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"Hither by Thy Help We've Come" (I Samuel 7:3-12)

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From the Warwick Central Baptist Church November 24, 2019 "Hither by Thy Help We’ve Come" (I Samuel 7:3-12) Dr. Dan Ivins, preaching The Text Says: ‘Ebenezer’ is our word for Thanksgiving week. Not to be confused with a grizzled old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge, from Charles Dickens’ novel ‘A Christmas Carol.’ Today’s Ebenezer comes from the scriptures. The original use of the word "Ebenezer" is based on the Hebrew text, made up of two words pronounced together: “Even Haazer” or ‘stone of help.’ It can be anything that reminds us of God’s presence and deliverance: the Bible, our church, a friend, a cross, a hymn - those things which serve as reminders of God’s love. This Thanksgiving may each and every one of us always be blessed by the grace and peace of Jesus Christ through the “Ebenezers” that God has placed in our lives! “Then Samuel took stones and set them up and named them ‘Ebenezer’ and said “Thus far, the Lord has helped us” (I Samuel 7:12). The Preacher Says: Thanksgiving is a distinctly American holiday. It celebrates no birth, commemorates no war, immortalizes no politician. Thanksgiving is a condition of the heart; an annual pilgrimage into the land of gratitude, where we may rethink, remember, and rededicate ourselves to a way of life that simultaneously catches up our heritage and preserves our hope. Everybody has their favorite among America’s several holidays. As a kid it was hard to beat Christmas. In my teen years, I liked July 4th, because of the firecrackers and picnics. But as I grew into adulthood, Thanksgiving became my favorite holiday of all. Perhaps because it’s a blend of all we Americans hold dear and precious. It comes without the sham and plastic mask of commercialism. Our shopping malls mostly hop over Thanksgiving, going from Halloween to Christmas, from spooks to Santa; orange and black to red and green. I haven't seen many "pilgrim" hypes, have you? Except for a few turkeys and some cranberry sauce, merchants are fairly mute about Thanksgiving. Unlike the 4th of July, which focuses upon independence, Thanksgiving takes us back to a difficult time in the birthing of this nation; a slice of life in 1620, when our forbears recognized their dependence on God and one another in order to survive. Along with Thanksgiving comes an inner conviction that whispers: "I am proud to be an American." Thanksgiving reminds us of our heritage, some good, some bad. Going back to that numbing winter when only a handful of people held on, since that time we have known success, and war, some things to be proud of and ashamed of. We have had Republican and Democratic administrations. Somehow we survive ‘em all. We’ve yet to give the Whigs a shot, and our priorities haven't always been fair, and there are still some who would dictate our morals and ignore the Constitution. Yet America, such as it is, is my home and in spite of her flaws, I believe it’s the best place to live on earth. Thanksgiving speaks to us of sacrifice and survival. Yet we’ve spawned a generation that thinks the world owes them all they can get. Contrast that with the church that teaches we owe the world all we can give. But no blessing we enjoy can be traced back far without stepping in somebody's blood. Thanksgiving won't let us take for granted our houses, cars, schools, freedom; and innumerable blessings like hospitals, colleges, and churches that somebody paid the price so we could enjoy them. There will always be those around seeking to get what they deserve, but church ought to help us try to deserve what we have. At this holiday as no other, we count our blessings. And forgo the answers, that always have an agenda, to ask good questions like, how many years have you enjoyed good health? Have you ever not had more than enough to eat; a decent home to live in; a job that enables you to earn a living and self-respect; friends to laugh and cry with you and a church family to be there when life ambushes us? The Bible tells us of a number of stones raised to commemorate events. Jacob established one at a place he named "Bethel". (Genesis 28:18) At a time of distress, it represented the beginning of his relationship with God, and his trust in God to take care of him. Nearly a thousand years later, from the annals of our rich biblical heritage another story has been preserved about Samuel and the struggle between those ancient but persistent enemies: the Philistines and the Israelites. The Philistines were formidable foes, not only because they had giants but because they’d discovered iron, which gave them a powerful advantage on the field of battle. One