Sermons
"Steppin’ Out Into the Promised Land,"
Joshua 1: 1 - 9
Oct. 16, 2011.
Beautiful Feet Series
God said to Joshua, "every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, I have given to you, as I promised Moses."
God continued, "be strong and courageous" he said to his servant Joshua, not once, but three times.
Joshua grinned. "Yes Lord," he replied. "I understand. Yes, I understand that leading these people is not for the faint of heart."
Then Joshua stepped out of his tent and moved quietly into the darkness of the night, reflecting on God’s words to him, and remembering..
Yes Joshua could remember as if it was yesterday, how Moses had sent himself and Caleb and 10 others out to infiltrate the land of Canaan, the Promised Land and come back with a report for the people. 12 men were sent, representing each one of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Joshua had fallen in love with this lush and beautiful land, and both he and Caleb had come back with stories of its fertile soil and amazing vineyards. But the other 10men had panicked....."It is a beautiful land and very much a paradise" they had said, "but....the people who live there are huge - they are veritable giants and they will destroy us in a minute, if we dare step one foot on their land."
Both Caleb and Joshua had stood firm. "God is on our side," they had exclaimed. "And besides you’re exaggerating because you are scared. Let’s just get moving!’ they exclaimed."Remember how frightened you were when we were at the shores of the Red Sea? God found a path for us then, and God will find a path for us now!"
But the people wouldn’t listen. They had complained and cried and refused to even attempt to move into this supposed Promised Land.
Yes, Joshua could remember that day as if it were yesterday. But 20 years had passed since then. God had been furious with the people, particularly when they had started talking about returning to slavery in Egypt!
Right then and there God had made a decision. God said to Moses and Aaron, "these people will just never get it! They are too consumed with the past and too afraid to move into the future. Regardless of what I do for them, they still refuse to step forward. They are stuck and so they will remain stuck - stuck in this wilderness until they all die off. Not one of these adults - except for Joshua and Caleb - will ever step foot onto the Promised Land. Their children and grandchildren will be the ones who live out my covenant."
When Moses had met with a young and eager Joshua and told him the news, the two of them had wept together. They wept for the lost years that were to come. They wept for their people who just couldn’t seem to find the courage and faith to move into the Promised Land.
As Joshua remembered, he could feel the tears threatening to fall once again. So much had happened during these years of wandering. God had been right. It was the next generation who would finally be ready to enter this Promised Land. Oh they hadn’t been lost years by any means! Moses had thrown his very being into teaching and leading this new generation. They were as ready as they ever would be. They had learned to lean on God - the 10 Commandments were as close to them as their very breath.
They were as tough as nails. You had to be, to survive in this harsh desert for all these years! And during this time they had learned to be a people - a nation, instead of a scattered group of frightened and complaining former slaves.
Joshua smiled as he stopped to look up at the stars in the vast desert sky. Just when it seemed as if they were finally ready, Moses had announced to him that he would not enter into the Promised Land, and that he, Joshua, would lead te people.
Joshua had been beside himself at first. Moses had been his mentor! Sure over the years Moses had begun to weaken in terms of his physical health but he still glowed with the wisdom and love of God and he was the undisputed leader of the people.
But Moses had been adamant. He would gaze upon the Promised Land, but he would not enter it. Joshua would lead the people, as they moved into this new chapter of their lives.
Joshua gulped back the tears as he recalled the death of Moses, the one who had been a father to him and to all the people.
"Could he really do this without Moses?" he wondered. Just as quickly Joshua admonished himself. "Enough already!" he muttered out loud.
Then he let God’s words wash over him, as he continued to stare into the heavens. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. Be strong Joshua. Be courageous."
Joshua spent most of that night in prayer. As the sun began peaking over the horizon, he knew in his heart that he was ready. God had given him strength and courage. God would guide his footsteps, and he would mediate upon God’s Word, every single step of the way.
"Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you." Joshua went on to become one of the most devout and brilliant leaders, ancient Israel would ever have. In the midst of his military strategies, in the midst of his people’s doubts or sketpicism, Joshua meditated on the law day and night. As instructed by God, he never looked to the right, or to the left. His focus was on God, and God alone. And so every step he took was holy ground, for he was walking on Promised Land.
