Hold Fast

A long time afterward, when the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, Joshua summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, “I am now old and well advanced in years.And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you. Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. The Lord your God will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you. Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day. For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you. “And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you, if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.” (Joshua 23, ESV)

When things go your way for a while it is hard to remember when you had to rely on the promises of someone else. Joshua is telling the whole of the people of God to remember the promises that God had made to them, now that they have been living in peace for some time. They need to remember when they were wandering in the wilderness and needed to rely on God for everything.

Even now when live is peaceful and good, we still need to rely on God. We need to hold fast to the promises He has made us. He will be good to His word and uphold the promises He made, for our benefit and for our demise. He will give us everything He has promised us in His word.

So if things have gone well for you, that is wonderful you have lived in the peacefulness that has been provided to you, but you still must hold fast to the promises of God. And if you are still walking in a valley that seems to have no end, remember that His people (of whom you are one) wandered in the wilderness for 40 years without a home, but not without Him! Hold fast, for He is holding fast to you.

faithful is He…

You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord: When people fall, do they not get up again? If they go astray, do they not turn back? Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They have held fast to deceit, they have refused to return. I have given heed and listened, but they do not speak honestly; no one repents of wickedness, saying, “What have I done!” All of them turn to their own course, like a horse plunging headlong into battle. Even the stork in the heavens knows its times; and the turtledove, swallow, and crane observe the time of their coming; but my people do not know the ordinance of the Lord. How can you say, “We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us,” when, in fact, the false pen of the scribes has made it into a lie? The wise shall be put to shame, they shall be dismayed and taken; since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what wisdom is in them? Therefore I will give their wives to others and their fields to conquerors, because from the least to the greatest everyone is greedy for unjust gain; from prophet to priest everyone deals falsely. They have treated the wound of my people carelessly, saying, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace. They acted shamefully, they committed abomination; yet they were not at all ashamed, they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time when I punish them, they shall be overthrown, says the Lord. When I wanted to gather them, says the Lord, there are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree; even the leaves are withered, and what I gave them has passed away from them. (Jeremiah 8:4-13 NRSV)

the false pen of the scribes has made it into a lie…

…from prophet to priest everyone deals falsely…

…from the least to the greatest everyone is greedy for unjust gain…

We are all guilty of doing wrong. Of turning from the Lord to the wickedness of our flesh. Jeremiah hears from God that He has always upheld His end of the deal. He has always been there. “I have given heed and listened…” God is always there for us to return to. He has always been a friend to His enemy, you and me. He has loved us before we should have been loved and still loves us when we turn our backs on Him and run where our little hearts want to take us. He loves us no matter what.

We need to heed the Lord and follow where He is leading us. Not just blindly following the priest or the prophet, for they can deal falsely when led by their own desires. Nor should we heed the scribe for they have made the truth into a lie. We can not hold to what has always been when God is clearly telling us to go a new way. We need to heed God and follow where He lead us, for traditions will not save us, only Jesus could do that…

So trust not in man, but put your trust in God alone and know what He promises will always stand strong.

wonderfully made…

Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word. I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight. Let the insolent be put to shame, because they have wronged me with falsehood; as for me, I will meditate on your precepts. Let those who fear you turn to me, that they may know your testimonies. May my heart be blameless in your statutes, that I may not be put to shame! (Psalm 119:73-80, ESV)

Do you have any issues that seem to be insurmountable?

Recently as an ordained pastor of the ELCA, who is looking for a call, I have watched several friends receive calls and move on to other places and opportunities in ministry, as I seem to wait for the next phase of life God has in store for me and my family. This might sound like I am concerned or upset. And to say that I am not would not admit the humanness that makes me up. It is upsetting, and I worry about the well being of my family, and my wife, and how I will continue to minister.

But my life is not all dark clouds…

I read the psalm for today and I am reminded that God formed me with His hands. He fashioned me to be a part of His plan, a part only He completely understands and knows how it will play out. So I fear nothing, and worry only in my humanness, because I know that I am made by my creator and He is watching over me. His mercy will come to me and my enemies will  not stand before Him.

So trust in the one who formed you before you were a twinkle in the eyes of your mother and delight in His mercy.

Piece of the puzzle…

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, “Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.” ‘Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.’ The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’ (Luke 10:1-11, 16-20, NRSV)

Today’s lesson is easily read for many different things.

We read it and hear we should have the power to cure diseases, heal the ill, and cast out demons… Well can’t we all do this? Jesus gave the disciples the power to do what He had done and even greater things… So why are we not casting out demons and curing the sick? We are, we just may not realize we are…

Jesus also tells us that we will tread on snakes and scorpions and nothing will hurt us. As one little man said this morning, “Jesus gives us the power over the bugs!” We can tread on evil and it will not effect us.

Or how about Jesus said, “do not be over joyed because the evil spirits obey you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

These are all great things, but what is really the thing Jesus is getting to in this text?

I see 2 things…

1. We are sent out in pairs. We are not to go it alone.
2. We are to rely on the generosity of others. We are to take nothing with us.

We are not in this alone. I use the analogy of a puzzle. If you put the border together you see the boundaries that God has set for the body and the image He has designed. Now each of us is a piece in the puzzle. The picture is not complete without all of us. We need everyone else to make the picture that God has designed come to life. We can not go it alone, and we have to rely on others, and that is number 2. We have to more than us, and we have to rely on others. We are to be interdependent.  We are individuals, only in the sense that we are unique people God has created to be a part of His picture. Our individualism will only get us so far. As Benjamin Franklin said at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, “We must hang together, or assuredly we will all hang separately.”

