Legacies

Good morning!  Hope you are all doing well this beautiful fall day.  
The message today is based on chapter 7 from The Story and readings from Judges

This past 10 days, my husband and I visited Ireland for the first time.  And no, neither one of us have a drop of Irish blood in us, even though Charlie does have red hair and blue eyes.   We were asked that many times when we were there.  Lots of people go over to Ireland to find their roots, to reconnect with the past, to see where their families came from, many of them trying to reconnect with old values, old ways, to understand themselves better, to experience the feeling of being connected to something bigger than them.  We didn't have the blood thing going, but we did feel a connection there.  A very strong connection as we visited ancient cathedrals, as we stood on the ancient cliffs of Moher (yes, I actually climbed up there in almost gale force winds; a hurricane was coming our way), a connection with people who were God's children through the ages, knowing that throughout all of history, God has never given up on us humans.  All around us we saw legacies of old civilizations, of places where people lived and worshipped.

Today, we see a people, the Israelites, who have been given a wonderful legacy to hand down to their children.  But, for whatever reason, they have chosen to turn from it.

So the children of Israel are in trouble again.  Chaos, suffering, disobedience.  Same old, same old.  They are in the promised land.  We know from our readings this morning and from the reading of chapter 7 in The Story that they couldn't stay faithful to the covenant they had made with God.  Remember the covenant?  No?  Well, neither did they.  There were the Ten Commandments, rules and reminders of how to love God and each other in practical ways. The love that was described in these commands was filled with values such as loyalty, faithfulness, respect, honor, honesty, meekness.  Meekness being strength without arrogance. Moses' last words to them were, "Seem I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.  For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess."


And they all agreed with a roar of triumph.  They were finally going into the promised land and Joshua, the great soldier would lead them.    And you know from the last chapter they did enter the land under Joshua's leadership.  But then he died.  And they no longer had their hero. As the years went by,  people moved away from the commands God gave them.  Their behavior changed.  Respect and integrity for God, for each other, for the very foundations of spirituality and morality that kept them together and taught the world about the God they served were seen less and less.  These are the values that distinguished them from other nations, that gave a witness to the very nature of the God they served. They began to worship other gods; their values changed.

The saddest part was the legacy they were not leaving for their children.  Their children grew up not knowing the power, the loyalty and faithfulness of God.  They just saw the growing unease and fear that was enveloping their nation.The questions that generation may have asked were:  Who is this God anyway? Why can't we can't see him?  If God is so powerful, why are we experiencing so many problems? Where is God in the misery all around us? And so they turned away and became more and more distant from God.  All the good teachings were disregarded; chaos took over as they embraced the behaviors and the religions of those who lived in the land before they conquered it. The nation weakened and became prey to stronger, better organized nations that surrounded them. Only after they realized how deep into trouble they were, did they even remember there was a God to whom they could turn.


Each time this happened, God would send them a hero, someone to deliver them, someone who could lead them to show power over the enemy, to defeat mighty warriors.  With that feeling of triumph, they would follow the ways of God, under the leadership of their hero because that hero was a living, tangible reminder that God was with them.  But then the hero died and the cycle started all over again because they couldn't fight temptation without a living reminder of the presence and power of God.


Where are we in this story?  As believers of Jesus Christ we've been called to be a holy nation.  How do we stay the course?  We know that, in Christ we do have our deliverer, our hero, the one who leads us each day.  And though he died, he rose to life again. He is here today in our worship, in our sacraments he is present with us. Water, bread, and wine.  Tangibles.  Something we can touch and see. Living reminders that help us to know deep within our hearts that God is near so that we can resist temptation, so that we can stay the course, as difficult as it can be at times.  And we have each other, real people, going through our own difficulties, celebrating joys, growing in faith by trial and error, knowing that we are forgiven.


Yet following Jesus still is not easy, is it?  We have a world all around us that pulls at us from all directions, just like the Israelites.  And what about loving God with all of our hearts and loving our neighbors as ourselves?  Not so easy either, remembering those commands, remembering to be truthful, faithful, not carry hurt, hate, guilt, fear, distrust in our hearts.  Remembering that love is not just a feeling, but an action, a way of life.  When Jesus asked Peter after Jesus' resurrection from the dead, "Do you love me?" he wasn't talking about emotions.  He was asking if Peter was willing to carry on the work Jesus had begun, if Peter was willing to risk his life in order to teach the people of the world about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.   He wanted to know if Peter would hold onto the teachings of Jesus with his heart, his mind, and his spirit.  Could he pick up his cross and follow Jesus?  Could he lose his life in order to gain it?


So are we able to pick up our crosses and follow Jesus?  Are we ready to lose our lives in order to gain a new life with him?  Are we able to look past our own selves and see the needs of others, to be brave and bold and listen to the Spirit of God leading us?


Following Jesus doesn't mean we all have to keep in perfect step with each other, like those North Korean army parades we see on the news.  No expression on our faces and our weapons in our hands.  Total uniformity.  A show of power, power that chills, power that divides. No.  We don't lose ourselves; in following Jesus we find ourselves.  We have all been made in the image of God, yet we are all different.  Each of us is special in our own way.  Each of us is loved by God.  That love is also full of respect, loyalty, faithfulness, honesty, and amazing strength without arrogance.  We are not just pieces on a chess board; we are not domestic pets to be herded around and shown affection whenever the owner feels like it.  God's image.  That's us.


And that's the legacy we are charged with to hand down to our children, to the generations that follow us.  That's the legacy that we offer to others who don't know our merciful and grace-filled God.  We can teach them about leading a life of purpose, not rebellion.  We can teach them how to let go of those things that keep us from growing in faith.  We can teach them how to live each day with joy and thanksgiving.  We can teach them that God's presence is still with us and always will be.  Think and pray about that this coming week.  Are we willing to take on the work that Jesus began all those years ago?  Can we love God, our neighbor, even our enemy in a way that witnesses to the power, sovereignty, and incredible love that God still has for us all?  Amen.