24:1 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.
24:2 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.
24:3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through
all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many.
24:14 "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.
24:15 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."
24:16 Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake
the LORD to serve other gods;
24:17 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;
24:18 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."
24:19 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.
24:20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do
you harm, and consume you, after having done you good."
24:21 And the people said to Joshua, "No, we will serve the LORD!"
24:22 Then 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."
24:23 He said, "Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and
incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel."
24:24 The people said to Joshua, "The LORD our God we will serve, and him
we will obey."
24:25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and
ordinances for them at Shechem.
Choose This Day Whom You will Serve. That line of Joshua's has always caught me. I get so frustrated with the pew sitters who week after week come and listen and then go home and wait for the next Sunday to repeat the action. As the previous contributor said, "if you choose God, prove it - act like it!"
How do we get that message across without seeming judgmental?
I have loved these people for four years now, but there doesn't seem to be any change.
I have used the line: "Sitting in the Church doesn't make you a Christian any more than sitting in your garage would make you a car." HaHa
Make a difference even with the smallest action of calling your neighbor; inviting a friend to Church; work in the Food Pantry; sign up for a Bible Study; sign up for a mission trip.
It is Stewardship time in our Church. I want them to see that all they have is a gift from God. Joshua was telling the Israelites that in his message, and gave them a choice. Serving God or other gods. We sure have a lot of other gods in our world today that people serve.
I am frustrated, and saddened that there is not more movement toward seeking God.
Homiletics talks about the movement toward God following 9/11, but I have seen a drop off from that even.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Betty in NCNY
Some good thoughts here, already and it is EARLY! My own early thoughts regarding this passage center on the command to choose which god we will serve. It occured to me that "Choosing Sides" has been a major focus of thought in recent weeks as we approached the general election. Now the choices have been made and in my congregations (as in most, I believe) there will be happiness over the outcome of some political races and disappointment over others.
Choosing sides is something most people can understand because we've all done it - whether in politics, sports, or other contexts. And, as in those other contexts, how we demonstrate our loyalty and service to God is very telling.
In my 3 small rural churches there is no such thing as a "finance campaign" because farmers (so the traditional line of thought goes) can't predict how much money they'll have to give to the church. When I talk about stewardship, it has to be in general terms of time, talent & money. Many (though of course not ALL) of my parishioners seem reluctant to commit to giving to the church, but don't hesitate to buy season tickets for sports event at one or more of the 3 state universities within an hour's drive of the parish! Two of these churches are in danger of being unable to continue to cover their expenses for much longer because too few people are trying to cover the costs of keeping the doors open. Serving God with loyalty and sincerity doesn't seem to register on the radar of many families who hold membership in these churches.
Still musing about where this will take me, but need to get started since I have 2 fund-raising events and a funeral between Friday evening and Saturday noon!
I may connect this passage about serving with loyalty to the Gospel parable of watchfulness.
StudentPastor in KS
Joshua, I think, is simply saying; 'This is what I choose". There isn't much else. I'll dothis. As a faithful prophet I'll do this. There seems to be an invitational statement not a condemning one. Seen in that light there is more hope that some, someo one will follow.
I wonder if invitations are being givne/ shared?
Throw away the gods of forefathers... trow away, not easy to throw anything now a days. I wonder what we hang on to and what we let go of? Faith just might be one of those choices.
Choices, all around us in booths and on the street and in the coffeee shop. Choice is what we are given, what do we then do with it?
PM in KS
I think the discussion so far slightly misses Joshua's point, in a way in which I realise now, trying to preach on the text, that I have in the past missed it.
I've always treasured this text because it seems to lay before us the critical choice - will we serve the Lord or won't we? But actually that isn't the question Joshua asks. What he says is, If you won't serve the Lord, then choose who you will serve? And he offers up some fairly unattractive alternatives.
Putting it that way is helping me find my way in this sermon. Because when you look at some of the other things and "gods" that people who have wandered away from the church do choose to serve, you can see that they are fairly pathetic. You can also see that a lot of people just have to serve someone/something. The choice isn't God or nothing - it is God or a vacuum that will pretty soon be filled with something unworthy.
I'm coupling this text with John 6:68, Peter's almost despairing declaration of faith when other disciples were losing it, "To whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life".
On a separate point on the Joshua text, note Joshua's final shot, "But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord"; this isn't an undertaking we can give nowadays. Many in our congregations, and many of us, will be living with the sadness that "our households", especially our children, have turned away from the church, and we need to think how we respond sensitively to that.
Stephen in Exeter UK
I am planning a sermon for 11-10-02 based on Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25. My plan at this point is to provide a bit of background history before reading the scripture. I have found that many folk don’t know the Bible stories. I think it will help them understand that God made a promise to Abraham that was not fulfilled until the conquest of Joshua. After reviewing this, I will read the Scripture and ask the people if they ever feel that God is taking a long time to fill promises…if they ever feel forgotten. Then I will remind them that God is a promise keeper and that we can depend on his timing. (An indirect reference to a covenant relationship with God.)
The point I hope to make near the middle of the sermon is that it is critically important that the word of God be transmitted to the next generation. I would like the members to go away with the understanding that they are the salt for the world, that their influence on the lives of their families is great, that their influence on the lives of community members is important, and that they are needed to change society through ethical business practices, voting, etc. I will remind the people that at each Baptism they promise to nurture one another.
Near the end of the service I hope to present the following concepts: Joshua asked whom do your serve, then “ the people said to Joshua, "The LORD our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!" So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.” Today is the day to make a commitment. Today is the day to take a stand. Today is the day to renew your covenant with God.
