We raise children. We raise toasts. We raise buildings.
We also need to raise Ebenezers from time to time.
After God rescued Israel from a threatened invasion, the prophet Samuel set up a stone and named it “Ebenezer.” That’s a combination of two Hebrew words: eben, which means “stone,” and ezer, which means “help.” So “Ebenezer” means “stone of help.” He explained the marker to the people, saying, “Thus far has the Lord helped us” (1 Samuel 7:7-13).
That’s the story behind the odd line in the eighteenth-century hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”
Here I raise mine Ebenezer
Hither by thy help I’m come.
But look carefully at Samuel’s explanation for raising the stone: “Thus far has the Lord helped us.”
Thus far.
Samuel wanted the people to celebrate what God had done, but he didn’t want them to presume that nothing else lay ahead.
It’s right to take a walk down Memory Lane; it’s wrong to make that our permanent address. Thus far has the Lord helped us, but there’s more to come.
Someone once said, “Don’t ever get to the point where you have more memories than dreams.” I think there’s a lot of wisdom in that warning. God doesn’t want us to run out of dreams.
I’ve been thinking about this as we prepare for this Sunday’s Jubilee. We’ll celebrate the 50 years Hillcrest has served at the Steck Avenue location, and the Personnel Committee wants to recognize my 20 years as Hillcrest’s pastor. (I’ve been given strict orders to stay out of that part of the planning, of course.)
A Sunday like this is a time for memories and dreams. It’s a time to thank God for all he’s done, and then ask him, “What’s next?”
This is true for an individual life, too, not just a congregation. Are you still on pilgrimage with God, or have you set up camp on Memory Lane? We look back on God’s work in the past to gain the inspiration to follow him into the future.
See you at 10am this Sunday!
Tom
Tom Goodman serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter. If someone forwarded this email newsletter to you, sign up here to receive Tom’s weekly devotional in your email inbox.