First Things First

Genesis 1:1 - 2:3

Gen. 1:1   In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,  2 the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.  3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.  4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.  5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Gen. 1:6   And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”  7 So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so.  8 God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

Gen. 1:9   And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.  10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.  11 Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so.  12 The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good.  13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

Gen. 1:14   And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years,  15 and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.  16 God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.  17 God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth,  18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.  19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

Gen. 1:20   And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.”  21 So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good.  22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”  23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

Gen. 1:24   And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so.  25 God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

Gen. 1:26    Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

27      So God created humankind in his image,

                  in the image of God he created them;

                  male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”  29 God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.  30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.  31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Gen. 2:1   Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude.  2 And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done.  3 So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

Psalm 19 

1       The heavens are telling the glory of God;

                  and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

2       Day to day pours forth speech,

                  and night to night declares knowledge.

3       There is no speech, nor are there words;

                  their voice is not heard;

4       yet their voice goes out through all the earth,

                  and their words to the end of the world.

In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun,

5       which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,

                  and like a strong man runs its course with joy.

6       Its rising is from the end of the heavens,

                  and its circuit to the end of them;

                  and nothing is hid from its heat.

Psa. 19:7       The law of the LORD is perfect,

                  reviving the soul;

         the decrees of the LORD are sure,

                  making wise the simple;

8       the precepts of the LORD are right,

                  rejoicing the heart;

         the commandment of the LORD is clear,

                  enlightening the eyes;

9       the fear of the LORD is pure,

                  enduring forever;

         the ordinances of the LORD are true

                  and righteous altogether.

10      More to be desired are they than gold,

                  even much fine gold;

         sweeter also than honey,

                  and drippings of the honeycomb.

Psa. 19:11    Moreover by them is your servant warned;

                  in keeping them there is great reward.

12      But who can detect their errors?

                  Clear me from hidden faults.

13     Keep back your servant also from the insolent;

                  do not let them have dominion over me.

         Then I shall be blameless,

                  and innocent of great transgression.

Psa. 19:14      Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

                  be acceptable to you,

                  O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Matthew 6: 25-34 

Matt. 6:25   “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?  28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin,  29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.  30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’  32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matt. 6:34   “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. 

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What is your reaction when Jesus says to us today,

·      Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life?

·      What immediate responses come to your mind?

·      How prepared are you to obey this command?

When I looked up the Greek word that is translated as “worry”, I found that it is more closely translated as “be anxious for”.

Do not be anxious for your life…

Talk about counter-cultural.

Being an adult is mostly about being anxious and worried, isn’t it? And increasingly, it is imposed upon our children as well, at earlier and earlier ages, right?

We have worries about work, and school, and worries about home and family life.

We have worries about the world – about the economy, about a friend who’s facing a major illness, about the car needing repair, about the wildfires in Washington and Oregon.

Where do all these worries and anxieties come from?

·      Many arise out of the circumstances of our real lives.

·      Many are initiated by media – the news depends on worry and fear, it seems, to draw us in and make sure we tune in at 11 pm and 7 am and whenever we feel compelled to know what the next awful thing is that is happening.

·      Marketing and advertising contributes greatly to our worries and anxieties – because profits of companies depend on the sale of products and services to resolve worries we didn’t even know we had until the ad told us we ought to be worried about it.

And here comes Jesus with another teaching that seems next to impossible for us to accept. Is it any easier to hear him say “do not worry about your life” than it is to accept him saying “I am the bread of life – unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no claim in me”, the passages we have studied over the past few weeks? Why is it so hard to accept these teachings? And if we continue worrying about these things, is that the same thing as turning away from Jesus?

It’s interesting, isn’t it, that this lesson from Jesus is paired up with the first chapter of Genesis, the story of creation, of God providing all that we have in this world. We can see the connection in the way that Jesus says, consider the lilies of the field, or look at the sparrow – if God feeds and clothes them, why should we expect any less? But it doesn’t take long for us to go back into our earlier reaction – easy for you to say, Jesus. I am not a lily, and I am not a sparrow. Life doesn’t work that way for me, or for any of the human beings I know. We have responsibilities, and things to worry about that lilies and sparrows don’t even begin to understand.

When I read these scriptures together, what emerges for me is the abundance of what God has provided for us, and the goodness of it all, and the fact that it should be enough, that it is enough. The creation story, and the Psalm that we read together, speak of the magnificence of this creation that we are part of. In the devotion this week from Brian McLaren’s book, he talks about how God is clearly not boring, “because God’s creation is so amazingly, wonderfully, surprisingly fascinating. “

He says, “The best thing in Genesis is not simply human beings, but the whole creation considered and enjoyed together, as a beautiful, integrated whole, and us a part. The poetry of Genesis describes the “very goodness” that comes at the end of a long process of creation… when all the parts, including us, are working together as one whole. That harmonious whole is so good that the Creator takes a day off, as it were, just to enjoy it. That day of restful enjoyment tells us that the purpose of existence isn’t money or power or fame or security or anything less than this: to participate in the goodness and beauty and aliveness of creation. And so we join the Creator in good and fruitful work… and in delightful enjoyment, play, and rest as well. So here we are, friends. Here we are. Alive!   “

This is to me a great reminder of how the essence of life is not scarcity, but great abundance, and providence, and diversity, all coming from God, all freely given for us.

