Why are we Here Today?

November 12, 2023 24th Sunday after Pentecost Joshua 24:1-3,14-25 Why are we here today? Year A Prelude Greeting Call To Worship God is great, and greatly to be praised! We thank you, God, for families and friends. We thank you for the warmth of kitchens, quilts, and good neighbors. God, how great is your name throughout the earth! We thank you, God, for newborn kittens and faithful dogs, for pine trees and sunlight and crisp, clean air. Blessed be God, the rock of our salvation! We thank you, God, for the sound of laughter and the touch of love, for brand new mornings and for dreams held close. Let us come into God’s presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise with songs of praise. Come! Let us worship God. Written by Janice Jean Springer, found in Touch Holiness: Resources for Worship, Updated, eds. Ruth C. Duck and Maren C. Tirabassi (Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim Press, 2012), 103-104. Invocation Wisdom, your presence illuminates our path. Shine your light into dim spaces so that we do not stray from your teaching. Help us discern what you are calling us, your church, to do and be in this moment in time. Give us urgency to be good news in the world and for our neighbors. Let your glory reign among us and your Spirit lead us into truth, justice, and love. For your name and in your name, we pray. Amen. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Rev. Cheryl Lindsay) Song My Lord What a Morning UMH 719 Responsive Reading Psalm 78 UMH 799 Children’s Sermon Decisions with middle schoolers (NEED EXAMPLES) Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25 Decision Time By Lois Parker Edstrom Object suggested: A wallet. Let’s talk about the decisions we make each day. We decide what to eat, when to go to bed, what clothes to put on, what to read, who will make a good friend. Can you think of more examples? Most of the examples we listed would allow many choices. When you decide what to eat you could choose between a peach or an apple, bread or a cracker, soup or yogurt, or you could choose one of each. Now let me give you an example of having two choices, but you must choose just one thing. Suppose you see a wallet lying in the street. It might have a lot of money in it. You can keep the wallet or you can try to return the wallet to its owner. This is a right or wrong decision. You must choose to do one thing or the other. The Bible tells us the story of Joshua, a leader of a group of people called the Israelites and it is a story about making an important decision. This group of people, the Israelites, had been slaves in Egypt and Joshua was one of the men who led them out to a new land. God had protected and helped the people during this journey, but some chose to worship other gods which, in this story, are called foreign gods. Joshua wanted the Israelites to understand that they must choose to serve God or the foreign gods; they could not worship both. They had two choices and Joshua asked them to make one decision. He told them, “… choose this day whom you will serve…” (24:15). Joshua made this important decision for himself. He said, “… as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh (the Lord)” (24:15). Each one of us is also given this choice. We can choose to serve and worship God or do our own thing without God. It is the most important decision you will ever make. Scripture quotations from the World English Bible Copyright 2012, Richard Niell Donovan Baptism of Chandler Stickel (Call children up to think about baptism first – don’t print this) Scripture Joshua 24:1-3, 14-25 Sermon Why are we here today? Perhaps you have heard about the man who died, then awoke in a splendid city of golden streets and fine homes. He was shown to one of the finest, one with a rolling front yard, lovely flowers, luxuriant shrubs. Wondering how to care for those things, he was told that others would do that for him. So, he climbed into a hammock and spent the day contemplating his happy state. Days passed, then weeks. Finally, bored, he sought to do some yard work, but was told that he might not. He then inquired what kind of work he could do. He was told by the follow in charge that he was not allowed to do anything but rest. Finally, the man complained, he said, I never thought that heaven would be this boring. The man in charge stared at him for a minute, then said, what made you think that you were in heaven? I don’t want to say that you have to work hard in order to get into heaven, but I will say that God expects us to keep busy. Most definitely, we are not expected to get comfortable with boredom. The verb “to serve” is repeated seven times just in these last two verses, verses 14-15. It appears fifteen times in this one chapter. Joshua clearly believes that the purpose of his life, the purpose of everyone’s life, is to serve the Lord with all faithfulness. But before they could wholeheartedly serve their Redeemer God, they had to deal with some garbage in their lives. There was something they needed to throw away. This is a fitting message for the stewardship campaign as we are encouraged to love the lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and spirit. And we are encouraged to support the church with our prayers, presence, gifts, witness and our service. This is also a fitting scripture as we welcome baby Chandler into our church family. Baptism is stewardship in action – we have a chance to remember our commitment to God, but we also make a new promised to pass on our faith to the next generation. God challenges us to build a house big enough for all. God is the center of the house, but the house is big enough to include all of God’s children from the littlest to the oldest. When the multimillionaire, Andrew Carnegie, was building a new home for his family, he instructed the architect to place the following inscription over the living-room fireplace: "This hearth is our family altar - its warmth reminds us of Christ's presence in our home." After the house and fireplace were completed, the architect went to Carnegie and said, "You'll have to choose another motto, that one is too long to fit over the fireplace." "No!" said the millionaire, "I want those words. If you must, then tear down that fireplace and build a bigger one." The architect informed him, "Sir, you cannot build a bigger fireplace without building a bigger room!" "All right," was the reply, "tear out the walls and build a bigger room!" The architect then said, "But a bigger room will throw the entire house out of proportion!" "Then tear the entire house down and start over," the millionaire said, "for we must have that motto as a constant reminder that Christ is in our home!" We could say that Andrew Carnegie built his home around the conviction that Jesus Christ was central in his family. Are you building your home around that same conviction? Does your daily life reflect the truth that you really believe Christ is present in your home? Do you show your family that Christ is central to your praying with them? Or is the Lord's Prayer in worship the only time your family prays together? Sometimes we have to build a bigger house with our spirits. Including God in everything that we do can take a lot of work, a lot of effort, and being willing to make the right choices. • We don’t get to read a lot about Joshua’s leadership. Joshua took over leading the Isrealites after Moses retired. Near the closing verses of Joshua. One of the last things he does alive. Before it closes, they bury the bones of Joseph in