BUILDING AN ARK WHERE THERE IS NO WATER

        What will we leave for our posterity?  What will be our legacy to the next generation?

I believe that each generation should have a keen sense of being obligated and indebted to those who will succeed them.  Our fore parents were burden by wanting to leave thing better for their children and their people.  There was a strong sense of community.  Many endured harsh treatment, insults, worked on demeaning jobs and some even gave their life so that we could live better lives.  Even though many of our ancestors knew that they would not make it to the Promised Land, they knew that the sacrifices that they made were building an ark where there was no water.        

      What does it mean to build an ark where there is no water?  It means that you are concern about more than just today.  It means that you move from a position of individualism to community.  It means to prepare for a day that you may not see.  The builder of an ark where there is no water recognizes that, while the true Kingdom of God is not yet a reality it will surely come.

      In the text above, Noah is commanded to build an ark where there is no water.  Not only was there no water, but Noah did not even know what rain was.  He did not know what a flood was.   According to 2:5-6 the earth was watered by midst from the ground.  The ark would be the instrument that would provide for future generations.  The author of Hebrews states, “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (Heb. 11:7).  The idea was God’s; the responsibility to build was Noah’s.  The creative initiative belonged to God; the willing to obey belonged to Noah.   Grace from the heart of God; faith placed it in the heart of Noah.  By Noah’s action God’s eternal purpose went forward to the foreordained conclusion.  The ark was a means of salvation.  Likewise, the arks that we build will bring deliverance to future generations. 

      What does this have to do with me or First Baptist Church you may say?  Well, as Christians and as members of this congregation, we too must be willing to partner with God in His divine plan for the world in general and this faith community in particular.          

As pastor, I am burdened with the obligation of building an ark where there is no water.  The saints of old built an ark for us - a building to worship in and land for us to build our present edifice.  With meager resources they made a way out of no way.  Because of them we are eating grapes we did not plant and dwelling in buildings we did not build.

What will be our epitaph?  What will we be remembered by?  What will our actions of today say to the next generation?  Will they say we were narcissistic or will they be blessed by the arks that we built?

      I convinced that the Lord has ordained for us to be agents in His divine plan.  On Monday, September 13, 2004, our congregation was asked to consider accepting an offer to purchase some land in our area.  The members voted unanimously to accept the offer to purchase the land.  Some people wanted to know exactly what we intended to do with the property.  Others were wandering if maybe this was too much debt for us.  I felt inadequate to answer them, because all I knew was that God had said build me an ark, but like others, I did not see any water.  I was not concern about the debt.  I remembered that we just paid off a loan well over three million dollars in seven years.

      Why should we build an ark where there is no water?  First, because we must prepare today for tomorrow will surely come.  We should learn from the ant in Proverbs 6:6-11.

The ant gathers in the summer because she knows that winter will come and there can be no gathering.  Second, because there will be unforeseen needs that will arise and resources will be needed to minister to them.  Third, we must say loud and clear to this community that our church is here to stay.  Our church is the oldest of the 32 churches in Vienna.  Fourth, we must be visionary and eager to follow our God.  The author of Proverbs states, “Where there is no vision, the people perish….” (Proverbs 29:18b).  Fifth, we need to be ready to minister to the homeless, helpless, and hopeless.  We need new ministries to care for broken families, fatherless young boys and girls, bewildered senior citizens, children that are undereducated, high unemployment and the incarcerated.  Seventh, we must continue to be a guiding light to a world that is lost.  Even though it may take 120 years, we must be about building an ark where there is no water. 

      By faith we have come out of Egypt and crossed the Rea Sea, but the promise
of God still lies ahead!