So why do we keep focusing on scarcity? What is keeping us from experiencing and enjoying and sharing this abundance from God?

A few years ago I read a book called “Money and Faith: The Search for Enough”. Its editor, Michael Schut, wrote an essay in it about economics. I know, who wants to read or to hear about economics, right? But what he wrote has stayed with me, and so I pulled it back out this week.

He talks about two economies operating in the world. One he calls Earth’s Economy. It is the economy that God gave to us. This economy is a circular, closed system, having everything it needs – using energy from the sun, and growing food locally, and allowing the time for waste to be rejuvenated as food once again – composting is the primary example of this. It takes time for the circle to come around, but it’s sustainable based on making that time available. It is an economy that is operating solely off the bounty of Earth’s one-time creation and the continuing re-creation that it offers. Relying on that closed loop system, there is enough for all God’s people to live – provided that we live in community, not individually, not in isolation. Provided that we share with one another, that we care for one another.

How is this different from the way we live? He describes that as the Big Human Economy. This economy operates in a straight line, rather than a circle. It take capital, labor and resources, and produces stuff for consumption, enticing us to consume through advertising and marketing, and allowing the resulting industrial waste to be released, rather than it being the kind of waste that can be returned to the earth as food. In this straight line system, there is not enough to be sustainable, and the waste cannot be used to help re-create more resources for the future. It’s just waste.

This past Monday the Honey-Doers and I discussed today’s Gospel passage, and someone pointed out that Jesus doesn’t say “don’t think about food or clothing or shelter – but he says, don’t make it the top priority”.

Jesus’ words are “strive first for the kingdom of God, and all these things will be given to you”.

I think that’s an important distinction to make. If we put the kingdom of God, the love of God, and God’s righteousness, God’s justice, at the top of our agendas, then the abundance of creation, and the providence of God to make sure there is enough for us all, through Earth’s economy, comes shining through.  Because human beings are meant to be “persons in community”, and when we seek first the kingdom of God we acknowledge God’s love and God’s justice, given for all people, first and foremost, above all other things.

And this changes us –

         from greedy people, to needy people.

And it changes the world for us –

         from isolation to community.

And it changes our view of creation –

         from scarcity to abundance – to way beyond enough.

My friend Hugh Hollowell runs a ministry of relationship and community for people experiencing homelessness in Raleigh, North Carolina. He posted this yesterday: “We believe that the community contains all the resources necessary to live a full life.” I believe this is true, and I believe that it is what Jesus is calling us to be – a community of believers who are grateful to God for what we have, and who want to reach out and serve others, knowing that in the community are all the resources necessary to live a full life.

So I want to challenge you to think about the world in a different way this coming week. If we are surrounded by images in our daily lives that make us focus on scarcity, and worry, and fear, then let’s shift our gaze this week to capture images of their opposites: abundance, and courage, and trust, and love. I’m asking you to take pictures, to draw pictures, to share stories and experiences from your lives and the lives of those who make up community for you, images that express and portray signs of God’s love, ways that we trust in God, and courage in caring for one another, and abundance in creation. You can bring drawings or paintings or pictures into the church office, or you can email photos to me, or you can post them on the church’s Facebook page. But let’s shift our gaze, because there truly is an abundance of signs of God’s kingdom out there, if we have eyes to see and a heart to embrace them. And it is truly what God created the world to be for all God’s people.

Choice / No Choice

Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18

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.

And 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.

"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.

Now 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."

Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; for 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; and 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."

  

Ephesians 6:10-20

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.

Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness.

As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.

With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.

Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

John 6:56-69

Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.

Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.

This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever."

He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?"

But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, "Does this offend you?

Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?

It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

But among you there are some who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him.

And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father."

Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.

So Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?"

Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.

We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

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So. Many. Choices!

We have so many choices these days.

My cousin came on Tuesday from Washington DC, and has been staying at my house this week as he took care of everything related to my Uncle Ray’s memorial service, wrapping up his personal matters, and getting things ready to move my Aunt Helene to live closer to him and his family. The day he was coming, I went to the store to buy a couple things to have in the house for his breakfast. He told me he likes Corn Flakes, Cheerios, stuff like that for breakfast cereal. When I got to the cereal aisle, of course, what did I find?

