Living On The Edge
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series II, Cycle A
Object:
The long journey was finally nearing its conclusion. Forty years wandering around the hot desert must have been physically as well as emotionally exhausting. It had not always been pleasant living like nomads for so long. As Moses climbed the mountain for what would be the last time, he must have felt a clear sense that his life was not lived in vain. All of his struggles had been worth it as he sought to communicate once again with God on the mountain. He could look back over his long life and realize that God had a plan for him and more importantly, that God was with him every step of the way.
What was going through Moses' mind as he neared the promised land? Like a movie flashback, did he remember the time many years before when God first called him through the burning bush? He was just minding his own business tending his father-in-law's sheep when God broke into his life. Maybe he recalled the dramatic escape from Egypt through the Red Sea with the Egyptian army in hot pursuit. Then there were all the times the people griped and complained getting themselves into trouble. While Moses was on another mountain receiving the Ten Commandments, the people were melting all their gold jewelry to make a golden calf to worship. This might have been a decisive moment in his journey. Maybe Moses was feeling a sense of relief with his sojourn coming to an end. He had done what God wanted him to do.
Maybe Moses felt a sense of relief -- after all he spent the better part of his life to get to this moment at the edge of the promised land. He might have been thinking, "This is it -- the moment I've waited for all my life." And indeed it was. At that moment, Moses was feeling the joy of accomplishment. His goal had seemed so far off that at times he might have wondered if he would ever make it. Yet, here he was at the foot of the promised land. No one would think ill of him if he paused to enjoy the moment.
Moses might have also felt a sense of disappointment. He had spent the last forty years of his life leading the people to this place, the promised land, and now at the very edge he knew he could not go any further. God told Moses, "Go up to the top of Pisgah and look around you to the west, to the north, to the south, and to the east. Look well, for you shall not cross over this Jordan" (Deuteronomy 3:27). It might not have seemed fair to have gone all that way, endured many hardships, and then not be permitted to set foot on the land. Earlier, Moses had disobeyed God and as a result was told that he would not be allowed to enter the promised land. He could see it, but not enter it. It was wonderful to finally have arrived but also disappointing to not enter the land God had promised to his ancestors.
Maybe at that moment Moses wasn't feeling any one of those emotions, but rather a combination of relief, joy, and disappointment. For the last time he would climb the mountain to speak with God. From the top of the mountain, Moses could see a panoramic view he could never have imagined. On one side, as far as his eye could see was sand, the desert where he had spent the last forty years of his life. But on the other side, as far as he could see were palm trees with green grass, animals grazing in lush pastures. He could see everything that God promised. It might have been like seeing only black and white and then as in the movie, The Wizard of Oz, suddenly everything turns to color. There, on the mountaintop, God spoke to Moses once more, reminding him of the covenant, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants.' " This was another sign that God keeps God's promises. Nearing the end of his life someone might have asked Moses how he was feeling having experienced so much. "This is my crowning achievement," Moses might have replied. "I've been asked time and again was it worth it -- well here is my answer -- yes, most definitely!"
There, on the mountain, having seen the promised land, Moses died. We are told that even though he was 120 years old when he died, "His sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated." This was a fitting end for Moses. It was the end of an era. There would never be another leader like Moses, "For all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of Israel." Fittingly, the people mourned their fallen leader for thirty days.
While it was the end of an era, it was not the end of the story. From among the people another leader had already been chosen -- Joshua. God had chosen Joshua to lead the people into the long awaited promised land. However, Joshua was not Moses; he would lead the people in a different way and in new directions that hopefully would honor God. Moses led the people through the wilderness and now Joshua would have the privilege to actually cross the border into the promised land. Joshua was "full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him."
Moses died knowing that the people were in good hands; they had a new leader -- Joshua -- and they also had the Torah to guide them. It would be a new day for God's people. Joshua would face different challenges than Moses did, but with God's help he would work through them.
Jackie Spinner spent nearly a year covering the war in Iraq for the Washington Post. During that time, she had several dangerous encounters. Once, when she was interviewing detainees behind the Abu Ghraib prison fence, she felt a tug on her wrist. Strange men began pulling her toward a car all the while she was shouting "La la rajan" (no, no, please). Jackie says, "Not until a helicopter flashed overhead and a curious contingent of Marines approached did my kidnappers scatter." The ensuing months brought more close calls.
Like many others, when Jackie returned to the United States she had a difficult time readjusting. "I tried to reconnect to my old life," she said but admitted, "nothing about me worked like it once did." Her editor at the newspaper suggested that she take some time off. She had a fight with her twin sister. And she was having difficulty sleeping, "I knew the nightmares would come ..." she explained.
Several weeks later, Jackie and her sister traveled back to their hometown in Illinois. She felt comfortable back in the familiar neighborhood, driving past her old high school. That Sunday she attended the church she had grown up in. Suddenly, she realized that the way to make peace with what she had experienced was to trust God. "God will be present for me -- just as God was in Iraq." It was at that moment that she realized God had not deserted her and that in time she would be all right.1
God calls and inspires people at just the right time, a time she or he can advance God's mission. Moses was the right person for the right time. But his time had come to an end. Now it was Joshua's turn. Joshua would lead the people triumphantly into the promised land.