the promised land • Promise of Genesis: You will be a great nation in this land. • Genesis closes with a great nation in the wrong land • Exodus closes with the nation on the border of the land. • Joshua is the story of possessing the land. It contains some of the most disturbing parts of the Bible. They are now a great people in the land A side note- I think that one of the reasons that we don’t read a lot of the book of Joshua – is because it is a violent book about how they destroyed a lot of people in order to posess the promiseland. Nevertheless, Joshua reminds the people of how far they have come and how far God has brought them. Joshua reminds them that all of the way – it has been a covenant partnership – God and dedication has fulfilled their destiny. Just Friday, I heard a jewish family saying for the second time this week – that I think sums up the message of Joshua – You are not responsible for building the kingdom all by yourself, but you also are not free to walk away from the work that needs to be done. It is all about service, obedience and commitment. Imagine this story – Joshua is an old man, about to retire. He had led the community for many years, he has watched children grow into productive adults. He has seen babies born, he has seen the community grow and change. What started out as a budding dream has become a full blown reality. And many of the children living in that reality, take it for granted. But just before he retires he calls this complicated society together and gives them some words of wisdom – those words have lasted until today. Father Joshua tells us to put aside the Gods that are constantly vying for our attention, concern and duty – and to choose to serve God. Everyday we have to intentionally choose God, or someone or something else will make that choice for us. We have to choose who is going to be God in your life. He encourages us to think about how God has proven to be faithful than the other Gods in our life. We each have to decide who is going to be God in our life. We have to be willing to make a commitment to that God. And to be an example for someone to make that same choice. Many years ago, near the royal English residence on the Isle of Wight, stood several homes for the poor and aged. A missionary, visiting one of the homes, asked a lady, "Does Queen Victoria ever call on you here?" "Oh, yes," was the answer. "Her Majesty frequently comes here to see us." Then, wondering if the woman was a Christian, the missionary inquired, "Does the King of Kings ever visit here?" The lady immediately gave him a happy smile and said, "No sir, he doesn't visit here. Praise God, He lives here! That's why we are so richly blessed!" Does the King of Kings live in your home? Does it have a spiritual atmosphere? Do the plaques on the wall, the books on the shelves, and the records on your stereo announce to those who visit that Christ is central in your home? If you want to have a strong Christian home, your family life must revolve around the powerful presence of Jesus Christ. What are some ways in your life that you choose God? Joshua chose God by choosing to be an example to us all – he says as for me and my house we will choose God. God is calling the Church and saying.... “Church, I have a project for you –a mission that will repurpose, redesign, remodel, renew, and restore one of my fields. Are you up for it? Can you do it? Will you be my creative, innovative “minds in the field”? How many of you have seen an episode of “This Old House”? How many know what I’m talking about? The show, on television for nearly 40 years (since 1979), now also has a website and a magazine. The innovative show has developed a “buzz” as the “go-to” site for creative hands-on remodeling --for men and women alike! Its premise is simple: how to take an ordinary, drab, old, crumbling, or even condemned house, a “fixer-upper” if you will, and renovate and revision that house into a new, sound, and exquisite piece of art based on the identity and style of the homeowner, still while remaining true to the feel of the neighborhood or context. For many, the proposed renovation of a home becomes more than a hobby or a project. It becomes a mission driven by passion, desire, commitment, confidence, a little bit of risk-taking, and a lot of faith in the finesse of your master designer. Creative designer and imagineer Russell Morash conceived of the idea for “This Old House” as he was designing and renovating his own 19th century home. He wanted to help other people do what he could do. But he also wanted to jumpstart others’ imagination and innovation. He dreamed of encouraging people to draw upon their own creative potential! He wanted to help people learn and discover ways of making the house of their choice into a unique reflection both of owner identity and the style of a certain “place and space.” He didn’t just want to show people the nuts and bolts of renovation. He wanted to, as he puts it, “expand the viewers’ perceptions of what a home can be.”* In fact, Jesus is the ultimate Designer and Blueprint all in one. He’s put down the downpayment on the House, He’s given us the blueprint for Eternal Life. And He’s asked us to join Him on an awesome and challenging mission –to repurpose lives, build bridges of communication, connect people in love, beautify relationships, install windows to the world, restore hearts to God. He’s even pointed us to mission “fields” within His Vineyard that need restoring. The choice of fields is up to us. All we need to do is follow along, learn, and try it all out! Right? Granted, home remodeling takes time, dedication, imagination, and a lot of faith. Life remodeling does too. Just ask Jesus! But He’ll be working right beside us. He is our “go-to” master craftsman who knows how to revision, re-mission, re-beautify life! And the Church! He’s got the grand design. And He’s ready to break ground! So why aren’t we excited? What are some ways that we can work to build a home, with God in the center of everything that we do? We can still welcome the next generation into the family, we are still faced with choices that make a difference, we still have a job to do for the community. Is you’re the world important enough to you to give it an extreme home makeover? Former President George Bush was asked the question, "What is your greatest accomplishment in life?" He could have replied that as a fighter pilot in World War II, he was shot down and survived. He could have mentioned that he was the U.S. Ambassador to China, the Vice President of the United States or the President of the United States. He could have talked about his victory in the first Gulf War or the fact that he had two sons that served as governors and one son who is now President, but he didn't say any of that. When asked what his greatest accomplishment in life was George Bush said, "My children still come home." Children will always want to come home, when that home is always under the extreme home makeover that God alone can give. ________________________________________ [1] Cited by Steve Farrar, Getting' There, p. 150 ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., Collected Sermons, by James Merritt It is up to us to be the Joshua people of today – Jesus, Yshua is actually named after Joshua. Jesus calls us to be obedient disciples in service to those around us. We are called to create a home with God as the center, to choose God above everything else and to serve God with everything that we have. We have to be intentional about serving God everyday. I will leave you with this prayer of encouragement. There is a powerful prayer by a man named Joe Seremane that expresses how much we miss out on when we hold back from yielding our hearts to the Lord. Seremane writes, “You asked for my hands that I might use them for your purpose. I gave them for a moment then withdrew them, for the work was hard. “You asked for my mouth to speak out against injustice. I gave you a whisper that I might not be accused. “You asked for my eyes to see the pain of poverty. I closed them, for I did not want to see. “You asked for my life that you might work through me. I gave a small part, that I might not get ‘too involved.’ “Lord, forgive me for my calculated efforts to serve you only when it is convenient for me to do so, only in places where it is safe to do so and only with those who make it easy to do so. My prayer is that we each have to strength to choose God everyday. Amen. Song The Summons TFWS 2130 Pastoral Prayer (Just print the title, not the words) Lord, we are a stubborn and impatient people. We always want to know how things will end. We want to know what the schedule is. We want a "daily planner" from you so that we can be ready. It is interesting that you have already given us a daily planner. The Holy Spirit, who has been given to comfort and guide us, is our daily planner. Daily we are called to come before you in prayer and praise; daily we are challenged by your Holy Spirit to find ways to serve your people in your world. And we do acknowledge this, somewhat. But we still would like to know when we need to have all the "oil for our lamps". Why is it so hard, Lord, for us to be continually ready? Is it because we have placed you to one side in our lives, and when we think you are coming we take our faith down from the shelf and dust it off? Help us to place you at the center of our lives, seeking to daily prepare ourselves for your coming again in glory. As we have brought before you the names of those people who are near and dear to us, we ask your healing love and blessing for them. Their needs are great and our abilities are limited. But we know that with your love, all things are possible. Give us such courage and perseverance that we may faithfully proclaim your love to all creation. Make us ready to receive you, now, in this place and everywhere we are. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment (explain campaign) Offertory Prayer (Print) Loving God, you are our strength. Thank you for your wondrous works. May our praise to you continue from generation to generation. Lord speak to us and teach us new ways to reach new generations, so that they may know the love and care that you have given to us. Use these gifts to develop programs that will draw new people to you. Bless these gifts, Thank you for all that you have given us and for all that we will receive. Let it be used to glorify Your Holy Name. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. Litany [Pentecost 25, Witness, Discipleship, Growth & Change, Commitment, Grace & Mercy, Personal Holiness, Personal Service] L: Ready! Set! Go! P: Wait a minute! Ready for what? L: The Lord is coming to us. We need to be ready P: Just a minute. What is the date? Do you have an arrival time? L: That’s not important. We just need to be ready. P: Listen! That’s not the way the world works. You have to plan these things out. L: But it is the way the Lord works. P: And this "set" business.....what is that all about? L: Taking stock of our lives, healing old wounds, reconciling relationships, forgiveness, service to others, most of all practicing God’s love as Jesus taught us. P: Right now, I have all I can handle. Relationships, old wounds, angers, work for God. I have to see if I can fit it into my schedule. Anyway, won’t God give me a little "grace" period? L: God has always given you a "grace" period. It is your life! P: What do you mean? L: God has offered you blessings and given you gifts. God asks you to be ready to serve, to make a choice. P: Ready to serve God or my schedule? L: Ready to place God first in your life. If you do this, the other things will fall into place. P: I need to reconsider the choices I have made. L: Choose God. Be ready to Go into God’s world to serve. P: Ready: the Lord is Coming. Set: Get your priorities in order, placing God first. Go: serve God. I can do that. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Announcements Closing Prayer for those on Facebook God has called and chosen you to be witnesses to hope and peace in God’s world. Go in peace and this same healing, reconciling love and peace will be with you. Go and serve the Lord your God in all that you do. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction Invite congregants to turn and face the closest doorway and/or threshold. As you prepare to cross the threshold from this place out into the world and as you encounter doorways and thresholds throughout your week, repeat this blessing: May gratitude abound as I meet God and neighbor in this place. Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, May 2023. Additional Illustrations A family moved to a new city where the father's company had transferred him. This meant that little Sharon would enter the first grade in a brand-new school. On the first day of class, the teacher was asking each student to provide her with some information as she called the roll. After asking for the proper spelling of her name, the teacher asked Sharon for her address. The youngster replied, "Miss Smith, we don't have an address yet!" "Oh," said the teacher, "your family doesn't have a home yet?" Sharon replied, "Yes, ma'am, we have a home; we just haven't found a house to put it in!" A little boy asked his busy mother to help him find something to do. So the mother found a large map of the United States on a page in a magazine. With a pair of scissors, she cut up the map into small pieces like a puzzle. Then she gave the pieces and some tape to her son and challenged him to put it together. The youngster returned in almost no time with the map together. Mother was amazed and said, "Son, how did you get that entire map of the United States together so fast?" The youngster said, "It was easy. On the back of the map was a picture of a family. So I turned it over and started to work. Once I got the family put together, the country turned out just right." How true that is! The strength of our nation depends on the strength of our families. Let us be challenged today to work hard to make our houses into homes,... where positive Christian values are transmitted from one generation to the next;... where friends are welcomed and children are more valuable than furniture;... where undesirable pressures are kept out, and where Jesus Christ is kept centralThat's how you make a house a home! C.S.S. Publishing Company, HOME IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD, by R. E. Lybrand Last week we began a series titled The Joshua Principles. And the first Principle was Joshua People Always Look Forward With Hope. We talked about how Hope is based on Trust and Trust is based on Faith and the implications that has in our daily lives and in the life and future of the Church. Today the Joshua Principle I want to look at is "Joshua People Obey and Serve." I think this falls right in step with where we left off last week. You see Faith in God builds Trust which builds Hope. When we Trust God and are Faithful, then God is Faithful too and that deepens our Hope. When we Trust God and are Faithful, then we will Obey God and follow