us to focus elsewhere, beginning with the latest edition of the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.

There we find mention of the early settlers, but the dictionary also gives two other definitions: A pilgrim can also be (1) “A religious devotee who journeys to a shrine or sacred place,” or (2) “A person who travels, especially to foreign lands or to a place of great personal importance.”

And now we turn to a much more authoritative book, to our Bibles, to discover more about pilgrims described in this last definition – because we’re on a quest to find out how to be like them.

Please turn to Hebrews, chapter 11.

We often call Hebrews 11 the “faith chapter,” but glance down at verse 13 and you will see that it is also a “pilgrim chapter.”

Hebrews 11:13 [NKJV]: These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Other Bible versions, instead of “pilgrims,” use the word “strangers” or “exiles” or “foreigners.” What comes across clearly is that these people are not home. They’re homesick, longing to be where their true home is, and they’re willing to travel there.

Shelley: When I read this, I paused. I told Maylan it reminded me of something C.S. Lewis said which I’ve heard quoted often by many:

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

Amen.

Maylan goes on to say that everyone mentioned in this famous “faith chapter” is not only a faith hero or heroine, but also a pilgrim. Even if they didn’t literally leave one country and journey to another geographical spot, they are all pilgrims.

And one reason we read this chapter with such keen interest is that all of us are invited to be pilgrims, too.

He says:

I believe the Holy Spirit caused Hebrews 11 to be written to remind us that we are strongly encouraged to be spiritual pilgrims.

Shelley: And now Maylan takes us to the Old Testament, to one of my favorite verses in all the Psalms. I remember when I first read this verse years ago, I said, “Yes!” And every time I’ve read it since, I’ve said, “Yes!”

We’re listening to Psalm 84:5, where the New King James version says, “Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage.”

Maylan continues:

The New International Version backs off from the male reference and applies it to both men and women, which of course is the truth of the verse: “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.”

And again I say, “Yes!” Because that’s my heart’s desire – to always find my strength in God, to always have my heart set on pilgrimage, traveling home to Him. In this brand new year ahead of us, I’m asking God to firm up my faith in Him, and to remind me that we travel together, He and I – that none of us ever travels alone.

We turn back to Hebrews 11 to find how to be a pilgrim, for the pilgrims mentioned there must have somehow fixed their hearts on God, and found that He was their strength for the journey.

Back to Maylan, who says:

Hebrews 11 very clearly tells us how important it is to set our hearts on pilgrimage, especially in the bewildering times we’re living in. So let’s go back to this chapter and find out more.

If we are all invited to be pilgrims, what country are we departing from, and what country are we going to? I would suggest that God challenges each of the Hebrews 11 pilgrims He mentions to depart from what we could call the Land of Self, and journey from there toward the Kingdom of God.

Let’s take a look at how this works.

Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

It’s no wonder this is called the “faith chapter.” By my count, the word “faith” shows up 24 times in 40 verses, an average of about once every two verses. So it’s clear that faith is what we need in order to be pilgrims journeying toward the Kingdom of God.

We pause for some Shelley words: I think we come to a crucial question here, one we need to have an answer for if we’re going to journey successfully: How do we get ahold of this faith?

Let’s listen first to Peter, and then to Paul, as they help us understand:

2 Peter 1:1

To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours . . .

 

Ephesians 2:4-9

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

What a relief – faith is a gift! Not something I have to generate on my own, or to earn . . . It is a gift, and God is eager to give it to us. We need only ask for it, and receive it, and put our faith into action. Head out on the road, on pilgrimage!

Maylan counted up all the individuals named in Hebrews 11, and he found there are 17.

And, in addition, there are some groups of people: the Israelites whose pilgrimage took them through the Red Sea on dry land, and the unnamed prophets mentioned in verse 32.

Only one of the individuals did not have his heart set on pilgrimage, and that is Cain. He’s only mentioned in order to explain his brother’s faith. Genesis 4 tells the tragic story of how he refused to leave the Land of Self, and in jealousy and anger murdered his younger brother Abel. He became a fugitive and a wanderer, the opposite of a pilgrim.

But his sad story shows God’s heart reaching out for him, as He first tried to reason with him, and then responded to Cain’s fear of being killed in retribution, by promising him lifelong protection. But God’s heart longed to give him much more – He held out to him the gift of eternal life.

We learn something else about God’s character as we read Hebrew 11: Almost all of the people mentioned are commended for their faith, without mention of their flaws.