Joshua never let the people’s doubts or worries, distract him from God’s presence in his life. Yes, just as Moses before him had discovered the wonder and joy of holy ground, so too had Joshua understood that every step he took was a step of faith.
"Every place that the sole of your foot has tread upon, I have given to you." Try for a minute to imagine how different our lives might be, if we gave thanks to God with every single step we took.
What might happen in the morning when we get out of bed, if instead of grumbling about the incessant rain and chill, or all the things we have to do today, we give thanks to God for this holy ground?
And then, instead of shuffling to the washroom or to the coffee pot, we pick up our slippered feet just a bit and whisper a quiet thank you to God for this day of promise -this "Promised Land?
What might happen? Try it and see! I guarantee it won’t hurt us in any way! And perhaps, just perhaps, we might discover that as our faithful feet take us out into our day, we are able to enjoy it more, and savour it as a gift from God.
You see, with every single step we take, we are stepping out onto Promised Land. That means every single step, is a step of faith. Which means that wherever we travel during our day, we leave behind footprints of faith.
Let me give you an example. On this past Friday morning I woke up to the sound of rain pounding on my window, not to be confused with the sound of rain all night long, I might add!
I groaned, and lay in bed thinking about my day - this "supposed Promised Land!" I can tell you, it didn’t feel all that promising! Friday is sermon day and so I usually look forward to it, because believe it or not - I actually enjoy writing sermons.
But I knew that I also had a funeral service to finish - one that I had started the night before, when I stayed up way too late. So when the soles of my slippers finally found their way out of bed and into the Promised Land of my Friday morning, I wasn’t really giving thanks!
Plus, I had to head out to the barn in the rain to feed cows and cats and goats! "Some Promised Land," I was grumbling, as I slipped on my barn coat and headed outside to greet the day.
I was about halfway to the barn when it happened. I noticed that the rain wasn’t all that cold - it was rain alright, but more of a warm, fall rain. Or at least it was at about 7am Friday morning! And the leaves were simply everywhere! Yes I had to slow my pace, or my barn boots would surely slip on this carpet of yellow and red. Our chocolate Lab was tearing everywhere, and chasing the leaves as they swooped down from the trees. Much to my surprise I found myself laughing and actually enjoying this rainy, dismal morning.
That’s when I heard God’s voice as clear as a bell. "This is the Promised Land. Sometimes there are sermons to be written and not enough time. Sometimes there are funerals when you are feeling too tired to deal. And often there is rain in the midst of it all. Be strong and courageous, and don’t let yourself get distracted. I am with you always."
By the time I entered the barn, I was feeling okay and somehow at peace. Oh I knew that my day was still going to be filled with challenges, and I could also feel a cold coming on. But I also knew in my heart that this was the Promised Land. It was a day that God had given me, and how I tread into that day would leave footprints everywhere.
What did your footprints look like Friday, or yesterday? Were they truly footprints of faith and hope and love and grace? Did your footprints leave any marks on the hearts of those you encountered, because you were feeling angry, or frustrated, or exhausted, or filled with despair?
Maybe your footprints didn’t leave any mark at all, because you simply moved lightly through the day, not wanting to offend anyone, but not wanting to take a stand either.
Each and every footprint we make is a testimony to who we are as people of God. Yikes! No wonder God told Joshua to be strong and have courage, not once, but three times!
It is really, really, really hard, to be a person of faith. It takes a whole lot of faith and courage! But again, if we remind ourselves that we belong to God with each step we take, and that the very ground we walk upon that day is holy ground, then we are slowly and mindfully able to step out into the Promised Land!
Yes, this church family is indeed the Promised Land! Our families and our family homes, are also Promised Land. So is the drive thru at Tim Hortons, and the line up at Food Basics!
"Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, I have given to you," says God to Joshua. "Every place that the sole of your foot has tread upon, I have given to you," says God to each of us.
Now we can all breathe a sigh of relief that we don’t have to lead a whole nation of people into a land that is supposed to be flowing with milk and honey, but is actually filled with people who have no intention of sharing it. Thank goodness that Joshua - and not us, was able to meet that challenge with faith and courage!