No one else could have led the people like Moses had; no one could do what Joshua would do, and no one can reach the people like we can as we share our unique life experiences.
In that moment, as Joshua assumed leadership he too might have felt uncertain about what the future held for him, but "full of the Spirit" he knew that God would be with him and the people he would lead. Joshua would face some tremendous challenges as the people took possession of the land God promised to their ancestors, but through it all God would not desert them. He would learn to trust God.
We do not know what the future holds for us but we know the one who holds the future -- we live our lives trusting God for all of our tomorrows.
God continues to call people today, often for a particular task at a time when they are most needed. God calls Moses, Joshua, and each one of us along with millions of other people around the world. God continues to call people, away from self-centered concerns and more toward God.
Ruby Jones decided to stay as Hurricane Katrina churned menacingly toward New Orleans in late August 2005. Her children urged her to leave, begging her not to report for her Sunday nursing shift at Lindy Boggs Medical Center. Ruby Jones, then 67, chose to ride out the storm with her patients in the hospice unit of the hospital. On Monday, the raging winds shattered the hospital's windows and burst open doors. By Tuesday, the power was out, the water supply was cut off, and the hospital was flooding. Ruby continued to take care of her patients -- bathing them, feeding them, and dressing their wounds. When help arrived on Wednesday, Ruby assisted in the evacuation. She finally left the hospital on Thursday, having kept her promise to care for her patients.
Her faith sustained her through those dark days. During the most harrowing moments of Katrina, Ruby would recite Bible verses for guidance and strength. She believed that God would see her through the ordeal.
Quite simply she said she was just doing her job -- one she has carried out with boundless compassion for over 45 years. Ruby was a model of caregiving at a time when some health care providers abandoned their posts.2
God is at work in our world. Just when you are about to give up all hope, there are subtle signs that God is at work, through people like you and me who are able to accomplish God's own purposes. What glimpse of the future is God giving us? Working together with God we can make that glimpse come true.
If you look closely enough, you just might see the hand of God at work in our world today. We have all done enough wrong in our lives to merit God's judgment. Jesus Christ took our sins to the cross. Here is the good news -- our punishment has been paid in full. Thanks be to God. Amen.
____________
1. Jackie Spinner as told to Jim Hinch, "Back from Baghdad," Guideposts magazine, June 2006, pp. 53-57.
2. Catharine Skipp and Arian Campo-Flores, "Beyond the Call," Newsweek magazine, July 3/July 10, 2006, p. 71.
What was going through Moses' mind as he neared the promised land? Like a movie flashback, did he remember the time many years before when God first called him through the burning bush? He was just minding his own business tending his father-in-law's sheep when God broke into his life. Maybe he recalled the dramatic escape from Egypt through the Red Sea with the Egyptian army in hot pursuit. Then there were all the times the people griped and complained getting themselves into trouble. While Moses was on another mountain receiving the Ten Commandments, the people were melting all their gold jewelry to make a golden calf to worship. This might have been a decisive moment in his journey. Maybe Moses was feeling a sense of relief with his sojourn coming to an end. He had done what God wanted him to do.
Maybe Moses felt a sense of relief -- after all he spent the better part of his life to get to this moment at the edge of the promised land. He might have been thinking, "This is it -- the moment I've waited for all my life." And indeed it was. At that moment, Moses was feeling the joy of accomplishment. His goal had seemed so far off that at times he might have wondered if he would ever make it. Yet, here he was at the foot of the promised land. No one would think ill of him if he paused to enjoy the moment.
Moses might have also felt a sense of disappointment. He had spent the last forty years of his life leading the people to this place, the promised land, and now at the very edge he knew he could not go any further. God told Moses, "Go up to the top of Pisgah and look around you to the west, to the north, to the south, and to the east. Look well, for you shall not cross over this Jordan" (Deuteronomy 3:27). It might not have seemed fair to have gone all that way, endured many hardships, and then not be permitted to set foot on the land. Earlier, Moses had disobeyed God and as a result was told that he would not be allowed to enter the promised land. He could see it, but not enter it. It was wonderful to finally have arrived but also disappointing to not enter the land God had promised to his ancestors.
Maybe at that moment Moses wasn't feeling any one of those emotions, but rather a combination of relief, joy, and disappointment. For the last time he would climb the mountain to speak with God. From the top of the mountain, Moses could see a panoramic view he could never have imagined. On one side, as far as his eye could see was sand, the desert where he had spent the last forty years of his life. But on the other side, as far as he could see were palm trees with green grass, animals grazing in lush pastures. He could see everything that God promised. It might have been like seeing only black and white and then as in the movie, The Wizard of Oz, suddenly everything turns to color. There, on the mountaintop, God spoke to Moses once more, reminding him of the covenant, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants.' " This was another sign that God keeps God's promises. Nearing the end of his life someone might have asked Moses how he was feeling having experienced so much. "This is my crowning achievement," Moses might have replied. "I've been asked time and again was it worth it -- well here is my answer -- yes, most definitely!"