God's Will. I want us to look at two passages this morning. When that happens, within that family of faith we are supported and strengthened and sometimes even rescued. Some of you may have seen this clip form KruegerNational Park on Youtube. The full length version might be a little scary for the little ones, so I've tried to edit it so it still makes its point. And it does have a great ending. (Water Buffalo Clip) I loved how the entire herd came back to rescue that calf. They knew the power of the claws of the lions but they also knew the greater power of the herd. And those water buffalo who sent the lions running and flying, knew the rest of the herd was behind them. That's the way it should be in every church, every faith community. It's good to have a herd. And when the Herd trusts God and is faithful to God through Obedience there is a strength that can't be destroyed. If you remember the 1984 movie, Ralph Macchio plays a new kid who gets crossways with a group of school in crowd bullies. They make his life miserable. The custodian, Mr. Miyagi played by Pat Morita, is a Japanese man who takes an interest in Daniel and says he will train him in Karate. When Daniel shows up, Mr. Miyagi doesn't give him any Karate instructions, he simple gives Daniel a series of what appear to be useless chores. Feeling a little like slave labor, Daniel confronts Mr. Miyagi. (CLIP) The results, of course, are Daniel's ability to transfer that the muscle memory into the needed defensive moves in karate. Pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, who some are calling "Captain Marvel" is a former Air Force fighter pilot who has flown for US Airways for 29 years. He has over 19,000 hours in the air and runs his own safety consulting firm. After 29 years of flying, after 29 years of pre-flight checks, safety checks and all the minutia of flying, you would think maybe someone might begin to take shortcuts, right? And Captain Vince Lombardi (that's his real name, in an interview on Today said he and his crew devote two hours a month to practicing safety drills, man overboard rescue drills and the like to prepare for events like this which we all hope will never happen. It would be easy to say, "Oh, you know for the last six months all of our drills were perfect, we don't need the practice anymore." Shortcuts seem easy. We all tend to do it. Driving on the highway for example. When we were younger, the fear of getting a ticket kept us from speeding. But then we started driving to work every day and when we did the speed limit we felt like we were getting run over by the traffic. Then we began driving fast enough to keep up with the traffic so we didn't impede the flow. And pretty soon you're screaming and hollering at the idiot in front of you who won't get out of the way, right? These two men, their crews and all of the people involved in this event, were diligent in their obedience to following the proper procedures and drills. My contention is that because that, when it came to a time of testing, they were ready to serve and give everything through that service. They didn't have to stop and think about what was right or wrong, they knew and they did almost instinctually. And that only comes from Faith, Trust and Obedience. Why aren’t we excited to “remodel” the Lord’s house? Or in our scripture for today –both Jesus and Joshua call it the “Lord’s Vineyard.” But whichever name you choose, God is the owner and grand designer. We are the tenants, the ones who live on God’s great earth, in God’s house, on God’s vineyard. We are God’s resident tenants, attendants, and staffers. God invests in us and bequests us with creativity to carry out some renovations on God’s behalf. In our scriptures for today, God tells people (through Joshua) at Shechem that it’s time to design and contract a new house in a new place! Time for renovations. Time to put down roots in a “vineyard” they did not plant, to restore people to life in a town they did not build! Are they up for this new project? Are they game for this new contract? Do they have the passion for it? The strength? The daring? The heart? Another issue just as important as the generation gap has to be brought up before we dive into the story told in Joshua 24. The issue in mind has to do with the relationships we nurture across the years. Some people say that all of us give attention to at least four basic relationships throughout our lives: our relationship with God, our relationship with ourselves, our relationship with others, and our relationship with what’s around us, or in other words, our relationship with things. Each of these relationships takes some of our time and demands a certain portion of our energies. Figuring out which relationship matters most can be tricky. Kathleen Kolar was an experienced hiker, having hiked in several popular west coast locations. When visiting Hawaii, she decided to hike a trail that was a grueling eleven miles long. The trail has stream crossings, lava ridges, lush valleys, and 100-foot drop-offs to rocky beaches below. The trek was everything Kathleen had heard — "difficult but spectacular." On her way back, she found herself a "little off trail." She wasn't concerned, all she would have to do is retrace her steps and she would be fine. She was sure the trail would loop around. She continued for a while before realizing that she was well off the trail — in other words, lost. She climbed a steep wall, which used to be a waterfall, hoping to once again find the trail. "It's just you and me, Lord," she prayed. "You alone can get me out of this mess." Things went from bad to worse. She found herself on a small foot-and-a-half perch. She was horrified. It was then that Kathleen realized that she needed to stop so rescuers could find her. It was getting dark; she would have to spend the night on the perch. "I cried and was angry at myself for being so stupid." The next morning, she felt God show her that this hike was similar to her life. She realized how at times her choices had led her away from God. And how those choices would affect her "further down life's path." "On that tiny ledge, I realized that if I were to truly live for God," she explains, "I would have to get to know him better." It took most of the day before anyone found her because of where she was. Unfortunately, the rescuers could not reach her. She would have to spend a second night on that ledge. "I was tired, thirsty, very sunburned and spent," she recalled. Before she was rescued by a helicopter the next day, she felt God remind her of the two greatest commandments, love of God and love of neighbor. "I'd loved Jesus since I was eleven," she said, "but I hadn't yet surrendered my claim on my life. I was still going my own way. Those nights on the ledge, I determined to make knowing God's heart, thoughts, and purposes my passion in life." Another lesson she learned from her experience was that you cannot continue down a wrong path and remain untouched by the consequences. From now on Kathleen says, "I'm letting God lead — and following his path for my life."2 Joshua challenges us today asking what kind of people will we be and to whom will we commit ourselves? Commitment is one of those words that either makes us feel uncomfortable or something that we can easily dismiss as not all that important. While Jesus calls us to be faithful, the choice remains with us this day. In a sense it is a daily choice, a daily commitment, because there are so many things that deceive us, tempt us, and lead us astray. Choose the Lord. Amen.

