We begin a new series today that explores the lessons of hope to be learned from a few of the Old Testament characters described in the eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews, which my brother calls the "Faith Hall of Fame." We are told by the author of Hebrews these "hall of famers" were commended for their faith, living faithfully in hope of what was promised even though they didn’t receive the promise before they died. In that way, they serve as inspiration for us as we find ourselves in a somewhat similar position. The promise of Jesus Christ has come—those Old Testament Hall of Famers lived in hope of that, but didn’t experience it. We know Christ has come, but the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God has not yet come. We are, in a manner of speaking, living with one foot in and one foot out—the Kingdom of God here because of Jesus Christ, but the Kingdom of God not yet here as we wait for His return.

So, over the next four weeks, we will look for inspiration for our life of hope from four faithful characters who lived a life of hope. Three of them are very familiar: Noah, the subject of next week’s sermon, Moses and Joshua. One, our subject for today, is less familiar—Enoch. These four form a part of what the writer of Hebrews refers to as a "great cloud of witnesses" inspiring and encouraging our faith journey. Our hope is that their example will lead us to consider our personal "cloud of witnesses," people who taught us, mentored us, and encouraged us in our faith [?and that we might bring pictures of them to worship on Palm Sunday so we can display them in our sanctuary for Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday, worshipping with our "cloud of witnesses" surrounding us.?]

Today, the faith example of Enoch. Enoch’s story is found in Genesis 5:21-24; then the commemoration of Enoch’s faith in Hebrews 11:1-3, 5, 6. (READ)

I live on the south side of Green Mountain. If you’re familiar with the area, you know that the south side of Green Mountain has been set aside as open space with several hiking trails leading to the top of the mountain. I drive by that area a lot and there are almost always some people walking and hiking. Some of them are in groups—and I’m reminded of the hiking group Joan Shelton is in and which she spoke about at the women’s tea last Sunday. Some of the hikers are in small groups. Frequently, there are people walking their dogs. Just this last week, I had a conversation with the courtesy driver from the service department one of our vehicles was at. When he learned in the course of our conversation that I lived in that area, he told me about his daily routine of walking his dog there. His dog is waiting at the door for him every day when he gets home from work! Actually, I’m not sure we ever really walk our dogs—unless you’ve really trained your dog for that. Our dog, who unfortunately we had to put down last year after a good, long life—Tally Ho, the wonder basset hound—never really went for a walk with us. First of all, I think the only human word Tally Ho really understood was "walk." The mere whisper of the word "walk" would send this normally placid, droopy of a dog into an excited, agitated fit of barking and running toward the door. She knew what it meant! But, she never really "walked" with us. Instead, the first half of the walk consisted of her charging ahead for all she was worth, sometimes to the point of choking herself on her leash, wanting to get out there and sniff all the exotic smells tantalizing her basset hound nose. Whoever had a hold of her leash didn’t really walk, but moved in a kind of drunken lurch, pulled along by this alternatingly sniffing and choking basset hound. That was the first half of the "walk." The second half consisted of the holder of the leash dragging along this alternatingly panting and choking basset hound. We never really "walked" with each other!

So, some of the walkers are in groups. Some are walking their dogs. And some walk alone. On Sunday mornings, as I drive by the mountain on my way to church, I usually see one or two people walking alone. And I always think, "I wonder if they’re walking with God." I probably shouldn’t speculate, but they don’t look like they’re destined later for church. I wonder if they’re walking with God.

Enoch, on the other hand, walked with God. In fact, only two people in the Bible are described in that way—walking with God—Enoch, and next week’s subject, Noah. They "walked with God." Furthermore, Enoch is the only one of whom the Bible would say "pleased God," in that exact language. Of course, Jesus at his baptism would be blessed by God with the words, "this is my Son, with whom I am well pleased." And there are various acts of human beings that the Bible says brings pleasure to God. But, as far as I can find, Enoch is the only one of whom the Bible specifically says "pleased God." And Enoch is one of only two Biblical characters who doesn’t die. Elijah comes to the end of his prophetic ministry and is taking up into the heavens in a fiery chariot. And Enoch comes to the end of years and is "taken away." All the others mentioned in this section of Scripture, this brief genealogy given here, are described as having "lived" a certain number of years and "then he died." But Enoch is described as having "walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away." A young child described her Sunday school lesson on Enoch to her parents this way: "Enoch walked with God and then he would go home. Every day, Enoch went on long walks with God. One day, Enoch and God walked and walked and as it began to get dark, God said to Enoch, ‘Enoch, it’s getting late. Why don’t you come home with me? You are closer to my house than yours.’" Enoch spent a lifetime walking with God, pleasing God and then was taken away.