And when we cast our eyes over the people in this chapter, we know about so many of their flaws! The Bible is literally an open book when it honestly and unsparingly describes – in Old Testament stories — the sins and shortcomings of people who in this faith chapter seem to shine brightly as model citizens!

When God shines this favorable light on people who were flawed but forgiven, I think it shines a good light back on Him, too. We pilgrims travel with a generous God, eager and able to abundantly pardon, forgive and restore us – not holding our history over our heads.

There are a few people in this chapter who, from what we know about them, did seem to live lives of firm and steady faithfulness – the first, mentioned in verse 4, is Abel, and the second, mentioned in verse 5, is Enoch. As Maylan says, this man took the most astonishing pilgrim journey of them all:

“By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: ‘He could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.’ ”

How to be a pilgrim? The answer from Enoch’s life is, to please God.

That answer brings me to ask another question: How do we please God?

Here’s Maylan’s reaction to Enoch’s brief life sketch:

When I was a kid, I would read that verse and say, “Lucky Enoch.” Enoch got to walk right into heaven. But at the same time, I would feel a little uneasy.

When it says that Enoch pleased God, I would get the idea that maybe God was looking everybody over with a stern or dissatisfied expression, and then He suddenly sees Enoch and His eyes light up. “Finally,” He says. “Here’s somebody who pleases Me. Finally!” I figured it was kind of like pleasing your boss at work, keeping him happy.

But that picture of God is far from true – it’s a distorted picture. We often see in the Bible how Satan delights in telling lies about God, hoping we’ll swallow them. There’s more to the story than what we read here in Hebrews 11. If you go back and read Enoch’s story in Genesis 5, you’ll see that it says that “Enoch walked with God.”

As I studied Enoch’s story, it suddenly struck me that Enoch was giving God the personal companionship that God had hoped for from Adam and Eve. Because as soon as Adam and Eve sinned, they ran from God, and He had to walk sadly through the garden and find them, and try to get a conversation going again.

But Enoch was evidently someone who sought God’s company every day. He would have had some kind of gainful employment, but he didn’t let that stop him from seeking God’s presence every day. He must not have just prayed in the morning with his hand on the doorknob as he left home. He must have talked to God throughout the day, and also listened for His voice. He kept comfortable company with Him.

And this pleased God. Not in the sense that Enoch was cheering up a grumpy deity, or buttering up a boss. By wanting to walk with Him at every opportunity, Enoch was giving pleasure to God. We need to remember that God created us to be friends with Him. It’s all about that relationship.

So how do we please God? The way Enoch did. We bring Him into our life. We spend time with Him. We become friends and companions. We trust Him.

We tell Him we want to walk with Him like Enoch did, and ask Him to show us how. Our Bibles, of course, must be the central part of this. That’s where we find the most dependable information and truth about God.

And the Holy Spirit is also central in our pilgrimage – the One who inspired the Bible and helps us understand and remember what we read there.

We have only begun to mine Hebrews 11 for travel tips for our pilgrimage to the Kingdom of God. There is so much more to read and mull over, as we learn how to be good pilgrims.

Some Shelley words:

One of the best parts of pilgrimage is getting to know our fellow pilgrims. I can’t wait each week to come to Sabbath School and church and our phone conference prayer meeting. Pilgrims have the privilege of praying for each other, and others.

This week, with all its hassles, was brightened up several times by God’s goodness. Before Maylan had emailed the church email list to give people a heads-up about his COVID condition, when I was feeling really low, a dear friend phoned me, not knowing how much I needed that call. But God knew. And He provided such encouragement and help and ongoing prayers through my unselfish fellow pilgrim.

Pilgrims pray for each other, encourage each other, reach out beyond walls to help others.

Pilgrims pay attention. If we don’t, we might miss a nudge or a whisper from the Holy Spirit, and the privilege of helping someone else.

For a number of years I’ve written a weekly contribution to our church’s Daily Photo Parables. It has been a blessing to me, because it’s been training me to slow down, pay attention, and find God in some unlikely places.

I’d like to share the one I wrote last weekend, if the AV crew would show my first photo, and then hold off on the second photo until I call for it.

We were walking through our neighborhood at dusk when I spied the strange sight you see in this photo. I stopped and peered at it, trying to figure it out. Was it an unusually large light in the upstairs window? Or . . . “Look! What is that?” I pointed. “Is that the streetlight reflected in that window ahead?”

My husband explained why it couldn’t be the nearby streetlight’s reflection. I stared with furrowed brow, trying to come up with a better explanation. I could think of only one, but it didn’t seem possible . . . “Could it be the moon’s reflection?”