conflict occurred near Jerusalem some 3000 years ago. The biblical record allows as how the Philistines won an overwhelming victory even captured the sacred “Ark of the Covenant.” Then wasted the high priest Eli’s sons. For 20 years, the people mourned over their sins and rid themselves of all idols. Samuel then gathered the people to intercede with the Lord on their behalf. He sacrificed a lamb and as the Philistines drew closer, God thundered against them and threw their army into panic. This time Israel won. And part of the spoils was regaining the captured ark of the Covenant, symbolic of God’s presence among them. It was one of Israel's greatest victories against the Philistines and their celebrated iron weaponry. Following the conquest, Samuel was so grateful that he set up a stone as an altar to commemorate the victory, and called it "Ebenezer," which means "thus far has the Lord helped us." Travelers would see it each time they passed by, reminding them of this time of deep gratitude in the nation's history for God’s deliverance from a mighty foe. Millenniums later, when the hymn-writer wrote “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” he included this line: "Here I raise my Ebenezer." Ebenezer isn’t a frequently utilized word in our every day vocabulary. But Biblically, it stands for those unique expressions of gratitude when the feelings in our hearts swell up in praise and gratefulness. There are such Ebenezers in all our lives. And whether it's a monument or a keepsake, or somebody or a stone, we drove down a stake someplace, because it calls to mind an experience that gave us a reason to live, courage to die -- maybe years ago, maybe recently. But it’s an experience we’ll never forget. We don't put up Ebenezers just anyplace. They rise up spontaneously out of a profound sense of thanksgiving. This week, as we celebrate America's stone called "Plymouth Rock," we see once again how the earliest Americans conquered their own "giants," every bit as real as the ancient Philistines: religious oppression, hardship, and death. With the good help of the Wampanoags, now they had a fresh opportunity to s how their gratitude. But also like Samuel, they planted their Ebenezer on a rock, only it was over here next door, in Massachusetts. Most of you have lived long enough to have such Ebenezers in your own lives -- a symbolic remembrance of God's help through a difficult time in your lives. We've all faced some giants in our daily struggles: broken relationships, addiction, depression, physical setbacks, the aging process, sorrow. Every now and then, we'll win one, and sing: “Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by thy help I'm come. And I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.” Going to church teaches us it's not what you have that makes you happy, but what you have an appreciation for; what you’re grateful for. Ungrateful people are unhappy people. The ones who won’t take time to thank God for blessings. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus healed 10 lepers. But only one took the time to come back and thank him for it. “Ten were healed. Where are the nine?” he asked. One outa ten? I’d say that ratio still holds. I trust you will raise your own Ebenezer stones this Thursday. Be glad you are here. Be grateful for all you have inherited. Be generous with all you will pass on. By all means appreciate what you have, be content with what the Lord has seen fit to give to us. And big-spirited enough to give some of it back. Our church sure could use it. And, you know it’ll make God smile! This year has been a difficult one, for various reasons going on in our country and abroad. Our congregation has felt it too. Some of our families have struggled. But we can all testify this Thanksgiving Day that God has helped us. Semitic people used stones to commemorate significant events because there were handy, so many of them and because they were durable. Something to withstand their future storms and trials -- as a reminder that God continues into their unknown tomorrows. Today we continue the “Ebenezer” tradition by "commemorating" our own stone lying on the table. This stone has been around awhile, who can say for how long? Patiently enduring the elements, heat and cold, day and night, sun and wind and rain and snow -- the passing of time. Alongside this symbol of endurance, with Samuel we too can say: "thus far God has helped US." May this rock be a reminder to all of us of “the rock of ages,” and to “build our houses on the rock, not the sand, so that when the winds blow and the rains fall, our house will stand.” And let us never forget to thank God that we can “count our blessings,” in a time of discord and resentment.
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