Life is Full of Choices

November 8, 2020 Joshua 24:1-3,14-25 23rd Sunday After Pentecost Year B Life is Full of Choices Opening Song Welcome Opening Prayer Contemporary Gathering Words (Matthew 25) (Each line could be read by a different voice.) It is time to wake up, for God is about to surprise us. It is time to prepare, for God's love is about to change the world. It is time to get ready, for God needs us to proclaim the good news. It is time to start planning, for God's invitation will fill our church. It is time to worship, for God is here now! Stewardship Moment Offertory Lord, as you have so abundantly blessed each of us, let us return a portion of these gifts in gratitude for all you have given to us. Let us receive our morning offering. Prayer of Dedication Lord, we return a portion of all the gifts you have given to us in remembrance and in gratitude for these blessings. Use these gifts to support ministries of healing and hope, for we ask this in Jesus’ name. AMEN. Scripture Joshua 24:1-3 Common English Bible What God has done 24 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders of Israel, its leaders, judges, and officers. They presented themselves before God. 2 Then Joshua said to the entire people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Long ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates. They served other gods. Among them was Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor. 3 I took Abraham your ancestor from the other side of the Euphrates. I led him around through the whole land of Canaan. I added to his descendants and gave him Isaac. What God has done 24 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders of Israel, its leaders, judges, and officers. They presented themselves before God. 2 Then Joshua said to the entire people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Long ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates. They served other gods. Among them was Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor. 3 I took Abraham your ancestor from the other side of the Euphrates. I led him around through the whole land of Canaan. I added to his descendants and gave him Isaac. 4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Mount Seir to Esau to take over. But Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. 5 Then I sent Moses and Aaron. I plagued Egypt with what I did to them. After that I brought you out. 6 I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. The Egyptians chased your ancestors with chariots and horses to the Reed Sea.[a] 7 Then they cried for help to the LORD. So he set darkness between you and the Egyptians. He brought the sea down on them, and it covered them. With your own eyes you saw what I did to the Egyptians. You lived in the desert for a long time. 8 “Then I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They attacked you, but I gave them into your power, and you took over their land. I wiped them out before you. 9 Then Moab’s King Balak, Zippor’s son, set out to attack Israel. He summoned Balaam, Beor’s son, to curse you. 10 But I wasn’t willing to listen to Balaam, so he actually blessed you. I rescued you from his power. 11 Then you crossed over the Jordan. You came to Jericho, and the citizens of Jericho attacked you. They were Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites. But I gave them into your power. 12 I sent the hornet[b] before you. It drove them out before you and did the same to the two kings of the Amorites. It wasn’t your sword or bow that did this. 13 I gave you land on which you hadn’t toiled and cities that you hadn’t built. You settled in them and are enjoying produce from vineyards and olive groves that you didn’t plant. Challenge to be faithful 14 “So now, revere the LORD. Serve him honestly and faithfully. Put aside the gods that your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt and serve the LORD. 15 But if it seems wrong in your opinion to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Choose the gods whom your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But my family and I will serve the LORD.” 16 Then the people answered, “God forbid that we ever leave the LORD to serve other gods! 17 The LORD is our God. He is the one who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. He has done these mighty signs in our sight. He has protected us the whole way we’ve gone and in all the nations through which we’ve passed. 18 The LORD has driven out all the nations before us, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God.” 19 Then Joshua said to the people, “You can’t serve the LORD, because he is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He won’t forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you leave the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn around and do you harm and finish you off, in spite of having done you good in the past.” 21 Then the people said to Joshua, “No! The LORD is the one we will serve.” 22 So Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD.” They said, “We are witnesses!” 23 “So now put aside the foreign gods that are among you. Focus your hearts on the LORD, the God of Israel.” 24 The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God and will obey him.” Joshua makes a covenant 25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people and established just rule for them at Shechem. Sermon I don’t think it is just me, I think it has been a crazy out of control week for most of us. This is the first time ever that there has been a whole week of 70 degree weather in November – to distract us from staying inside all day. And now that we are starting to gather indoors more – the cases of COVID are skyrocketing. Many of my colleagues have been talking about just tearing up their sermons for the week and dealing with the divisiveness in our country in the midst of an election. No matter who would have won, there would have been deep feelings on either side. Many decided to talk about the results of the presidential election. Lucky for me, I don’t put my sermon on paper until Saturday night. But also my message has not changed because of the events of the day. My message is still to love Jesus, serve Jesus, keep the faith in all circumstances. A little boy asked his busy mother to help him find something to do. So the mother found a large map of the United States on a page in a magazine. With a pair of scissors, she cut up the map into small pieces like a puzzle. Then she gave the pieces and some tape to her son and challenged him to put it together. The youngster returned in almost no time with the map together. Mother was amazed and said, "Son, how did you get that entire map of the United States together so fast?" The youngster said, "It was easy. On the back of the map was a picture of a family. So I turned it over and started to work. Once I got the family put together, the country turned out just right." Faith, service, trust brings us together. As long as we all follow Jesus, he keeps us united in spite of who we are and where we stand. The whole point of Christian community is to learn to keep the faith with people that you disagree with and whom you may not even like, but you know God loves. Our scripture for today comes from the book of Joshua. Now you may not realize that Jesus is the latin version of the name Joshua – meaning God saves. Now when Joshua in our story, came from Egypt in the great exodus – his name was Hoshea. Even as a young man, Moses noticed something special in him – a certain kind of holiness. A devotion to God. So when Moses took him in as his confidante and body guard, he changed his name to Joshua. The adult Sunday school is having a 4 week class on Joshua by the way if you want to know more. I love the challenge of Joshua 24 – choose who you are going to serve. I have a sign in my house that says – As for me and my house I choose to serve the Lord. Before learning the story of Joshua now, I always pictured this scene at Shecem where Joshua gathers the people, happening while Joshua was a young strong soldier, challenging the community to serve God. And as head of a household telling people that he had made that choice for his family. When actually, this story happens after Moses death. Joshua has been leading for 28 years, and now he