But you know, every single day as we move through this Promised Land that is our life, we are faced with all kinds of distractions, and fears, and reasons to justify us looking to the left, or the right, instead of to God. And so we stumble, or we leave behind footprints that later we wish we could erase.
It’s okay. God knows that there was only one Joshua. God is always there for us each step of the way, picking us up, and guiding us back onto the path that is paved with forgiveness and grace.
We are so blessed my friends. We are blessed to have such an awesome God, who comes to us in Jesus Christ. We are so blessed to have the footprints Jesus left for us in our Gospel stories And we are so blessed to have the privilege to follow in the footsteps of great leaders like Moses and Joshua.
"Every place that the sole of your foot has tread upon, I have promised you." Thanks be to God for this Promised Land! Amen.
__________________________________________________________________________"Bread from Heaven?"
Exodus 16: 1 - 5; 11 -18
Thanksgiving Sunday
October 9, 2011
Then the Lord said to Moses, "I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day."
Moses scratched his head. How was he going to explain this to the people? For one thing, everyone knew that it never, ever rained in the desert, and for another thing, how could it possibly rain bread?
Moses had not been a church leader for very long and already he was longing to apply for stress leave and then head for the quiet hills of Midian.
All around him the people - his people - "no let’s be really clear about this," Moses muttered to himself - "these are God’s people, they certainly don’t belong to me!"
Well whomever they belonged to, they were driving him around te bend! They were hungry - so was he! They were fed up. "Well join the club!" thought Moses angrily.
But in the midst of the complaining and muttering and blaming, and in the midst of Moses’ own feelings of inadequacy and despair, God’s voice broke through.
Yes, good old God was not going to merely feed the people, God was going to rain bread from heaven. But not all day long! Just in the morning, and there would be just enough for each person and they were only to gather enough for that day, except on fridays - on fridays they would gather enough for that day and the next day. Why would there be twice as much bread on fridays? Well because the next day - the Saturday, was the Sabbath and they were not to work, or gather food on the Sabbath.
It seemed that God had covered all the bases. Now all Moses had to do was explain this to the people. Yikes! He asked his brother Aaron to call the people together and they had the first of many congregational meetings.
It took awhile to settle the people down, because they were so upset, and hungry, and out of sorts, and so everyone had to voice their disappointment in their leadership, and in God.
Finally, they were tired enough of their own complaining to actually listen to God, who spoke to them through Moses.
Meat every evening? "Well seeing is believing," some muttered. A few nodded their heads and said out loud,"Thanks be to God!" Others were so weak from hunger, that they just sat on the hard desert ground and wept. Yes they wept for the years of hardship and cruelty they had experienced as slaves in Egypt. They wept when they heard Moses say that God had heard their complaining. They wept because their stomachs were empty and their hearts were breaking. They wept because they were ashamed of their behaviour but couldn’t seem to help themselves.
Moses wept with them. He wept for these stubborn people who seemed to be without hope. But in the midst of his tears, this anxious new leader prayed the first prayer of thanksgiving. He thanked God for delivering them from slavery, and he thanked God for the food that they would soon share. Slowly, ever so slowly, the peoples voices joined with his.
How difficult it must have been for Moses and the people to give thanks for food that had not yet graced their tables. How difficult it must have been for them to give thanks when they were so frightened, so unsure of the future.
I wonder, do we only give thanks to God when we can see and touch and taste God’s goodness? Is our faith and our gratitude conditional on everything in our lives being peachy keen?
Ah yes, it is easy to be grateful when life is good and our tables are overflowing. It is quite another matter when we are lost in the wilderness like our ancient brothers and sisters. It is quite another matter when our stomachs are empty and our hearts are breaking.
God is with us when the tables of our lives are laden with blessings, or as bare as bare can be. The ancient Israelites eventually came to truly understand that. It just took them a long time.
That afternoon some of them were able to pray that first Thanksgiving prayer with Moses and Aaron. And that night a huge flock of quails became disoriented and stumbled into their camp.
