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Whom do you serve?
Joshua 24: 1-3, 14-25
There are times in life when it is important to renew commitments and remind yourself why you made the commitment in the first place. At the end of the book of Joshua, the leader of the Israelites calls the people to renew their commitment to God. The country is at peace. Life is going well. People are comfortable. And, Joshua asks: Whom do you serve?
One commentator has noted that “this is a defining moment for Israel, in that the people are asked not only to identify their god, but to shape their own self-identity as well.” [i] When we identify the god we serve, we begin to define who we are as persons and as a people. This was true in the ancient world and it is true today.
"Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. 2And Joshua said to all the people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors—Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor—lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods. 3Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac;"
‘Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’
16 Then the people answered, ‘Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; 17for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; 18and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.’
"19 But Joshua said to the people, ‘You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good.’ 21And the people said to Joshua, ‘No, we will serve the Lord!’ 22Then Joshua said to the people, ‘You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.’ And they said, ‘We are witnesses.’ 23He said, ‘Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.’ 24The people said to Joshua, ‘The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey.’ 25So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem."
Whom do you serve? This question is a challenge, because there are times we place something other than God at the center of our lives.
When my husband and I were first married we lived in a small apartment in San Francisco. We were just starting our careers and we had big dreams for the future. My aunt and uncle came to visit. After dinner that evening, we talked to them about moving and owning our own home, buying new furniture, making more money. In our minds this was the ticket to happiness and freedom. My uncle looked around and said to us: you are going to look back on this as the happiest time of your life. At the time, I thought that was ridiculous. In fact, I didn’t understand what he was talking about. I thought that the more we had the better life would be.
Some 20 years later, when we lived in a large house, with a big yard to mow, a driveway with 4 cars in it and college tuition to pay, I thought about what he said. And, when my husband and I downsized and moved temporarily into an apartment again, we finally understood what my uncle meant. The pressing obligations, continual upkeep of everything we owned, and the stress of all the stuff had pushed God to the margins. Even though I was serving the church, I realized how easy it was to serve other gods. My work, my achievements and my ambitions sometimes pushed God to the edges of my life. I knew this wasn’t right, but it just happened. I had responsibilities and obligations. But, secretly I hoped God would make my life easier, without my having to make any changes.
Well-known Charlotte artist Romare Bearden is quoted as saying:
"You have to go back to where you started to gain insights. Things that aren’t essential have been stripped away and the meaning of other things has become clear."
Once we begin to strip away the non-essential things that clutter our lives we gain clarity and are able to make different choices. We don’t have to do this. The decision isn’t forced on any of us. We are asked to choose whom we will serve. We are free to choose.
Many of us haven’t thought about this in a long time. We had the decision about whom we would serve made for us when we were babies; then we confirmed this choice as teenagers. We have routines and habits and this is one of them. Our text this morning invites us to return to the question again – to make a choice and renew our commitment.
How do we begin to do this?
We need to know who we are choosing. Which God are we putting at the center of our lives? There is a book many of us are reading by Rob Bell called Love Wins. You heard Steve make a reference to it last week. Bell’s premise is that the story of the bible is: “God so loved the world . . . that’s why Jesus came.”
But, he goes on to say that this story has been hijacked by a number of other stories, that have nothing to do with what Jesus came to do.” [ii] For many this has created a barrier to God and our ability to choose God as the one we will serve. Bell writes:
"Do you know any individuals who grew up in a Christian church and then walked away when they got older? Often pastors and parents and brothers and sisters are concerned about them and their spirituality – and often they should be. But sometimes those individuals’ rejection of church and the Christian faith they were presented with as the only possible interpretation of what it means to follow Jesus may in fact be a sign of spiritual health. They may be resisting behaviors, interpretations, and attitudes that should be rejected. Perhaps they simply came to a point where they refused to accept the very sorts of things that Jesus would refuse to accept." [iii]
If God is not whom you serve . . . perhaps it’s because the god you reject should be rejected. Who wants to serve a God who is described as hating people because of their beliefs or their politics, or their ethnicity? We all have seen signs that tell us what God hates at every kind of protest and demonstration. This past week I even saw a sign that read "God hates banks." Really! Is this the same God that invites us to love the way Jesus loves; to serve the way Jesus serves; to offer healing and hope the way Jesus does? I don’t think so.
