New Year’s Homily: Limiting God
Text: 1 Kings 20:22-28

by Bass Mitchell

Benhadad was the King of Syria, Israel’s old enemy. In our Bible
reading today we see that the Syrians had attacked Israel many times,
only to be defeated each time. Some of his officials came to him with an
explanation for these defeats:

"Mighty Benhadad, we are losing these battles because we always fight
against the Israelites in the hills - their gods are gods of the hills. As
long as we fight them there, they have the power of their gods to help
them. But our gods are the gods of the plains. So if we can draw them
out to the plains, their gods will be powerless and we, with the help of
our gods, will defeat them at last."

It was kind of like a basketball team saying, "Well, they beat us
because we played on their court. They had the home court advantage.
Next time it’ll be on our court."

Benhadad liked this explanation. So, he regrouped his army and went to
attack Israel on the plains. We know what happened. A prophet or
messenger from God told Ahab, King of Israel, "Because the Syrians
have said, ‘The Lord is a god of the hills but not a god of the valleys,’
therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you
shall know that I am the Lord."

How the Syrians explained their defeat is funny. But what isn’t so
humorous is this tendency to try to put limits on God. For we, too,
have been guilty of just that.

Sacred Places
Sometimes we try to limit God to sacred places. This is what the
Syrians did. God was confined to the hills for them. They did not
realize that God was just as much a God of the plains.

This place to which we have come today is a sacred, holy place. We
expect to hear God’s voice here, to sense God’s presence. So we
look for God here. And we find God here. (Which is why many
choose not to come. It is not an easy thing coming into the presence of
God. It is discomforting, unsettling.) But do we look for God, do we
expect to meet God in our homes, in the woods, at work, in school,
wherever we are?

The purpose of this building is to provide a place to gather for worship,
but even more than this - it is a constant reminder to us each time we
see it that every place is a place for worship. It has a steeple that’s
always pointing us upward - reminding us - you see - to keep our eyes
always and everywhere on God - not just when we are inside this place.

Stephen says in Acts 7 that God does not dwell in a "house made with
hands..." "Heaven is God’s throne, and the earth God’s footstool..."
Our God is an awesome God who cannot be confined in anyway.

We often hear the phrase "The Holy Land," referring, of course, to
Israel. And it is a holy, special place. But it is no more holy than this
land on which we rest right now or upon which we walk each day - for
this is God’s land. God is with us here just as much as any place on
earth. So, everywhere we are, not just in this pace, we should be
looking and expecting to encounter God.

Sacred Days & Seasons
We also limit God when we try to confine God to sacred days and
seasons.

Today, Sunday, is a sacred time. It’s an hour we set aside to gather
and worship God. We turn from our work and everything else in order
to concentrate our thoughts on God; to clear our minds and be still and
know our God. We sing, pray, listen, we adore God this day, this hour.

But is this hour the only time we do this?

Where are our thoughts, our hearts on Monday, Tuesday, the rest of
our hours and days?

Is God like an appointment on our calendar - Sunday 11 a.m. - "Meet
with God" - only to be pretty much forgotten the rest of the time?

This day and this hour are important. They are reminders to us that
every day, every hour is sacred. We do not have to wait until Sunday
to worship Lord! Each day is a Sunday! Each moment is an
opportunity to praise our Creator. And I tell you this - our worship
time on Sunday would be ever so much more enriching and meaningful
if we all came to it after a week of daily worshipping and honoring the
Lord!

I’m talking about an attitude - a God centered attitude that includes
God in every part of our lives everyday - not just on Sunday. It’s the
kind of attitude the Psalmist has when he sings, "This is the day the Lord
has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

Sacred Callings
How else are we like the Syrians in trying to limit God?

We do it through thinking that God’s call is confined just to certain
"sacred" ministries.

"The call of God" is limited only to ordained ministers or to
missionaries, right?

Wrong! God has called every person in this place today. You have a
calling from God that is every bit as sacred and important as mine.
Perhaps even more so.

Your calling is to use your God given talents and gifts wherever you are
to serve God and love your neighbor - to make this world a better
place.

God’s call is for you to give your very best in all you do - whether as a
police officer, a secretary, a farmer, a teacher, a husband or wife, a
parent, -whatever your life situation to make it a sacrifice of love you
offer up to the One who created you; and a means of blessing for those
around you.

My friends, it is as important for the kingdom of God that each of you
fulfill your calling as if it for me to fulfill mine - perhaps even more so
- for you are out there everyday - living and working on the front lines -
where people see you, where you have numerous opportunities
everyday to touch and make a difference in the lives of so many people.
That’s a pretty sacred calling, I would say.

Sacred Past
We also try to limit God sometimes as a church by living in the past. Let
me give you an illustration.

There is one phrase more than most any other that makes ministers
cringe. You know what it is?

"We never did it that way before."

My friends, we try to confine God when all we look at is the past or
even just the present. God is a God who is always active, always
creating and doing new things. We treasure the past, we build on it,
learn from it, but our eyes cannot be turned constantly to what was.
We must fix our eyes on what can be.

I believe God is calling us to a wondrous future, to a new adventure this
year. It is a little scary. The Israelites were afraid, too, facing all
those Syrians opposing them. But they stepped out in faith, knowing
God was with them in the hills, on the plains, and everywhere they went.

The same is true for us. God has been with us in the past, is blessings
us in the present, and will be there leading us to greater victories in the
days, months, and years to come.

Conclusion
I can think of no greater resolutions for the new year than removing the
limitations we try to place on God - as if we could, for the only result is
that we are the ones limited in who and what we can be.

Let us resolve that this new year we will...

Not limit God to any certain places...but look for and expect to find
God everywhere...

We will...

Not confine God to sacred days and seasons...but expect to find God
as much on Monday as Sunday...

We will...

Not limit God to certain sacred callings...but expect to hear God calling
each of us to ministry, to service everyday...

And we will constantly remind ourselves that this call of God may be to
strike out in new and bold ventures for the glory and honor of Christ.


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Bass Mitchell, Hot Springs, VA
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