“Our Faith, God’s Faithfulness, Part 4: God and Abraham” by the Rev. Dr. Don Wahlig, June 28, 2026, Year A / Proper 8 – Romans 8:31-39  ¨  Genesis 22:1-14

THEME:  Our continued faith reveals God’s constant faithfulness.

This is a story about testing. God commands Abraham to do the unthinkable, to sacrifice his own beloved son, Isaac. This is deeply shocking for two reasons. First and foremost, how can a loving God require such a gruesome, violent act? Is this any different than Cain murdering Abel, for which God cursed Cain for the rest of his life? Beyond the utterly repugnant notion of human sacrifice, there is the question of God’s own self-contradiction. Hasn’t God promised to Abraham and Sarah a multitude of progeny?  Isn’t Isaac the miraculously born son through whom progeny will come?  Why would God work against God’s own purposes?

Surely, Abraham is wondering these very things. And yet, if he has any qualms about carrying out this command, he does not show it. He simply says, “Here I am” when God calls, and obediently sets out to do what God commands. There is, however, a clue as to what Abraham may be thinking as he and Isaac make their way up to the top of Mt. Moriah. Abraham instructs the men who have come with them to wait at a distance as he and Isaac go up to perform the sacrifice. Abraham tells them, “the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.” Clearly, Abraham expects Isaac to return alive. What he does not know is how God will make that happen.  And until he does, it is up to Abraham to do as God asks. Abraham does just that. He tells Isaac, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” And sure enough, God provides.

From that day forward, Abraham called that place “The Lord will provide.” That is what God was seeking all along. Until now, Abraham had waffled in his faith. Sometimes he obeyed God’s command faithfully. At other times, he failed to trust God’s promises and trusted himself instead, seeking his own way instead of relying on God. God knows this, of course. That is the reason for such a severe test. This time, Abraham passes with flying colors. God says, “Now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”  God never wanted human sacrifice. God wants trust and faithful obedience.

Isn’t that how it is with us and God? We are a lot like Abraham. He is far from perfect and so are we. He fails to fully trust God, and so do we. But over time, he learns to place his whole trust in God. And so can we, friends.

 In this sermon series on Our Faith and God’s Faithfulness, we have seen how God calls us, as he called Abraham and Sarah. God calls us to go where he needs us, and to serve him where he places us. In the story of Hagar and Ishmael, we have seen how God takes even our lack of faith, and transforms it into the blessing he promises. God is always faithful, even when we are not. The only way to learn that is by trusting him.  

That does not mean that it is easy. Far from it! Following God is often uncomfortable and downright scary. It takes focus and determination. And, as Abraham and Sarah found out, it takes patience. It requires the willing perseverance to follow God’s lead, even when we cannot see the destination ahead, or the blessing that he promises. Like Sarah, we will be tempted to take matters into our own hands, instead of trusting God to hold us in his. Like Abraham, we will be tested, sometimes in very difficult and painful ways. But when we keep the faith, we inevitably discover that God is always faithful. This is not only true in our personal lives.  It is true in every area of our lives.  God is sovereign over all of life – not just what we do on Sunday, but what we do Monday through Saturday, as well. He calls us to follow him and trust him in our personal lives, our public lives, and our work lives, too. 

Few people understood that better than George Cadbury. Does that name sound familiar to you? If it does, it is no doubt because you grew up eating Cadbury Crème Eggs at Easter time, as I did. Even here in the land of Hershey bars, we are all familiar with Cadbury cocoa and chocolate. Decades before Milton Hershey ever thought of making chocolate treats here in Pennsylvania, George Cadbury and his older brother took over their father’s chocolate and cocoa business in Birmingham, England.  The business was not in good shape. It teetered on the verge of bankruptcy. The constant stress caused their father’s health to fail. So, it fell to George and his brother to rescue it. For George, taking over the family business was a matter of faith and family duty.  His parents raised him and his brother to be devout Christians in the Quaker tradition. 

They lived out their faith both at home and through their business. They valued honesty, hard work, fairness, and helping those who had less.  For the Cadbury brothers, the cocoa and chocolate business was a divine calling as holy as any other. But it was an almighty struggle. They were burdened by an ailing factory and declining staff. There were numerous competitors offering cheap cocoa mixed with starch and flour to hide the bitter taste of poor-quality beans. Consumers were skeptical. For five years, George and his brother put in 14-hour days.  They tried numerous new product ideas, but they all failed.  Despite all their hard work, the company barely managed to eke out a profit. Both George and his brother seriously considered quitting. But instead, they relied even more heavily on God. Prayer and Bible study sustained them through these difficult days. That is how they remained committed to following God’s calling on their lives.  That calling involved a vision that business should serve society. So, they persevered.

God led them to the Netherlands where they discovered a machine that could purify cocoa to make it taste better. They were amazed at the results.  They bought this machine and took it home with them. Soon, they began selling a product called “Cadbury’s Pure Cocoa Essence.” It was their first big commercial success. It saved the company. The Cadbury name soon became synonymous with the highest quality cocoa and chocolate available. That success enabled the Cadbury brothers to live out their calling to serve society through their business. All around them, the Industrial revolution of Victorian England was marked by horrific conditions for employees. Work was repetitive and dangerous.  It barely paid a living wage. Life at home for workers was no better. They lived in cramped and poorly-built houses in crowded, polluted, rat-infested areas.  

George had a different vision for his workers, a God-given vision. He asked, if the country is a good place to live, why not work in it, too? He relocated the Cadbury factory from a crowded Birmingham slum to a rural site along a beautiful brook four miles outside of town. He envisioned a factory in a garden. He built affordable homes for workers with large gardens, good schools, swimming pools, and parks.  He pioneered worker benefits that were unheard of: pensions, sick pay, work councils, and half-days off on Saturday. To this very day, Cadbury is regarded as an excellent place to work.

Like Abraham, George Cadbury relied on God and followed God’s call on his life. Like Abraham, George found that following God is often difficult and sometimes downright scary. He also learned that it takes focus and determination, patience and perseverance. Above all, he discovered that, when we persevere in trusting God, God is always faithful in return. 

Friends, that is our lesson, too. You and I are probably not called to start a chocolate business, but we are all called to follow God in the various phases of our lives. 

So, let’s ask ourselves:

·      How is God calling you to follow him in your family life?
·      How is God calling you to follow him at work? 
·      How is God calling you to follow him in our community?  Our country?

·      How is God calling you to follow him here at church?

In all of our various callings, there are three things we can bank on. First, God will test us as he tested Abraham. Second, God will not show us his whole plan upfront.  That’s a good thing. If we knew ahead of time all the challenges we would face, we’d probably turn around and run in the opposite direction. What God will do is give us enough light for the next step. Only when we take that step in faith, will he show us the way further forward. Finally, along the way, our continued faith will reveal God’s constant faithfulness.  We can be sure of that.

May it be so.