The Importance of Remembering

Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18

New Living Translation Chapter 24

Then Joshua summoned all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, including their elders, leaders, judges, and officers. So they came and presented themselves to God.

2 Joshua said to the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Long ago your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River, and they worshiped other gods.

what idols - other gods in the past are we trading for idols today?

or have you renounced both the gods of your ancestors as well as the gods prevalent in our current culture?

Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year B, Volume 3 Exegetical Perspective

the importance of exclusive worship of YHWH and refraining from the worship of other deities—as a framework for understanding the past.

Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year B, Volume 3 Homiletical Perspective

The function of Joshua 24, then, extends beyond the crisis for Israel in the land and offers the occasion for the people of God to hold the memory of God’s promise up against the world in which they live, to discern the promise of God, to choose. Such moments are understood as a gift in which the good news of God might be received.

Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year B, Volume 3 Homiletical Perspective

How does the text of Joshua 24—its language, imagery, and narrative movement—provide the substance for the church’s discernment of the promises of God in the midst of the competing allegiances of the world in which the church exists?

Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year B, Volume 3 Homiletical Perspective

Joshua summons all of us to Shechem on this day.

greed

power

prestige

freedom

self interest

material goods

television

fame celebrity

sports

substances

spouse

children

we have constructed other gods who exist to protect preserve and defend our abundance and prosperity - but consider all that is being compromised in the process!

What are the names of the ancestral gods still worshiped in our congregation?

tradition

nostalgia

How do you know if something or someone has become an idol in your life?

how much time and attention do you give it/them?

How much money do you spend on it?

How do I feel if what I worship doesn’t meet my expectations?

On November 11th, I trust you will do a minimum of pausing to honour and remember of all those who fought for the freedom and peace we enjoy today. But beyond that, I hope you will examine your life to see if it honours the sacrifice Jesus made for your salvation. Are there things in your life that you need to

not all of these things are bad - its when they surplant God as the most important things in our lives - this shift creates imbalance ie wheel/tire out of balance on our vehicle - the vehicle still runs but there is additional tread wear, poor fuel economy, vibrations. Over time unbalanced tires can also impact the structural integrity of your car - putting more stress on shocks, bearings and wheel assembly. When I thought about that - it sounded familiar to a lot of lives today, worn out, tired, using more resources - time, money than we should, and many health issues.

When your tires are out of balance you take your car to the shop and get the mechanic to balance them. When our lives are out of balance, we need to go back to our creator - to the Lord to centre our lives around Him. It’s amazing how when you do that, many of the symptoms you have been experiencing go away. If your life is out of balance because of a trama or crisis or because of long term neglect, it can take some additional probing to see what all needs to be addressed and additional time healing. But God is faithful and promises to journey with you through this, just like he did with the Children of Israel as they left Egypt and made their way through the desert to the promised land.

We need to remember the past and learn from it but not live there. We need to use the past to inform both our present and our future.

Will you be like the people who gathered at Shechem that day and say...

New Living Translation Chapter 24

20 If you abandon the LORD and serve other gods, he will turn against you and destroy you, even though he has been so good to you.”

21 But the people answered Joshua, “No, we will serve the LORD!”

22 “You are a witness to your own decision,” Joshua said. “You have chosen to serve the LORD.”

“Yes,” they replied, “we are witnesses to what we have said.”

23 “All right then,” Joshua said, “destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

24 The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God. We will obey him alone.”