Who are you gonna serve?
When we meet Joshua in today’s first testament reading, he is an old man, on the verge of death. Joshua, if you remember, led the Israelite people into Canaan after Moses’ death. He was with the people during their time in the wilderness, and was chosen as a leader because of his bravery and his trust in God. When other Israelite scouts thought that it would be impossible to enter and take the land promised by God, Joshua believed. Joshua led the people into the promised land, led them through the battles to take it, and here, after many, many years as their trusted leader, as he feels the end of his life drawing near, Joshua brings to a close his term of leadership by calling them again to serve God.
‘People,’ Joshua says, ‘It’s time to make a decision. Who are you gonna serve? Your ancestors worshipped the gods across the river. Your neighbors worship other gods here in Canaan. But it was the Lord, our God, who brought you to where you are today. So who are you gonna serve?”
What we don’t hear in today’s reading is that Joshua takes a long time to remind the people of all the things that God had done for them: God brought Abraham into Canaan, and gave him children, God saved Jacob’s family by sending Joseph ahead of them into Egypt, God brought the Israelites back out of Egypt—out of slavery, God cared for the people for 40 years in the wilderness, and God gave them the land of Canaan, “a land,” he says, “on which you had not labored…vineyards and oliveyards that you did not plant.” Joshua reminds them of all this, and then he says, “So, who are you gonna serve? My family and I will serve the Lord our God. Who are you gonna serve?”
The Israelites promise to serve God. Not the gods of their ancestors, not the gods of their neighbors, but the Lord God, Yahweh, who has brought them this far already. The whole people answers as one, without so much as a single committee meeting. “Sure Joshua, we’ll serve the Lord. Absolutely.” Joshua says, “Are you sure? Because the Lord our God is great when you’re on his good side, but once you commit to this, there’s no going back.” “We’re sure, Joshua,” they answer. “We promise. After all God has done, how could we not?”
In our story from the gospel of John, it’s decision time for the disciples, too. Jesus has just explained to them what it means to follow him – to eat his flesh, to drink his blood, to share in his life, to be in deep relation to him, to ingest the words and the spirit he brings. Some of the people who had been following him protest: “This is too much!” they say. Jesus doesn’t try to spoon-feed them. Instead he issues another challenge: “Well then, what if you saw something really outlandish, like me rising up into heaven?” That’s the last straw, and a whole crowd leaves. But the 12 disciples remain. Jesus asks them, “Why did you stay?” Peter answers for everyone, “We’d leave if we could, but we can’t because we have come to believe and know that you are the one with the words of eternal life.” Jesus says, “That’s right, I chose you for this. But even so, you still had to choose me back.”
God is still asking us: Who are you gonna serve? Are we going to serve our ancestor’s gods? Are we going to serve the forces of comfort and tradition, even when it was God, not our familiar way of doing things that brought us to where we are today? Are we going to serve the past even though our God is the living God of today? Who are you gonna serve?
Or are we going to serve the gods of our neighbors? Are we going to give in to the culture’s obsession with money? Are we going to carry with us that fearfulness and constant search for security that dominates politics? Are we going to believe that earthly power is the only power that really matters? Who are you gonna serve?
Or are we going to serve the Lord our God? Are we going to serve the one who freed the Israelites from slavery, who cared for them in the wilderness, and who brought them into the Promised Land? Are we going to serve the God who came to us as word made flesh in Jesus? Who dwelt among us, knew our pain, our fear, and our sickness, and loved us anyway? Who died a humble, humiliating death, but conquered death in resurrection? Are we going to serve the God who has breathed the Holy Spirit into the church for two thousand years? Who has inspired worship and service and tremendous acts of love? Are we going to serve the living God of love? Who are you gonna serve? Who are you gonna serve?