I turned around and gasped. Large, low, and luminous, the moon smiled back at me. I stepped closer, and took several photos, knowing I wouldn’t be able to capture the full, clear wonder of the sight, but wanting a memento of this moon. The moon I almost missed.

We would have walked home, unaware of the beauty beaming behind us, if not for noticing that unusual light ahead of us, and taking a moment to wonder and ponder.

I felt that more than the moon was smiling upon us as we walked home; I suspected God was enjoying our surprise and delight.

In my Daily Photo Parable last week I wrote about Burning Bushes in our lives, those times when God definitely gets our attention, and sometimes upends our lives. This week it’s Moon Moments! But that’s just the jumping off point; I’m extending my description to call these our Behind My Back Blessings.

When we talk about someone doing something behind our backs it usually has a negative connotation – someone is being sneaky or deceitful and trying to harm us in some way. That’s not what we’re talking about here, because we’ve added the word “Blessings.”

Behind My Back Blessings could still include someone doing something in a secretive way, but with the intent of helping rather than harming. We have sometimes been asked to hand someone in need an envelope, so the givers could be “anonymous angels.”

But what I’m mostly thinking about are the blessings I can best see when I stop, turn around, and look back in my life – to yesterday, last week, last year, or a much longer look back. Every Thanksgiving season I like to chant the reminder: “If we pause to think, we have cause to thank.”

(I wrote this last weekend so I concluded with:)

As we step out into this brand-new week, filled with old-time traditions, may you carve out time to look back, then look up, and once again give God your heart – full of thankfulness for His goodness, His grace, His mercy, His love.

That was my blog for this past Sunday, along with my two humble photos.

I want you to know that there are six of us who contribute weekly to our church’s Daily Photo Parables on the church website – and all of them take more splendid photos than what you’ve seen here from me.

And all of them have been faithfully writing photo parables for our website much longer than I have, week in and week out, without fanfare. I appreciate all of them, and I want to name them for you, to give them a little bit of a fanfare: Robert Howson, Cheryl Boardman, Darren Milam, Russell Jurgensen, and Maylan.

The day before the photo parable I just shared with you, Darren posted a photo that also featured a moon. I want you to see his photo, which is much different than mine. You’ll see! I also want you to hear what thoughts this sight brought to his mind. A hint: they are God thoughts!

Watching Over Me
Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Darren Milam
Friday and Sabbath, November 22 – 23, 2024

DARREN WRITES: Given the recent time change, darkness comes a little bit sooner in the evening. Last week, I was taking the garbage and recycling bins to the end of our driveway, and it was already dark outside. It allowed me the opportunity to see the moon. The image is the best of those I captured on my phone camera. It’s interesting how earth shadows a portion of it, allowing the “slice” to reflect the sun. When I was staring up at it, it made me think of God, watching all of us. It gave me a good feeling of being cared for.

I think David says it best, when he recounts the time he had to flee from his enemies and how God protected him

Psalms 3:1-5 (NLT)

O Lord, I have so many enemies;
so many are against me.
So many are saying,
“God will never rescue him!”
But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;
you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.
I cried out to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy mountain.
I lay down and slept,
yet I woke up in safety,
for the Lord was watching over me.

Maybe you aren’t being chased by an enemy, but we all can use more protection. So, the next time you are taking out the trash (or for any other reason), and find yourself outside at night, look up and know you are safe because God is watching over you!

Shelley: Thank you, Darren!

As pilgrims, we can rely on our good God always watching over us as we head Home.

Maylan concludes with what I feel is a powerful statement about our pilgrimage. He says:

I believe God is homesick for us.

I believe the safest thing you and I can do is to leave that small, desperately-fortified but powerless country called Self, and keep moving in the direction of the Kingdom of God. We need to ask God to take control of what we can’t, as we accept His invitation to cast all our cares on Him. There is no safer traveling companion than the presence of the One who created you and loves you. God loves each of us just as much as He loved all of the famous Bible people mentioned in Hebrews 11.

Let’s sing a pilgrim song to close today’s worship service. Let’s sing it to our homesick God, the one who loves us and is looking forward to that Day when He will open wide His arms and say, “Welcome Home, Pilgrims!”

Let’s stand and sing together Hymn #444 in our hymnals, “I’m a Pilgrim.”

 Hebrews 11 flows right into Hebrews 12 which begins with the word, “Therefore.”

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.