Their first Thanksgiving dinner! After so many days of hunger the quails tasted heavenly! But who was invited to this first Thanksgiving feast? Was everyone fed, or just those who had prayed earlier? How about the complainers and trouble makers? Were they allowed to share at the table?
Yes, at God’s table there is space for all of us, and so everyone enjoyed a scrumptious Thanksgiving Dinner that night, and with greasy fingers and satisfied tummies, everyone gave thanks to God.
Then it was time for bed. By morning the people were hungry again. They remembered Moses talking about God raining bread from heaven, and at this point they were ready to expect almost anything.
So they struggled out of their sleeping blankets and yawned and stretched and scratched and looked up - way up. ...No bread was drifting down from the heavens. They sniffed the air, but couldn’t smell bread baking anywhere.
"Hmm" they muttered. "We better go and wake up Moses and tell him that God’s promise of bread from heaven, just isn’t happening."
As they made their way to Moses’ tent, they noticed that the dew was particularly heavy that morning. Ah well, dew didn’t concern them at the moment. The coffee was on and they wanted this bread from heaven, so they could finally have a decent breakfast!
It seemed to take forever for Moses to step out of his tent and so as they waited for him, the people noticed something remarkable happening. The heavy dew had finally lifted and everywhere there was this very fine, flaky substance, sort of like coriander seed, but bigger.
One of the children boldly picked up a piece and began to eat it. "It’s delicious!" cried the child."Thanks be to God for surely this is bread from heaven!"
By the time Moses emerged from his tent, the people were kneeling everywhere, slowly picking this bread from heaven. It was sweet and nourishing.
Moses just grinned at the people. "I see God has rained bread from heaven," he said.
"But what is it?" cried the people. "It isn’t bread, as we know bread. No one mixed, or kneeded, or baked this bread. It can ‘t be bread. What is it it?"
Moses just laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "It is manna," he replied. The people laughed in return. You see, in ancient Hebrew, manna simply means "what?"
As the people feasted that morning, they soon learned that bread from heaven was truly not like any bread they had ever eaten before. To begin with, it tasted heavenly and they hadn’t had to do one thing to prepare it!
But most importantly, they learned that they were only to pick enough for that day. If they tried to stockpile, the bread became wormy and wasn’t edible. And even those who were elderly and lacking in strength, were able to always pick enough.
Everybody was fed. And Moses was right. There was always extra on the day before the Sabbath, so they could spend their holy day in prayer and worship.
Bread from heaven that actually wasn’t bread at all, and appeared not from the sky, but from the ground! No wonder the people were confused and called it manna or in English, simply "what?"
If that little one - that child whose eyes were closer to the ground because she was little - hadn’t spotted the thin, flaky substance, how long would it have taken the adults to finally recognize it for what it was - bread from heaven?
Bread from heaven. It’s everywhere in our lives. Certainly its there when we gather at tables filled to overflowing, with delicious food. But its also there to nourish us, as we move through that wilderness of chemotherapy, or radiation treatments. It’s there to comfort us as we grieve the loss of a much loved family member. Bread of heaven is a gift from God and it is present for us each and every day of our lives, through good times and bad.
I have come to recognize and welcome bread from heaven, and my hope is that you will too.
Oh just like our ancient Israelite brothers and sisters, sometimes it takes awhile to actually notice this amazing gift, but if we look ever so closely, we will all gradually become more aware of how we are being fed by God, each and every day - even the days when we wake up complaining and go to bed complaining! (not that any of us ever have days like that!)
Bread from heaven is there for me each and every time I visit a member of this church family who is in hospital, or recovering at home. It is bread from heaven that surprises me and delights me, in the midst of church meetings. It is bread from heaven that comes to me in the laughter and joy of our children and youth. It is bread from heaven that nourishes me as I gather with folks for Bible studies. And it is bread from heaven that declares this worship time, sacred ground.
Bread from heaven. Look for it as you gather with family and friends during this Thanksgiving weekend. Savour it, give thanks for it, and remember that tomorrow God will bake more for you. Not too much, but enough to get you through the day.
I would like to end today by sharing with you some bread from heaven. This bread comes in the form of a letter from the Apostle Paul. As you may remember, ths fall we have been reading letters that have been written to this congregation, from the Apostle Paul.