is an older man. As a matter of fact, this is two years before Joshua dies at 110. By this time there was a generation gap between him and the majority of the families he was leading. Back in his day, it was assumed that you were faithful and that you loved God. Your family had no choice but to go to the tabernacle. In the wilderness of course you were faithful to God – you had no choice. But this generation was settled, they did not have to rely on God for survival, and there were other tribes that they could relate to. With this new life came choices – choices of what to do with you time and even of what to believe. It is sort of like in modern times, when young families can decide between church, sleeping in, or sports. True story – Chris, a young lady was in the confirmation class. In order to be confirmed they all needed to meet with the church elders. Chris did not show up for that meeting because she had a soccer game at the same time. Everyone else attended. When it was time for them to have class, everyone but Chris showed up. Her family had planned a trip for that Sunday, and they would not reschedule. When it came time for her to be confirmed, the elders chose not to allow her. They said that given the choices that she was making with her time, that perhaps she was not ready to become a member of the church. Being long time members of the church, of course the family was furious that this decision had been made. Life is full of choices, sometimes the choices that we make are not so much about right and wrong, good and bad. Sometimes both choices are good. But many times one of those choices doesn’t involve God. Joshua was giving the message that we should chose God in all that we do, But he also warned not to choose God lightly. God takes our choice very serious. Every choice that we make has consequences, every choice that we make has responsibilities, every choice that we make involves change. As I said, as a young man, Moses saw that Joshua was a man of faith. When Joshua became a soldier, and worked with Moses – He had to take a personal vow to be a servant of God. That personal vow made all of the difference in the world. Now as he is trying to get the community to be united under God – he realizes that the community has to take that same vow to put God before the world. In the midst of all of the choices that they had to live, He wants them to choose God. Interestingly, this is the first time that the people have been given a choice to serve. In all of the Hebrew Bible stories, It is God who makes the choice, and the people who follow along. That is not a real personal choice. I taught confirmation class for many years. And I always stressed to parents that I was trying to get the child to make a choice for themselves. When my son went through confirmation, I told him that it was his decision to make, as long as he made the right choice. In which case we would have to resort to other measures. He chose to be confirmed, so all is well that ends well. But of course as an adult, he does not attend church on a regular basis. Joshua wants to make sure that the people stay faithful long after he is gone. Joshua’s challenge was not a beginning, it was an end. He knew he couldn’t lead them much longer. There was not an obvious leader to pass the mantle on to . He was not giving direction on what the future holds for them. He didn’t give them any answers about what comes next. All he did was to challenge them to choose whom they were going to serve in the midst of the uncertaintly. A lot of times, when we are uncertain about the present, we look into the future, and we don’t see God anywhere. We start to panick and think that God has abandoned us. Have you ever noticed that in those times, the only way that you can regocnize God’s presence is to look back at the past, and see that God was there all of the time. Some years ago, I heard the poignant story of a woman struggling to reestablish a relationship with her father.2 "When I was a child," she recalled, "my dad and I were as close as we could be. And the times I knew it best would be at those family reunions, when after the big meal, they'd move all the furniture, crank up the stereo, and start playing polka records -- one after another. Eventually, someone would put on the 'Beer Barrel Polka.' It was our special song. And my father would come over with outstretched hand and say, 'Come on, girl, let's roll them blues away!' And we'd dance -- my father and I -- we'd dance. "As a teenager, however, I started to despise the silliness of those family get-togethers. I remember one occasion in particular when, for reasons known only to adolescents, I sat moping on the sofa in one of those don't-associate-with-anybody moods. As the 'Beer Barrel Polka' began to play, my father came over with outstretched hand. But I glared at him with icy indifference. 'Just leave me alone,' I muttered under my breath. Startled, he turned, and never invaded my privacy again. He danced with my mother, he danced with my sisters, but not with me. "I'd come home from a date, and he'd be waiting for me in the old chair -- his bathrobe loosely tied at the waist, an opened book in his lap, half asleep. 'What are you doing up?' I'd say. 'Why don't you just go to bed?' He'd look at me with sad, pleading eyes and whisper, 'I was just waiting for you, that's all. I was just waiting for you.' "I was glad to leave that house when I finally graduated high school. My father and I had a distant, formal relationship, but not much more. Eventually, though, I began to miss what we had once enjoyed -- only I wasn't quite sure how to bridge the gap. Until one day, when I happened to be home for a family reunion, somebody put on the 'Beer Barrel Polka.' As my father walked across the room, I went up to him with outstretched hand and said, 'Daddy, I believe this is our dance.' He looked at me and smiled, 'I've been waiting for you. I've been waiting for you.' " "As for me and my household," Joshua proclaims, "we will serve the Lord." Are there any other takers? The choice is ours. The time is now. And all of heaven waits .... Some people say that all of us give attention to at least four basic relationships throughout our lives: our relationship with God, our relationship with ourselves, our relationship with others, and our relationship with what’s around us, or in other words, our relationship with things. Each of these relationships takes some of our time and demands a certain portion of our energies. Figuring out which relationship matters most can be tricky. Of course, in those 4 relationships, there are 4 types of choices to make. Joshua’s message to us in the modern area, facing an uncertain future, is that when we choose God first – everything else falls into place. I tell that story to let you know that there will be times when we will Forget, Neglect and Turn Away. But hear the Good News. God will not forsake us or leave us. Hear the Good News, God will continue to call us and remind us of God's promises. Hear the Good News God will continue to offer forgiveness and a way home; if we will turn to God and Remember, Remind and Recommit. CSS Publishing Company, Inc., From the Pulpit, by Billy D. Strayhorn Let us pray……. Prayer Knowing we won’t know and sitting in the not knowing are not the same. We are in this together, for the short term and the long haul. We see each other, and we know that the only path to wholeness is through the rough terrain of truth-telling and repair work that will be required no matter the outcome of this election. We will feed each other and care for one another, meeting despair with tender compassion and anxiety with deep peace. We will reach for the visions and dreamcasts of our ancestors and conspire for a kind of peace and liberation that will set us loose in ways our opponents can’t even imagine. Breathe now, so you are restored for the resistance. Breathe deep, so you are grounded in love. Take courage, and remember, you are not alone. Rev. Shawna Bowman Lord’s Prayer Song for Reflection The Battle Hymn of the Republic Announcements Benediction Community Time Benediction Closing Prayer/Sending Forth Hold back and wonder what might have been; choose God and rejoice in the many ways you will see God’s love in the world. It’s all about choices — which will you choose? This