There is a crazy variety of Cheerios to choose from.

There is:

• Original Cheerios
• Honey Nut
• Multi Grain
• Ancient Grains
• Honey Nut Medley Crunch
• Protein Cinnamon Almond
• Protein Oats And Honey
• Frosted
• Apple Cinnamon
• Chocolate
• Multigrain Dark Chocolate Crunch
• Multigrain Peanut Butter
• Banana Nut
• Dulce De Leche
• And – Fruity Cheerios (which may or may not be Froot Loops with a new marketing strategy)

This is the world we live in, isn’t it?  15 choices of one cereal. and at least 50 or more different cereal makes and models on the shelf in that one aisle – not counting the varieties of each of those.

For the record, I brought home original cheerios.

This, of course, is a small choice, but even in the big choices, it seems that there is an almost infinite number of options.

• What career should I choose?
• What college, or even grade school should I choose?
• What partner should I choose?
• What car should I buy?
• What Presidential candidate should I choose?

An almost infinite number of choices, in these and so many other questions.

And just like the universe itself, it seems that the number of choices for just about everything is continually expanding. No wonder we often feel so confused about direction and good choices, in so many aspects of our lives. How do we know what is the right thing to do?

The book of Joshua is the book about the conquest of Canaan. It describes the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that their descendants would possess this land. Joshua took over from Moses to bring the Israelites across the Jordan.  

But one of the most well known and beloved verses in Joshua is not about the conquest itself; it’s about choice.

The reading we just heard is a portion of chapter 24, the last chapter of this book. It includes the first two verses, and then skips verses 3-13. The verses we heard contain the words of Joshua and his challenge to the people of Israel. The words we skipped were the Words of the Lord, the God of Israel, as spoken through Joshua. They begin with these words – “Thus says the Lord: long ago your ancestors served other gods.”

Then they tell the story of God working through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Aaron. The story of all that God has done for them to bring them to this point.

And then Joshua puts before them a choice. Will you serve the other gods your ancestors served, back before the Lord God did all these mighty acts to save you? Or will you serve the Lord God?

He even clarifies the nature of this choice, in the verses that follow: The Lord is a jealous God. There will be no serving God and other gods. This is an either / or choice about serving. The choice is not a both/and; “all of the above” is not given as an option.

A commentary about this text explains that the word “zealous” may be more accurate here – that “God is not just jealous when Israel follows other gods, but God is also zealous about the quality and depth of the relationship with Israel. The God of Israel demands the people to be fully engaged with him and to reflect God’s purity in every aspect of life.”

What this tells us about the choice between God and other gods can be thought of in terms of the marriage relationship. There’s a movie out called “Train Wreck”, and there’s a scene near the beginning where a young father is trying to explain to his young daughters why he is moving out, why their mommy and daddy are getting a divorce. He points at his daughter’s doll that she is holding onto, and he says, “you love that doll, don’t you? Well, what if I told you that was the only doll you could ever play with; that you were never allowed to touch another doll or look at another doll or ask for another doll for Christmas? How would that feel to you? And he ends up getting his two little girls to say along with him, “monogamy is overrated. monogamy is overrated”….

What God seeks from us is what the dad described to his little girls – one God only; no other gods. But it’s about more than monogamy, so to speak. What would it be like if, at the end of each day, you turned to your spouse and said, “Well, dear, I have fulfilled my commitment to you for today; I have not committed adultery”.

Clearly the relationship calls for much more than that, and it is nurtured and renewed every day by multiple expressions of love, expressions than can never be fully defined in the marriage covenant, but are essential to the relationship. It’s the same with God – just staying away from other gods does not go as far as God seeks from us, relationally. We are called to multiple expressions and actions of love, in response to God’s great love for us.

So Joshua places the choice before them, and then claims what it is that he can claim – he cannot speak for any of them, they must choose for themselves – but “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Jesus and his disciples are having a similar discussion. He has placed before them a challenge that also speaks to God’s zealousness in pursuing us completely.  He says,  I am the bread of life. In order to abide in me, you must eat my flesh and drink my blood. You must take me in completely. The crowd, who has been following Jesus around since the miracle where he fed over five thousand people with five loaves and two fishes, has been hoping for more miracles producing more food. Now, having heard Jesus’ words and the disputing of his words by the Jewish authorities, many have had enough and have turned to go home.

Jesus says to his chosen, the twelve disciples – what is your choice? are you also offended? will you go away too?

And Simon Peter replies, “Lord, where else would we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

The disciples were chosen by Jesus, chosen by God. But they had a choice to make as well – whether to accept this gift of chosen-ness.