We are interdependent on each other. We are not created to be alone, we are a part of the body, and we need each other, just as the others, need us.

Without your piece, the puzzle is incomplete.

Vunerable

20130706-094148.jpgAnd he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. And he said to them, Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them. And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. (Luke 9:1-6 ESV)

Jesus is sending out the twelve to heal and power over demons, to proclaim the kingdom of God. They were told to take nothing for their journey.

Have you ever gone on a trip and not packed a bag? Or made sure that you had extra money to get the things you will need? You plan for a trip just going across town or for the day. Jesus told the disciples to go and not to take anything with them but to make themselves vulnerable and to depend upon the generosity of others for everything.

Jesus is sending us out and asking us to be vulnerable as well. We need to depend upon others. We can not do it alone. We are not self made people, we need others to help us and to get us to the places we need to be. We need others, just like they need us.

So do not think of yourself as a self made person, but remember you need others, just like others need you.

Stewardship ≠ money

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord,begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints—and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. (2 Corinthians 8:1-7, ESV)

Great here we go again. Someone telling us we have to give and give more than we can. A lot of time and energy is spent in the church today talking about stewardship and stewardship we all know equals money.

Stewardship is not money. It is not the amount you give to the church, or you give to any where. It is much more than money. Stewardship is who we are as disciples. It is how we live our lives knowing that everything we have is a gift given to us by God. You see we are to be stewards of all God has give us.A steward is someone who manages or cares for what has been placed in their care. We are to manage the resources that God has given us to care for and use them in a way that forwards God’s mission.

One way to look at this is, I see the three wonderful girls I have as daughters as gifts from God, and they are a part of the resources I must steward for the betterment of God’s mission. How I raise them and teach them is all a part of my stewardship to God. It is not just about the money I have and give. It is about everything.

Paul today gives us an example of a group that has given monetarily according to their means, and then more. That is what the Hebrew Scriptures tell us about giving as well. We have to give our first fruits in our means (a tithe or 10%) and then our personal giving is over and above that. We must give from everything we have been given. And manage the rest we use for ourselves as resources for God’s mission.

So everything you do is stewardship, because every action you take has an impact on the mission of God and the spreading of His love to all of the world!

 

Do do…

20130704-141449.jpgFor we know that the law is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin. (Romans 7:14-25 NRSV)

Have you ever done something and wondered when you had finished doing it why you had done it? Or maybe it didn’t take you to complete the action to wonder why you were doing it.

We are hung up in our flesh and the sinful life of our past. We try to get away from it, but on our own we can not do it. We are incapable of breaking away from our flesh and satisfying the desires of flesh and making ourselves better and moving ourselves forward.

Either way Paul is saying it is not us. We either give control over to Jesus or to our flesh. Jesus has rescued us from our sin and death if we will follow Him and let Him have control.

Sunshine and roses

20130703-232143.jpg“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! (Matthew 10:16-25, NRSV)

Did you get the sense that things would not be easy as followers of Jesus?

But isn’t being a disciple suppose to be sunshine and roses? I mean everything is suppose to be great when we follow God. Everyone will get along and we will all come to the same understanding at the same time. Well that isn’t what happened for Jesus, who came to show us how to live the life God has called us to, and when He did, He was handed over to the authorities and killed for it. Handed over by His own disciple, His own people. The ones who were suppose to understand Him, be u tied with Him. They didn’t get it. They were so hung up o. Their religious system that they didn’t want to be bothered with what God wanted.

We are not above the teacher, but what they did to the teacher, we can expect. The religious order of the day wanted nothing to do with Jesus or His followers and you can bet the established religious order of the day will want nothing to do with Jesus’ followers today either. It is not all sunshine and roses… God calls us to go and be pitted against those whom love us and we love in order to get Is message out there.

So be wise as serpents and innocent as doves and know that those around you who are suppose to be for you, might just be the wolves in sheep clothing that Jesus warned us about. We need to follow Jesus knowing it is not all going to be easy and we might be called out, but when we are called out or handed over, He will be there to guide our words and our actions, so His love and grace and mercy are shown.

So follow Him, knowing He is always with you.

come to mind, remembered, missed, or made again…

“‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the Lord, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the Lord.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage. (Jeremiah 3:15-18, ESV)

Did you hear what the prophet said? Or better yet did you hear what God said through Jeremiah?

We read this passage and the others in the Hebrew Scriptures that point to the union of the nations. But do we really read them and allow them to speak to us? We see this and hear that the nations will be united, that people will not follow after their own evil hearts and all will be united under God. We hear this because deep down we really all want this. We want the dissension and back biting and the rivalries to be done. We want to be united because that is what God has promised will happen!

But what we miss in the above text is when the shepherds come that God is sending, the shepherds who will feed knowledge and understanding, then the Ark of the Covenant will vanish…

And the Ark of the Covenant is the place where the law resides. So the law will not come to mind, be remembered or missed or be made again! The law will not matter because we will be united in Him.

So if the law will not matter why do we make such a big deal out of it now? If we can get past the differences the law instills in us, will we not be where God promises we will be?

So make sure you are right with God and love others as God first loved you!