Over the summer we had a discussion group on Paul’s letters and encouraged members from that group to write our church a letter in the style and format of Paul’s letters. I still have a few more to read, and thought this one was apt for our Thanksgiving service, as it is truly bread from heaven.(read letter)... Amen
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Beautiful Feet Fall Series,
"But My Feet Won’t Budge!"
Oct. 2, 2011
Worldwide Communion
"Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians! For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness." But Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today."
Oh the people could hear Moses’ words of encouragement, but they weren’t really listening. They were trying to, but it wasn’t working.
You see, all they could really hear was the thundering noise of the Egyptian chariots. Actually, if the truth be told, the noise of the chariots was more like an earthquake! The ancient Israelites were terrified.
They stood huddled by the shores of the Red Sea and shook from the tips of their toes to the ends of their noses. The terrible sound of the chariots was getting closer and closer. The earth beneath them was shaking in fear as well.
What had they done? How had they allowed themselves to actually listen to Moses anyway? Moses, that renegade who had been raised as an Egyptian and then after a brief skirmish when he had killed an Egyptian soldier who had been beating one of their fellow slaves, had gotten scared and left town as quickly as his feet could take him.
Yes, they knew the story of Moses. He had been saved from death as a newborn, when the Pharaoh’s daughter had scooped him from a basket in the bullrushes, and adopted him as her own. Moses’ mother had hidden him in the bullrushes for his safety, because the Pharaoh had passed an edict that every male Jewish infant was to be put to death.
At first many of the Israelite slaves had rejoiced that one of their own had been saved from death, and would actually be raised in the Egyptian court. They had hoped that he would remember the plight of his people, as they struggled under the yoke of slavery. They had fantasized that he could, in some small way, influence the Pharaoh and make their lives even just a little bit easier.
But Moses had been a disappointment. Oh yes he had come by one day to see how "his people" were faring and had killed an Egyptian soldier who was being cruel to a slave. Then he disappeared only to be back the next day, this time to reprimand 2 Israelites who had been arguing with each other.
Yes, they argued and fought and squabbled amongst each other. Where else could they vent their anger and frustration? But Prince Moses didn’t really get it. The Israelites who had been squabbling weren’t interested in taking his advice and told him so, in no uncertain terms.
Who did he think he was anyway? He had no credibility with them! And so Moses got scared. Really sacred. He realized that when the Pharaoh discovered he had killed an Egyptian soldier, he would be in major trouble. He also realized that his own people weren’t going to hide him.
So he ran away and settled in nearby Midian. They had heard that he had married a priest’s daughter and was now a shepherd. "Good riddance to bad rubbish!" they had said to one another, as they groaned under the weight of slavery.
And then out of the blue, Moses was back! The people couldn’t believe it. He was older and far less arrogant and kept talking about a burning bush and being sent by God to free them all from slavery.
Moses! Spineless Moses, who had ran away as soon as things had gotten difficult. He was the one God had sent to deliver them from slavery? Moses was a milktoast!
It took awhile, but eventually the Israelites began to realize that God was quite serious and that maybe, just maybe, Moses had some backbone after all!
They couldn’t believe it when he took on Pharaoh! Wow! It was amazing! And then all those plagues, God sent to let Pharaoh know he meant business.
Yes, the Israelite slaves had begun to finally believe that maybe, just maybe there was a new possibility for them. Maybe, just maybe, after all these years, they could begin anew as a free people!
And so they had fled. They had fled with only the shirts on their backs and with songs of praise in their hearts. Soon they would be free! Soon the Lord would lead them to the Promised Land! A land where they could live in peace. A land where they could raise their children with dignity and self respect.
But it hadn’t worked out quite as they had thought it would. It seemed that they had gotten lost in the vast wilderness and now they were camped at the shores of the treacherous Red Sea, and Pharaoh and his army were on their way.
They were stuck! They were between a rock and a hard place. How were they to cross the sea and find this Promised Land, this Land of Milk and Honey?
There was nowhere to go. They were so terrified that their feet just wouldn’t budge.
