"Maps to Everywhere" Genesis 12: 1-9; I Corinthians 1: 17-24

When I laid out the initial plans for the iPhone theology preaching series, I knew that one of the sermons would begin with the map app found on the phones.  At the time, I thought it would deal with predestination.  Now that I have arrived at that week (pun intended), I am thinking more about journeys than about predestination.  Certainly, the genesis passage is about journeys.  Not sure if I can fit the predestination point in the sermon or not.

Random thoughts about journeys:

1.  I remember before the iPhone having to call my brother on occasion so that he could find me on the his computer and tell me where I needed to go when I was lost.

2.  I also used to randomly try to find places based on feel and some sense of knowing where I was going.  It worked sometimes, but often did not.  Now, I just have to punch the address in my iPhone, although I have to make sure that the address is correct.

3.  My wife Leslie and I were driving to College Station from Houston to visit Texas A&M.  mind you, this is not a new drive for either of us, although we were on a new highway since the last time we made the trip.  She punched in Texas A&M on her map app, and it kept giving us info that did not seem possible.  I kept ignoring the requests to turn here or there.  She kept asking me why I would not follow the directions.  Finally, she discovered that her iPhone was giving us directions to Texas A&M, Houston.

4.  When God makes covenant with Abraham, God has Abraham pack up and move.  When Jesus calls his disciples, he tells them to "follow me."  When the rich, young ruler is confronted by Jesus, Jesus tells him to sell his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor (that' the part we usually remember), but then adds, "and then come follow me.  Ironically, we live in what we consider to be a transitory time when people move a lot, but most of us do not have a clear call to pack and move when we hear God's call.

5. one connection to predestination -- if we make our journey to follow Jesus all about a journey to heaven, then I think we miss the point.  In fact, I think predestination was part of Calvin's argument that people did not need to worry about salvation, Becca's God had already resolved that issue.  Remember, Calvin is teaching people who had grown up Catholic with a high sense of having to do penance or give money to ensure salvation.  Without that model for how to get to heaven, they were unsure how to understand salvation. Calvin offers predestination as a way to rely on God's grace, rather than spending effort trying to earn one's way to heaven.

6.  In the musical "Big River,": there's a song "Do you Wanna go to Heaven."  Huck Finn is told that he better learn to read or he won't be able to learn how to go to heaven.  Here are the lyrics:

DO YOU WANNA GO TO HEAVEN
FROM BROADWAY MUSICAL "BIG RIVER"
Writer Roger Miller

Looka Huck, do you wanna go to heaven
Do you wanna go to Heaven
Well I'll tell you right now
You better learn to read and you better learn your writin'
Or you'll never get to heaven 'cause you wont know how
You may think that the whole thing is silly
But it ain't silly really and I'll tell you right now
If you don't learn to read then you can't read your Bible
And you won't get to heaven 'cause you wont know how
Looka here Huck, now you better think it over
Do you wanna be a loafer like your pappy is now
You better learn to read and you better learn your writin'
Or you'll never get to heaven 'cause you wont know how
Hey, hey do you wanna go to heaven
Do you wanna go to heaven
If you don't go to hell
Looka here Huck, do you wanna go to heaven
Do you wanna go to heaven
Well I'll tell you right now
You better learn to read and you better learn your writin'
Or you'll never get to Heaven 'cause you wont know how
You may think that the whole thing is silly
But it ain't silly really and I'll tell you right now
If you don't learn to read then you can't read your Bible
And you won't get to heaven 'cause you wont know how
Looka here Huck, now you better think it over
Do you wanna be a loafer like your pappy is now
You better learn to read and you better learn your writin'
Or you'll never get to heaven 'cause you wont know how
Hey, hey here's the situation concernin' education aggravatin' and how
Do you wanna go to heaven
Well you better get your lessons or you won't know how
Looka here Huck, do you wanna be a feller
Like a feller really ought to be
I'll tell you right now
You better learn to read and you better learn your writin'
Or you'll never get to Heaven 'cause you wont know how

Read more: Roger Miller - Do You Wanna Go To Heaven Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

Lots of ideas that need to be narrowed down before Sunday.