From Wanderer To Witness
8/3/25
Stetson Memorial UMC
<A New Journey>
Dear beloved Stetson Memorial UMC family, It is such a joy to
see you again. Every day is a new day. Every Sunday is a new journey. And as
you know, God is leading us on a new journey together.
During July, we talked about this new journey. It began when
Mary Miller shared a message about the Holy Covenant. I shared my own
conversion story with the five loaves and two fish. Then, God called and
recalled us through John 21, as Jesus restored Peter.
On the third Sunday, I felt the Holy Spirit move through
Penny’s testimony, which became part of our calling series. What a powerful,
living story! I heard many good comments about her message. Some of you were
moved to tears. We were encouraged and challenged by her story—from curse to
calling—through the butterfly story.
I heard someone started reading the Bible and having daily
devotions. I heard someone is preaching the gospel and inviting others to
Jesus. I heard someone is eager to learn more about God. Praise the Lord! May
God continue to write calling stories through our lives this August. May He add
to our number daily those who are being saved, just as He did at Pentecost.
<Abraham’s Journey>
Today, we’re looking at another calling story—Abraham’s.
We’ll see how he was transformed from a wanderer to a witness. Abraham was a
city boy, well-educated. He grew up in a big, developed city called Ur. It had
temples, palaces, schools, and trade with other nations.
One day, his father Terah gathered the family and said, “I’ve
received a calling. Let’s move to Canaan. We’re going on a journey.” Abraham
may have felt excited… but also afraid. He may have looked forward to the
adventure, but he also had to give up his comforts: his bed, his desk, his
table, his garden. Can you imagine giving up your garden? It was hard for us to
leave ours—even just while we were away!
They left their hometown and their comfort zone and journeyed
to Haran. The road from Ur to Haran wasn’t too hard—no desert, no wilderness.
But they stopped in Haran. We don’t know exactly why. Maybe it was health
issues. Maybe the climate. Maybe fear. Because the road from Haran to Canaan was hard. So they settled in Haran. Some say they stayed there for over 60 years.
Terah died there. He didn’t finish his calling, as many people don’t. Only a few
follow God’s calling to the end.
Later, God called Abraham again: “Leave your country. Leave
your family. Leave your comfort zone and your self-centered world. Follow Me. I
will show you the land I’ve prepared for you.”
God promised: “I will make you a great nation.” But Abraham
was 75 years old and had no children. Sarah couldn’t have a baby.
Still, God said, “I will bless you. I will make your name
great. I will bless those who bless you. I will curse those who curse you. And
you will be a blessing—not just to your family or town—but to all people on
earth.”
From a human point of view, there was no hope. No children.
No chance of a big family. Abraham made many mistakes. He failed many tests. He
lied—twice—saying Sarah was his sister. He told half-truths because he was
afraid.
But he still obeyed. He left his security. He was willing to
be vulnerable. He looked like a wanderer. But spiritually, he had become a
pilgrim—living by God’s call.
You know the song: “Father Abraham had many sons… I am one of
them, and so are you… So let’s just praise the Lord.” By faith, if you believe
in Jesus Christ, you are a child of God and a descendant of Abraham. God kept
His promise. God made Abraham the father of many nations. He changed him from
wanderer to witness. God gave Abraham the promised land and Isaac. Through
faith, he became the father of all nations through his descendant, Jesus
Christ.
Abraham didn’t see the whole picture in his time, but we are
witnesses of how God blessed him.
<Pilgrim’s Journey>
God is calling us to walk with Him as pilgrims, not as
wanderers. Someday, He will make us witnesses to the whole story. There are
many pilgrims in the Bible. Jesus left His heavenly home and lived with us.
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph were pilgrims in foreign lands. Moses left
Egypt to go to the promised land. God calls people to leave their comfort
zones. Now, He calls us:
“Leave your country, leave your people, and go to the land I
will show you.”
Sometimes the road is easy. Sometimes it’s hard, like the road
from Haran to Canaan. Only a few follow God’s call, like Abraham. But when we
leave our place to follow God’s place, we become pilgrims—and then, witnesses.
Life is a journey filled with leaving. Leaving heaven’s home
to become a single seed. Leaving the womb to enter this world. Leaving our
parents’ arms to grow. Letting go of children, parents, friends, and loved ones. And
at the end, we leave this world to go to our heavenly home.
I left my hometown in Korea for marriage and study—then
settled in a foreign land. I left the Korean community to serve in the American
church. Two and a half years ago, we began the Mars Hill ministry, worshiping
in two parts as one family. Now, after eleven years, my journey with my husband
here ends. I am sent forth to Patten.
On our first day in Patten, our family wept. We gave thanks
to God for leading us this far, and we mourned not worshiping together anymore.
Around the same table, those who stayed and those who left shared tears of joy
and sorrow.
Through marriage, we became a bigger family. As farewell and
welcome go hand-in-hand, we leave the old life and start a new one. Let this
new calling be our calling. Don’t let emptiness grow in our children’s
hearts—let it be good soil. So that when they begin their own journey, they’ll
be rooted and strong. Let this mission be not just mine, but our family’s
confession of faith, as missionaries in this land.
Let it be a vision for all four churches in our united
ministry. Leaving is painful, but God’s blessing comes with it. That’s how we
can leave our comfort zones and begin new journeys as pilgrims.
<A blessing from leaving>
Last week, I learned this through our vacation. Before my two
older children go back to school, every single moment becomes precious. Knowing
any moment might be the last makes me sad, but it also makes today shine
brighter, like I’m holding a treasure in my arms. The blessing of leaving is
this: the joy of today is made sweeter by the growing pains of tomorrow.
This is the paradox—being able to rejoice because we feel
sorrow. In a world where we don’t know who will die, or when, or how… in a life
where we don’t know when the Lord will return, today, when we can prepare to
leave, is a blessing.
Are we afraid of leaving? The people of Israel sang Psalm 121
when they traveled to Jerusalem:
“I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help
come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth… The
Lord will keep you going out and your coming in from this time on and
forevermore.”
We are not wanderers. We know where we’re going. We are
pilgrims.
Because of that, we can say like Paul:
“So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating
the air; but I discipline my body and keep it under control, so that after
preaching to others I will not be disqualified.”
(1 Corinthians 9:26-27)
I don’t believe in myself. I only have five loaves and two
fish.
But I believe in God. I believe in His plan.
God will make you a great witness.
God will make us a great people.
We will be a blessing to this town, to this cluster, to the
New England Conference, to the United Methodist Church, and to the world.
God will change us from wanderers to witnesses. Amen.
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