And so they did what most of us do when we have initially agreed to something new, and things don’t go as smoothly as we wanted them to. They got mad and they began to move into the "blame game."
Poor old Moses was their leader and so he got it, lock, stock and barrel! "Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians!" they cried out in anger. " For it would have been better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!"
Moses couldn’t believe his sun- burned ears. Were the people actually saying they preferred slavery to freedom? Didn’t they understand that beginning again was not going to be easy. Of course there would be challenges!
"Don’t be afraid," he said over and over again to the people. "You are letting your fear of the Egyptians sink your feet deeper and deeper into the mud. We made a decision ands we are not going back. I don’t care how familiar it was. The past is just that, it’s the past. And it was a past that enslaved you, and abused you, and robbed you of any self worth you might have had."
"Get a grip!" shouted Moses. "Get a grip and start praying. Have some faith that God will get us across this sea!"
Oh some still grumbled and mumbled about the good old days, but many just got down on their knees right then and there. They prayed like they had never prayed before. They offered their hearts and their very beings to God, and God alone.
What a sight that must have been. Then with God speaking clearly to Moses, he held up his staff and the waters of the Red Sea were parted. The people cheered and with tears in their eyes they sank their feet into the sandy mud of the Red Sea.
At first it seemed as if they might sink to their knees, but they remembered Moses’ words and they moved forward, slowly at first, step by step.
Soon their feet were moving at a lightning pace and they were reaching out to help one another as they crossed the Red Sea and moved one step closer to the Promised Land. With each step of faith, the sound of the Egyptian chariots grew dimmer and dimmer. Soon they would be out of their lives forever. With God’s help and Moses’ leadership, they were free to begin again!
What an amazing story! It’s one we know by heart from Sunday School. It’s one we love to tell our children and grandchildren.
But as we tell the story and tsk about the those grumbling, ungrateful Israelites, I wonder if we forget sometimes that we, as God’s people, tend to live out this story over and over again.
Yes, we live it out in our personal lives, and in the life of this church family. How many of us can honestly say that we have embraced change fully and completely in our lives, and never once faltered, never once complained?
There may be a few of us faithful souls out there, but most of us carry a bit of the ancient Israelites psyche around with us.
"Oh," we say, "yes we want to try something new! We really and truly do want to cross over to the Promised Land."
Just like our ancient brothers and sisters, we are excited and good to go. And then the salty spray from the Red Sea causes our eyes to burn and sting. And then, there are just so many problems!
Nothing seems to go smoothly and so as we stumble in the wilderness of change, we begin our lament about the good old days, and of course, we begin to blame those who are trying to lead us into the Promised Land.
It is so very difficult to hang onto our faith, to cling to a vision, when we are in the midst of growing pains. You see, when God calls us into something new, the path is just never easy. Karen and Paul Gresty showed us that last week, when they shared their story about following God’s call to adopt children from South Africa.
Each one of us here has our own story. Yes, I am sure that each one of here has at some point stood by the shores of the Red Sea, and felt scared, and stuck, and unsure of whether we could actually make our way down this new path God was clearing for us. I know I certainly have!
As a church family we are in that place right now. Yes, with God’s nudging we developed a vision for this congregation. A vision that is God centred. A vision that still gives me goose bumps!
But now we are in that wilderness place, as we actually attempt to make the vision a practical reality. Sometimes we are sure that we will never make it across the sea of difficulties and so we languish in doubt and begin to look backwards, instead of forward.
Of course there are challenges! Of course we are struggling! Living out God’s vision is hard work. The hardest work of all is to remain faithful - to trust that God will help us and is guiding us.
Sure we need to make changes and perhaps we need to streamline and prune our vineyard structure a bit. Let’s do it! Let’s do it together with faith and optimism.
The only way we are going to know if it will work, is to lift up those sometimes fearful and skeptical feet of ours, and move into the muddy sand of the Red Sea.
And let’s remember that it wasn’t just a few of the Israelites that made their way into the Red Sea. Every single pair of feet made the journey. Some were more cranky, or unsure than others, but they crossed that sea together.
We are called to do no less, as a church family, and in our own families, and in our own personal lives. Amen.