answer can make all the difference in your life. Go in peace! AMEN. Children’s Sermon Additional Illustrations An old Reader's Digest story told of a man who flew his own plane but got tired of the long auto trip from the airport to his country place which was situated on a lovely lake. So he equipped his plane with pontoons so he could land right in front of his cottage. However, on his first trip up to the country with his newly-equipped plane, he headed for a landing at the airport just as he always had done in the past. Old habits are hard to break. But just as he was going in for the landing it dawned on his wife what was happening and she hollered, "What do you think you're doing? You can't land this thing on the runway. You don't have any wheels, you've got pontoons on it!" Fortunately, her warning shout was in time and he pulled up from his landing pattern, swung the airplane around, and headed the plane for a landing on the lake. After the plane landed safely on the lake he heaved a really big sigh of relief, turned to his wife and said, "That's about the stupidest thing I've ever done!" And then he opened the door, stepped out and fell directly into the lake." I tell that story to let you know that there will be times when we will Forget, Neglect and Turn Away. But hear the Good News. God will not forsake us or leave us. Hear the Good News, God will continue to call us and remind us of God's promises. Hear the Good News God will continue to offer forgiveness and a way home; if we will turn to God and Remember, Remind and Recommit. CSS Publishing Company, Inc., From the Pulpit, by Billy D. Strayhorn Another issue just as important as the generation gap has to be brought up before we dive into the story told in Joshua 24. The issue in mind has to do with the relationships we nurture across the years. Our nation will stand strong or feebly fall on the foundation of its homes. If moral and spiritual decay continue to nibble away at the fiber of American family life, then the downfall of this country is approaching rapidly. But if you and I, as Believers, will set an example by constantly working to create strong Christian homes for our families, there may be hope for the future. How true that is! The strength of our nation depends on the strength of our families. Let us be challenged today to work hard to make our houses into homes,... where positive Christian values are transmitted from one generation to the next;... where friends are welcomed and children are more valuable than furniture;... where undesirable pressures are kept out, and where Jesus Christ is kept centralThat's how you make a house a home! C.S.S. Publishing Company, HOME IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD, by R. E. Lybrand

Choose You This Day Whom You Will Serve

November 9, 2014 Joshua 24:14-28 Choose Who You will serve Year A Joshua This is one of the most important lessons in the bible for me. Moses of course was the leader who led the Isrealites out of Egypt. But it was Joshua who had to take them to the next level. Joshua led them to the promisedland, and it was Joshua who helped them to understand what it meant to be a child of God. God requires something of us all – we all have work to do. The isrealites had started to get comfortable in the promisedland, but along with being comfortable, they seemed to forget about God’s place in their life. It was God who led them out of Egypt, It was God that provided manna for him, It was God who led them in timesof trouble, It was God who provided a place for them. But now that all of those promises has been fulfilled, life was about them, and what they did, how hard they worked, and what they depended on to get through every day life. What do we depend on besides God? Today, we may not have quite reached the promisedland in our lives, but we all do have a life routine. We all have people, practices, and things that we rely on to get through every day life. What things do you rely on to get through your life? Some of us depend on our jobs, or a monthly check in order to pay our bills, some of us depend on a friend or family member to get us through hard times. Some of us depend on our car – to get us where we have to go. We all depend on somebody to get us through. What are the things that you depend on every day? There is nothing wrong with depending on something to get through life. The problem comes when we forget that all of those things, those people are agents of God’s grace in our lives. The problem comes when we put the things that we depend on first, and God last. God should always be first. If we depend on the Lord to get us through, then everything that we need will fall into place That is what Joshua was trying to get the children of the promise to realize. They had gotten comfortable in their life. But in their comfortableness, they started to rely on themselves, and not God. So Joshua calls them together and challenges them. - choose you this day whom you will serve, Will you serve the gods of the past, or the God of the present. When we set others things in our lives as more important than our relationship with God – those things become our god – with a little g. The Choices we make Choose ye this day whom you will serve? Are you going to serve God, or are you going to choose other things. Eleanor Roosevelt once said that you can tell a lot about a person from the choices that they make. BILLY GRAHAM: CHOICES Billy Graham said, "The strongest principle of life and blessings lies in our choice. Our life is the sum result of all the choices we make, both consciously and unconsciously. If we can control the process of choosing, we can take control of all aspects of our life. We can find the freedom that comes from being in charge of our life. So start with what is right rather than what is acceptable. "If you don’t make a decision, then time will make it for you, and time will always side against you." Where do we put God in the midst of our choices. There were a lot of people who constantly reminded Joshua of how wonderful things were in Egypt. They did not have to worry about anything, life was easy. They did not have to make any hard choices. Remember how you used to make a choice when you were a child? Suppose you had to chooses between wearing the red shirt or the blue shirt – and you couldn’t decide – you would go eeny meeny miny moe – catch a tiger by the toe if he hollers let him go, eeny meeny miny moe. And wherever your finger was pointing – that was the choice that you made. Choosing to serve God is not a eeny meeny miny moe choice. It is much deeper than that. Joshua says – choose ye this day whom you will serve. If we don’t make a choice, a choice makes us In Egypt life may have been easier, but you were a slave – a slave to every day life. That things that you depended on to get you through life became your master. But the things that hold us in bondage – do not always have our best interest at heart. People who hold us hostage – don’t have our best interest at heart- they only care about themselves. Former president Ronald Reagan once had an aunt who took him to a cobbler for a pair of new shoes. The cobbler asked young Reagan, "Do you want square toes or round toes?" Unable to decide, Reagan didn't answer, so the cobbler gave him a few days. Several days later the cobbler saw Reagan on the street and asked him again what kind of toes he wanted on his shoes. Reagan still couldn't decide, so the shoemaker replied, "Well, come by in a couple of days. Your shoes will be ready." When the future president did so, he found one square-toed and one round-toed shoe! "This will teach you to never let people make decisions for you," the cobbler said to his indecisive customer. "I learned right then and there," Reagan said later, "if you don't make your own decisions, someone else will." Today in the Word, MBI, August, 1991, p. 16. colored divine was once asked to explain the doctrine of election. Said he, “Brethren, it is this way: The Lord he is always voting for a man, and the Devil he is always voting against him; then the man himself votes, and that breaks the tie!” Choose ye this day whom you will serve – will you serve the gods of your life, or will you serve the living God who loves you, who supports you – who led you through the wilderness – who promised you