I am interested in getting feedback about these ideas. I am considering asking everyone in the church to come to the altar as a form of symbolic commitment for all (reflecting the statue and ordinance in Shechem). Do you think that is a good idea? Do you have interesting stories or examples I could use that would fit with this sermon?
Leon in NC <><
To: Stephen in Exeter UK; excellent point about “What he says is, If you won't serve the Lord, then choose who you will serve? And he offers up some fairly unattractive alternatives.” I will work that idea into my sermon.
Leon in NC <><
To Leon in NC,
Being a Presbyterian, I think my congregation would pass out if I were to give an altar call! That could be very good, in terms of enabling your people to take a stand and have it be a visible act. But it could also be construed as manipulative, and embarrassing people into a commitment, which could go over very badly. Depending on your congregation, it could be great, or horrible. You know your people. If you think it would work, risk it. If not, maybe come up with another way to help them make the commitment that is real, but they can do privately.
susaninwa
susaninwa,
The exact point of this text is not what you do in private, but that we are willing to stand up and confess our faith in the LORD publically and commit our households and our household resources to the Kingdom. If we turn away, we turn away from our inheritance, which we should not have any claim to if we do not accept it to begin with. The Lord is calling us to be either hot or cold, and lukewarm is neither. The Israelites could not just claim to being descendants of Abraham in order to survive in the promised land, but they had to serve the LORD only. Likewise, neither can we be content being the Frozen Chosen and think we will walk through the pearly gates, rather our lethargy will be thawed by the flames of hell.
The foreshawdowing of Joshua is that he warns the people of the very thing that is the eventual beginning of the downfall of the united kingdom - Solomon's building of altars to other gods in order to please his many wives. Even the sins of his father David were not enough to bring down his kingdom. He was able to hold off coup d'etat because he was a man after (inclined) God's own heart. True he was not allowed to build the Temple, but that was because of the blood on his hands, not his unfaithfulness to the LORD. Solomon built the Temple, but the problem was he did not stop there. He continued to build temples to foreign gods. Thus, the beginning of the downfall of Israel as Joshua foretold.
This Sunday is the climax to our annual stewardship campaign - presence, gift$, and service. The congregation will be coming forward in households to place their pledge of commitment cards on "the altar" of God, the place where sacrifical gifts were brought in the Temple. In return each household will receive a reminder in the form of a refrigerator magnet that reads "As for me and my house, we serve the LORD" It will serve as a constant reminder throughout the year of their public statement of faith and commitment.
<>< Kindom DJ
Once in a great while, the hand of God moves upon a service to bring text, music and other unforseen parts together in wonderful harmony. This week that is happening in my service, in that the text was chosen over a month ago, and the music, yet we didn't know then that we would be baptizing a very special infant this week as well (I know, all infants are special :))
Part of the words from our liturgy used in baptism is.."Today we choose whom we will serve..."
And the music just "happens" to focus on making a choice and being baptized.........
I can hardly wait to get this one written ;) Thanks for your ideas so far......as I progress I might have more to share...
I do like the pointing out...that if you don't serve the Lord, it is then that we have a field of unsavory choices to make.....early musings in my brain include "mammon" (You can't serve both God and mammon and it does just happen to be our stewardship Sunday as well), or "popularity" or "comfort" (The Son of Man has no place to lay his head...) or "family" (mother will turn against daughter, father against son...) etc....
Anyone have any other good examples of the "unsavory" gods of the culture we might choose instead of serving God?
Jude in Wash
Jude in Washington:
My husband has a book entitled, "The Idolotry of the Family." It's about passing along our tradition because it's traditional rather than because it's life-changing. Rough, rough paraphrase, certainly, but when I hear some folks start in about family values, it comes to mind. Are family values a substitute for service to the Lord or are God's values, as you see them, for the family's strength? As for me and my household, the latter.
this texts addresses some points I was mulling over in the bridesmaid parable.
Sally in GA
Joshua makes statutes, the Amorites make statues. Baal was primarially worshipped by the people of Canaan which would involve the human sacrifice of a first-born child. Yahweh will sacrifice His first-born many years after the events of Joshuah et. al.
Statutes and Statues: Who do you want to serve? A God who changes the way people live or a god that you can see? The image of the "invisible" God is seen through the obedience of God's people. A god of wood or stone made by human hands can't compare to the God who molds and shapes the human heart.
John near Pitts.
I am going to talk about the things we worship instead of God, commercialism, leisure activities, technology, nationalism, leisure activities. Reminded of tillich's quote, whatever is at the core of your being becomes your god. Carrying on from last week how God is always in our midst, even when we are not ready to know that God is there. We because of our own attitudes and actions, in a sense do not allow the presence of God to shine. We need to be sincere, real and honest
For my children's time I am talking about the dectors we have to protect us, carbone monoxide detectors, smoke detectors, radon detectors, metal detectors, but we do not have God detectors. How do we know when God is present? and ask the kids and give some input. Revie
This passage is a renewal of the Sinaitic Covenant, modeled after the Suzerainty covenant. One of the features of that convenant is the need to renew it from time to time. So Joshua is doing that at Shechem. Joshua called the people together to confirm their covenant relationship with their God. One of the basic requirements of a covenant is loyalty; to put away other gods. Joshua let them know that he was aware that there were alternatives.
Isn't this what we do in the church too? Maybe at Stewardship times or periodically throughout the church year, give an invitation for the people to renew their commitment to the Lord? I think this is a time to give people an invitation to continue to follow the Lord, in a world that is filled with other choices, that are all empty, and leading to nowhere.
Susan in Wa.