Presbyterians have somehow earned the label of “the frozen chosen”. It makes me cringe when I hear it – mostly because of the “frozen” part, implying we show no emotion or physical reflection of our rejoicing in worship. But the “chosen” part also seems to imply that we see ourselves as elitist, better than others by being a “select” group.

And, it is true that, as Calvinists, we do proclaim that we are adopted by God, chosen to be a beloved child of God. It is not in our control to be saved by the grace of God. That is entirely an act of God. Our only choice is whether to accept the gift, whether to live as adopted children, part of God’s family, God’s children. Along with all the others whom God has offered adoption. And the way we accept that gift, is through grace alone.

You see, Christ knocks on all our doors, and gives us each the grace to open it, whether early or late, whether opened large or small. This is a mystery, that we are chosen and that we choose to respond in a way that is not of our choosing. It is unique for each of us. We can't judge another's ways. We can’t understand who comes to God, and how, and when. We can only listen for our own door, and open it by God’s grace.

It’s not for us to know or to worry about whether God offers this to all people or not. God’s work among us is a mystery, and a person who shows no sign of Christian faith today may find God’s Spirit working on them tomorrow in an unexpectedly powerful way, to create faith and turn them toward Jesus Christ!

Whenever it comes, God’s call to us is a call to choose. It’s an either/or choice, but it is framed in a call that is mysteriously both/and. We are both chosen and we choose.

·      We are chosen, and we have the choice whether to accept it or not.

·      We have no choice whether we are saved or not. Only God can save us. We have no hope whatsoever of saving ourselves.

·      We have the choice whether to live as beloved children, chosen by God, or not.

·      We have the choice whether to serve God in our daily lives or not.

·      We have the choice whether to stay on the path of our own making, or to hand over the controls to God or not.

·      And our response to that choice is given to us by the grace of God, not of our own doing.

Seems beyond comprehension, doesn’t it? And that’s OK.

We are chosen, and we are called to choose. It’s a holy paradox, an infinite do loop, a mystery that is driven by the Holy Spirit working in us and in all people, in ways we cannot understand for ourselves, much less try to figure out with respect to God’s workings in others.

And it comes down to a very practical question: Do I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior? We can trust that if we are asking ourselves that question, then we are responding to the knock on that door, and we can sincerely answer yes, Lord, I believe, even as we pray in our very next breath, help my unbelief.  We can be assured that we are hearing Christ standing at the door and knocking, and that the action of cracking the door open is all it takes for Christ to enter in. And we take that action by the grace of God alone.

Jimmy Carter spoke this week about his cancer diagnosis and the road ahead, and many people have spoken and written about the grace with which he is handling this. What Jimmy knows, and what we all can cling to in all the moments of our life, is that this grace is truly the grace of God. It’s not our doing. God gifts this grace to us, and allows us to trust in it.

Trusting in the gracious mercy of God, do you turn from the ways of sin and renounce evil and its power in the world?

Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your Lord and Savior, trusting in his grace and love?

Will you be Christ’s faithful disciple, obeying his Word and showing his love?

These are the questions our new members respond to when they are received into the church. These are the questions our confirmation students will consider and discuss and ultimately choose how to answer, as we begin a Confirmation class this fall.

These are either / or questions, with a clear assumption that we are not capable of doing these on our own, and so we trust in God’s grace and mercy, to guide us and to forgive us.

Our Confirmation class will begin and end our study with the verse that comes straight out of this Joshua passage – choose this day whom you will serve… as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

And when we accept our adoption in Christ, we receive new clothes. As Paul says, we put on the walking shoes that make us ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. Christ gives us those shoes, made especially for that reason.

Just like buckling our seatbelts, we wear the protection of the word of God.

We are not called to fight enemies of flesh and blood. Rather we take on all of Christ, becoming one with him, so that we can withstand temptation to turn to evil, and stand firm in the light of Christ.

All these protective garments – the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, are given to us by God to keep us safe as we follow Christ.

All the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, patience, and self-control, are given to us as food, along with the living bread and the cup of salvation, to be our nourishment and to give us strength to serve the Lord God.

And, thanks be to God, God knows we are incapable of carrying this out. Even as Joshua told the people, you can’t do this – you have proved that you are not able – they still pledged their allegiance to God and God only. Even as Jesus’ disciples heard the underlying message loud and clear – this is not an easy path – they pledged their allegiance to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. And as the poem on the front of your bulletins this morning says, we will turn and return, over and over again, and God’s great mercy will continue to seek us out and to welcome us in, over and over again. And if that is not Good News, I don’t know what is!

We are called. We are chosen, chosen for service, for a life of service, lived out in our everyday striving faithfulness. We are given an either/or option – choose our birthright in God’s family, or choose to follow others, to let evil have the upper hand in our lives. How do you choose, how do we choose as a congregation, to respond, this day, and every day, to the gift being offered, the gift of New Life?