a fulfilling life, and who never goes back on his choices. Rechoice a recommitment Joshua offers this time of decision, just as he is about to die. This is his last conversation with the people. But he reminds us that sometimes when you make a choice –you will find in life that you will have test in your life, when you will have to make that choice over and over again. When you get married, if the relationship last for a long time, you will have to make a choice to marry that person all over again, and again, again. When we choose to follow God – we will have to make that choice again, and again. When we choose to join a church, we will have to make that choice again and again. When we make a decision to have faith- there is no guarantee that things will turn our well. We will all come to those times when we have to ask ourselves if me made the right choice. Choosing God does not mean everything will be perfect. As a matter of fact, most of the time it makes things worse. And yet when we choose god we cant go wrong. God has no policeman to pass around and grab us by the neck and say you must read your Bible, or you must go to Church, or you must give to Missions. When God created man, He made man superior to all other creatures. He gave man the power and privilege of CHOICE. Up to now the Lord respects that privilege. He will not force us. With that privilege of Choice, goes the terrible responsibility of abiding by the results or consequences of our choices. Perhaps you’ve heard about the man who died, then awoke in a splendid city of golden streets and fine homes. He was shown to one of thefinest, one with arolling front yard, lovely flowers, luxuriant shrubs. Wondering how to care for those things, hewastold that others would dothatforhim. So, he climbed in a hammock and spent the daycontemplating his happy state. Days passed, thenweeks. Finally,bored, he sought to do someyard work but was told that hecouldnot. He then inquired what kindofwork hecould do. He was told by thefellow incharge that he was not allowed to do anything butrest. Finally, theman complained. He said, I neverthought heavenwould bethisboring. The man in charge asked – whatmakesyou thinkyour areinheaven? Choose the Lord God requires something of us always – to make a choice and to live in that choice. I love Joshua’s final words so much, I have them on the wall in my house – as for me and my house – we choose to serve to Lord. Choose you this day whom you will serve. when I was a child, and played games with my friends we used to use the “Eenie, Meanie, Miny, Mo” method to make decisions concerning which game to play, or who would be in the game. And at the end of that ryhme we would say, “if he hollers let Him go... eenie, meanie, miny, mo.” Well... now that I’m grown, physically and spiritually, I realize that Jesus is the best choice for my life! AND CHURCH... I CAN’T LET HIM GO! I’ve made up my mind to be like Jacob, who wrestled with God all night long... I won’t let Him go until He blesses me! And guess what... He doesn’t have to holler... I’ll holler myself!! Somebody said, “When I think of His goodness and all that He’s done for me, my soul has to holler hallelujah, I think Him for saving me!” Let uspray…..Amen. Children’s Sermon…… Theme: Choosing to follow Jesus - Proper 18 (23) Year C Object: A soccer ball and a book of piano music. Scripture: "And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:27 (NIV) A soccer ball and a music book -- two very different things that play an important part in a story about Katy, a girl about the age of some of you. Katy faced a very difficult decision. Many of her friends had signed up to play soccer. Katy liked to play soccer too, and she wanted to be with her friends, but she also liked to play the piano and had been taking piano lessons for a couple of years. Soccer practice was at the same time as her piano lesson and playing soccer would take away from the time she needed to practice the piano. There was no way she could do both. What should she do? Should she quit piano and play soccer with her friends, or should she finish what she had started and continue with her piano lessons? Finally, Katy came up with an idea. She sat down with a sheet of paper and drew a line down the center of the page. At the top of the page on one side of the line she wrote, "Piano." On the other side of the line she wrote, "Soccer." Below the word soccer, she wrote all of the advantages of playing soccer with her friends. Below the word piano, she wrote all of the advantages of being able to play the piano. After she had considered all of the advantages and disadvantages of each choice, Katy made her decision. She decided to continue her piano lessons. After all, she could still see her friends at school, and playing the piano was something that she would enjoy for the rest of her life. We all face important decisions in life. The most important decision we face is whether we will follow Jesus or not. Perhaps you might say, "Oh, that is an easy decision. Of course I will follow Jesus," but Jesus warned that it isn't always easy to follow him. He said that we should sit down and count the cost. Will we choose to follow him if it means giving up friends who are making bad choices? Will we choose to follow him if it means moving to a far away place and leaving our family behind? Will we choose to follow him if it means we will never live in a big house or drive a fancy car? Jesus said, "Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Where did Jesus carry his cross? He carried it to Calvary. It was on that cross that Jesus gave his life so that you and I could have everlasting life. When we choose to carry our cross, it means that we are willing to give up everything to follow Jesus. It is a choice we have to make. Dear Jesus, we thank you for being willing to carry your cross to Calvary. Help us to make the choice to take our cross and follow you. Amen. Text Illustration: THE BIG BLACK DOOR An Arab chief tells a story of a spy who was captured and then sentenced to death by a general in the Persian army. This general had the strange custom of giving condemned criminals a choice between the firing squad and the big, black door. As the moment for execution drew near, the spy was brought to the Persian general, who asked the question, "What will it be: the firing squad or the big, black door?" The spy hesitated for a long time. It was a difficult decision. He chose the firing squad. Moments later shots rang out confirming his execution. The general turned to his aide and said, "They always prefer the known way to the unknown. It is characteristic of people to be afraid of the undefined. Yet, we gave him a choice." The aide said, "What lies beyond the big door?" "Freedom," replied the general. "I’ve known only a few brave enough to take it." -- Don McCullough, "Reasons to Fear Easter," Preaching Today, Tape No. 116. FAITHFUL INSTRUCTIONS There was a man who got lost in the desert. After wandering around for a long time his throat became very dry, about that time he saw a little shack in the distance. He made his way over to the shack and found a water pump with a small jug of water and a note. The note read: "pour all the water into the top of the pump to prime it, if you do this you will get all the water you need". Now the man had a choice to make, if he trusted the note and poured the water in and it worked he would have all the water he needed. If it didn’t work he would still be thirsty and he might die. Or he could choose to drink the water in the jug and get immediate satisfaction, but it might not be enough and he still might die. After thinking about it the man decided to risk it. He poured the entire jug into the pump and began to work the handle, at first nothing happened and he got out he drank all he wanted, took a shower, and filled all the containers he could find. Because he was willing to give up momentary satisfaction, he got all the water he needed. Now the note also said: after you have finished, please refill the jug for the next traveller.” The man refilled the jug and added to the note: “ Please prime the pump, believe me it works”! We have the same choice to make, do we hold on to what we have because we don’t believe there are better things in store for us, and settle for immediate satisfaction?