If you want to please God, learn to walk with Him—growing closer and closer to His home than your own. Walk with God, not racing ahead of God like the first half of a "walk" with Tally Ho. And not lagging behind like the second half of a Tally Ho "walk." Rather, walk with God. To do that, I think, means a couple of things.

First of all, a walk with God means going in the direction God would have us go. It would not be the direction we have set for ourselves. It certainly would not be the direction society, in general, is going. Rather, it is the direction God would have us go. That requires searching for, asking about, listening for God’s direction for our lives. It is not asking God to validate the direction we have set for ourselves. It is asking God to set the direction for us and reveal that direction to us.

At the beginning of the Civil War, someone asked President Lincoln to please "pray that God would be on the side of the Union army." In response, Lincoln said that he would pray instead "that the Union army would be on the side of God." Lincoln understood that walking with God doesn’t mean seeking His approval of the course we have set. Rather, it means walking with God in the direction He has set. Proverbs 16:9 says, "In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." We bring to the journey our passions, and our interests, but we seek God’s direction for where they are used. To walk with God means to go in the direction God would have us go.

Then, to walk with God means to seek fellowship with Him. It is a willingness to share everything with God—the good things in our lives and the bad, the happy things and the sad. I’m reminded again of Joan’s hiking group. While I didn’t hear what she shared about that hiking group with the women attending the tea, I’m quite sure it’s a story over the years of sharing much of what has occurred in their lives—both the good and the bad, the happy and the sad. So too is our fellowship walk with God. It is learning through our fellowship to trust more and more in God. Through the adversity we face in life, we continue to walk with God. Though others around us choose to go a different direction, we continue to walk with God. It is discovering the joy and strength of continual fellowship with God.

The evangelist, John Guest, writing in Christianity Today puts it this way: Just as husband and wife live out their lives against the backdrop of being married, so do we live out the entirety of our lives against the backdrop of a constant relationship with God. He is always there, always loving us, always ready to listen to us. As we recognize his unwavering commitment to us, we are able to live in the day to day adventure and challenge of his presence. We enjoy the dialogue. It’s as if we say, "Oh, I must talk to him about this!"

To walk with God means to be in constant fellowship with Him, through whatever happens in our lives. It is an amazing truth to discover that God desires we be in relationship with Him. Then, in turn, God desires that we would use that experience with Him to be in relationship with others to inspire and encourage them.

My hope for our church is that we would be a place of such relationships—fellowship taking place through our individual walks with God…and fellowship taking place in our walks with others. Growing in faith through our walk with God, we share that experience as we walk alongside others. The idea of such relationships keeps surfacing in our discussions as a staff and as a Session—mentoring ministries is one term for it—where we offer to others the value of our God-honoring experiences in life. For example, in marriages, people who are walking with God coming alongside and walking with others to help them grow in God-honoring fashion in their marriage. For parents, others to come alongside and support them from the wisdom of their experiences as parents. For people gifted in finances, coming alongside others who need help in order to walk with God in the area of their personal finances. Women mentoring women, men mentoring men. Husbands and fathers mentoring other husbands and fathers, mothers and wives mentoring other mothers and wives. A place where each of us grow in our walk with God, in part, because of the fellowship we personally seek in relationship with God, and in part because of the encouragement we receive from others sharing lessons learned in their walk. A walk that is not ahead, or behind God, but with God, bringing us closer to God’s destination for us. The kind of walk that at the end of our lives when people speak of what they had observed in our lives, it could be said of any one of us, "they were closer to God’s home, than their own."