It’s important to ask which God will be at the center of our lives. Which God will we serve? Which gods will we turn away from? How do we choose?
John Maxwell, a well-known leadership expert and speaker writes:
“Learn to say ‘no’ to the good so you can say “yes” to the best.”
His premise is that there are many good things that we could be doing, but knowing that there is only a limited amount of time, what is the “best” thing we could be doing? This quote has been helpful to leaders as they make decisions. It can help us as we review our choices and as we reflect on our priorities. How do we sort out the good from the best? This will be unique to each one of us and our circumstances; however, there are a couple of things I will suggest to get you started.
First, think about what you are doing. How you are living your life and what kind of choices have you made? Is this how you want to live?
Second, do you want to make any changes? If not, why not? You might be perfectly happy with your life the way it is.
Third, stop and take time to pray. Talk to God. Maybe you could sit still and listen. Turn the Blackberry off or if that doesn’t work shoot God a note on the Blackberry. God gets it. Whatever works. You already know how you make decisions in life. So, apply that to this decision.
Finally, ask yourself: what is the best thing you could be doing when it comes to faith?
Bill Hybels, the founding pastor of the Willow Creek church in the Chicago area, wrote a book I read many years ago called The God You’re Looking For. He tells this story:
“On a sunny August morning, three different couples prepare for a weekend of sailing. One couple get out of their car the one with the license plate holder that reads, “I’d Rather Be Sailing,” and begin to haul their provisions to the boat. It takes them several trips to carry their picnic basket and the rest of their gear to their craft. Once aboard, they change their clothes, turn on the music, and then spend the better part of the day lounging around on the boat (which is still tied to the dock), reading and napping and talking. They sleep in the cabin Saturday night, and on Sunday morning go through roughly the same routine of the previous day, cleaning up the sailboat, reading and napping. Then about four o’clock, they pack everything up and drive back home.
The second couple gets to their boat early on Saturday morning. They travel to the same marina, they have the same license plate frame, they bring the same gear, turn on the same music, socialize a bit, but then do something somewhat odd: They start up the motor. They untie the ropes. They back out of their slip and cruise around the harbor.
The couple spends an hour looking at the other boats in the harbor and then drops anchor to cook a dinner meal. That evening, they venture out by the breakwater, to gaze out on the open seas, then come back in, sleep on the sailboat, and repeat the whole process on Sunday.
The third couple gets to their boat early on Saturday, bring their gear aboard, back out of the slip, and head straight for the breakwater. As they’re heading out, they hoist the sails, and when the wind fills them, they shut off the motor and enter the open sea. They hear the sails straining and the water rushing along the hull. They feel the swells rising up underneath them, and they keep going until the sight of land is lost. They spend the entire night out on the seas, cooking in spite of the motion of the boat underneath them. They use a flashlight at night to look at the charts and to keep their bearings. And then they come back into the harbor late Sunday night.
On Monday morning, each couple will be asked, “What did you do this weekend?” and each couple will give the same answer, “We went sailing.” But did they really do the same thing? It’s like this with our commitments, isn’t it?” [iv]
There are choices.
The only way we can unfurl our sails and travel out into the open sea with a sense of trust is if we have put God at the center of our lives. When God is the one we serve, we are able to overcome fear. God frees us from bondage, delivers us from what enslaves us, protects us along the way and forgives what we have done wrong. We won’t have perfect lives. We won’t escape the pain and heartache of human life, but we can discover profound joy and true peace to sustain us in the good times and in the bad.
In our scripture passage this morning, all the people cry out: We will serve the LORD! Joshua, places a large stone under an oak tree as a witness - a reminder of their promise.
What will be our witness, our reminder?
There are all kinds of reminders in this Sanctuary: the stories in our stained glass and Reredas windows. The empty cross of Christ. The light of the candles. The baptismal font.
The communion table can become our reminder.
When we gather around this table we will remember what God has promised to us and what we have promised to God. Then, when we move out of this Sanctuary, into our circles of influence, and the table remains here, our lives can reflect compassion and justice and peace. We will be a witness to others.
Soon, we will share a meal at this table. So, I leave you with this question: Whom do you serve? With all the things in our lives, the joys and successes, the pressures, the family, the distractions and obligations, all the stuff - the question remains: Whom do you serve?
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
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