Hopefully at this point you know which decision I want you to make. But don’t think it’s an easy choice. Joshua and Jesus in our stories today both challenge the people who say yes to God. Serving God is not easy. It demands a lot from us. We have to put aside our ancestors’ gods. We have to deny the temptations of our neighbors’ gods. But if we do choose God again, if we do decide to serve the living God, Creator, Savior and Indwelling Spirit, it will be because we have come to believe and know that we have found the source of eternal life. So how about it—who are you gonna serve?
‘People,’ Joshua says, ‘It’s time to make a decision. Who are you gonna serve? Your ancestors worshipped the gods across the river. Your neighbors worship other gods here in Canaan. But it was the Lord, our God, who brought you to where you are today. So who are you gonna serve?”
What we don’t hear in today’s reading is that Joshua takes a long time to remind the people of all the things that God had done for them: God brought Abraham into Canaan, and gave him children, God saved Jacob’s family by sending Joseph ahead of them into Egypt, God brought the Israelites back out of Egypt—out of slavery, God cared for the people for 40 years in the wilderness, and God gave them the land of Canaan, “a land,” he says, “on which you had not labored…vineyards and oliveyards that you did not plant.” Joshua reminds them of all this, and then he says, “So, who are you gonna serve? My family and I will serve the Lord our God. Who are you gonna serve?”
The Israelites promise to serve God. Not the gods of their ancestors, not the gods of their neighbors, but the Lord God, Yahweh, who has brought them this far already. The whole people answers as one, without so much as a single committee meeting. “Sure Joshua, we’ll serve the Lord. Absolutely.” Joshua says, “Are you sure? Because the Lord our God is great when you’re on his good side, but once you commit to this, there’s no going back.” “We’re sure, Joshua,” they answer. “We promise. After all God has done, how could we not?”
In our story from the gospel of John, it’s decision time for the disciples, too. Jesus has just explained to them what it means to follow him – to eat his flesh, to drink his blood, to share in his life, to be in deep relation to him, to ingest the words and the spirit he brings. Some of the people who had been following him protest: “This is too much!” they say. Jesus doesn’t try to spoon-feed them. Instead he issues another challenge: “Well then, what if you saw something really outlandish, like me rising up into heaven?” That’s the last straw, and a whole crowd leaves. But the 12 disciples remain. Jesus asks them, “Why did you stay?” Peter answers for everyone, “We’d leave if we could, but we can’t because we have come to believe and know that you are the one with the words of eternal life.” Jesus says, “That’s right, I chose you for this. But even so, you still had to choose me back.”
God is still asking us: Who are you gonna serve? Are we going to serve our ancestor’s gods? Are we going to serve the forces of comfort and tradition, even when it was God, not our familiar way of doing things that brought us to where we are today? Are we going to serve the past even though our God is the living God of today? Who are you gonna serve?
Or are we going to serve the gods of our neighbors? Are we going to give in to the culture’s obsession with money? Are we going to carry with us that fearfulness and constant search for security that dominates politics? Are we going to believe that earthly power is the only power that really matters? Who are you gonna serve?
Or are we going to serve the Lord our God? Are we going to serve the one who freed the Israelites from slavery, who cared for them in the wilderness, and who brought them into the Promised Land? Are we going to serve the God who came to us as word made flesh in Jesus? Who dwelt among us, knew our pain, our fear, and our sickness, and loved us anyway? Who died a humble, humiliating death, but conquered death in resurrection? Are we going to serve the God who has breathed the Holy Spirit into the church for two thousand years? Who has inspired worship and service and tremendous acts of love? Are we going to serve the living God of love? Who are you gonna serve? Who are you gonna serve?
Hopefully at this point you know which decision I want you to make. But don’t think it’s an easy choice. Joshua and Jesus in our stories today both challenge the people who say yes to God. Serving God is not easy. It demands a lot from us. We have to put aside our ancestors’ gods. We have to deny the temptations of our neighbors’ gods. But if we do choose God again, if we do decide to serve the living God, Creator, Savior and Indwelling Spirit, it will be because we have come to believe and know that we have found the source of eternal life. So how about it—who are you gonna serve?
posted by Amy Sens at 10:00 AM
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