There, on the mountain, having seen the promised land, Moses died. We are told that even though he was 120 years old when he died, "His sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated." This was a fitting end for Moses. It was the end of an era. There would never be another leader like Moses, "For all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of Israel." Fittingly, the people mourned their fallen leader for thirty days.
While it was the end of an era, it was not the end of the story. From among the people another leader had already been chosen -- Joshua. God had chosen Joshua to lead the people into the long awaited promised land. However, Joshua was not Moses; he would lead the people in a different way and in new directions that hopefully would honor God. Moses led the people through the wilderness and now Joshua would have the privilege to actually cross the border into the promised land. Joshua was "full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him."
Moses died knowing that the people were in good hands; they had a new leader -- Joshua -- and they also had the Torah to guide them. It would be a new day for God's people. Joshua would face different challenges than Moses did, but with God's help he would work through them.
Jackie Spinner spent nearly a year covering the war in Iraq for the Washington Post. During that time, she had several dangerous encounters. Once, when she was interviewing detainees behind the Abu Ghraib prison fence, she felt a tug on her wrist. Strange men began pulling her toward a car all the while she was shouting "La la rajan" (no, no, please). Jackie says, "Not until a helicopter flashed overhead and a curious contingent of Marines approached did my kidnappers scatter." The ensuing months brought more close calls.
Like many others, when Jackie returned to the United States she had a difficult time readjusting. "I tried to reconnect to my old life," she said but admitted, "nothing about me worked like it once did." Her editor at the newspaper suggested that she take some time off. She had a fight with her twin sister. And she was having difficulty sleeping, "I knew the nightmares would come ..." she explained.
Several weeks later, Jackie and her sister traveled back to their hometown in Illinois. She felt comfortable back in the familiar neighborhood, driving past her old high school. That Sunday she attended the church she had grown up in. Suddenly, she realized that the way to make peace with what she had experienced was to trust God. "God will be present for me -- just as God was in Iraq." It was at that moment that she realized God had not deserted her and that in time she would be all right.1
God calls and inspires people at just the right time, a time she or he can advance God's mission. Moses was the right person for the right time. But his time had come to an end. Now it was Joshua's turn. Joshua would lead the people triumphantly into the promised land.
No one else could have led the people like Moses had; no one could do what Joshua would do, and no one can reach the people like we can as we share our unique life experiences.
In that moment, as Joshua assumed leadership he too might have felt uncertain about what the future held for him, but "full of the Spirit" he knew that God would be with him and the people he would lead. Joshua would face some tremendous challenges as the people took possession of the land God promised to their ancestors, but through it all God would not desert them. He would learn to trust God.
We do not know what the future holds for us but we know the one who holds the future -- we live our lives trusting God for all of our tomorrows.
God continues to call people today, often for a particular task at a time when they are most needed. God calls Moses, Joshua, and each one of us along with millions of other people around the world. God continues to call people, away from self-centered concerns and more toward God.
Ruby Jones decided to stay as Hurricane Katrina churned menacingly toward New Orleans in late August 2005. Her children urged her to leave, begging her not to report for her Sunday nursing shift at Lindy Boggs Medical Center. Ruby Jones, then 67, chose to ride out the storm with her patients in the hospice unit of the hospital. On Monday, the raging winds shattered the hospital's windows and burst open doors. By Tuesday, the power was out, the water supply was cut off, and the hospital was flooding. Ruby continued to take care of her patients -- bathing them, feeding them, and dressing their wounds. When help arrived on Wednesday, Ruby assisted in the evacuation. She finally left the hospital on Thursday, having kept her promise to care for her patients.
Her faith sustained her through those dark days. During the most harrowing moments of Katrina, Ruby would recite Bible verses for guidance and strength. She believed that God would see her through the ordeal.
Quite simply she said she was just doing her job -- one she has carried out with boundless compassion for over 45 years. Ruby was a model of caregiving at a time when some health care providers abandoned their posts.2
God is at work in our world. Just when you are about to give up all hope, there are subtle signs that God is at work, through people like you and me who are able to accomplish God's own purposes. What glimpse of the future is God giving us? Working together with God we can make that glimpse come true.
If you look closely enough, you just might see the hand of God at work in our world today. We have all done enough wrong in our lives to merit God's judgment. Jesus Christ took our sins to the cross. Here is the good news -- our punishment has been paid in full. Thanks be to God. Amen.
____________
1. Jackie Spinner as told to Jim Hinch, "Back from Baghdad," Guideposts magazine, June 2006, pp. 53-57.
2. Catharine Skipp and Arian Campo-Flores, "Beyond the Call," Newsweek magazine, July 3/July 10, 2006, p. 71.
