A Chapel Homily
Austin Graduate School of Theology
September 12, 2011
A few years ago, Lauren and I worked in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, a small resort community, as youth interns for a summer. Being in Colorado in the mountains, it seems that everybody is adventurous. There were those who went hiking and trail running up the sides of the mountains, those who went mountain biking, those who were river rats and took on the rapids from the recently melted snow, and those who frequently went 4-wheeling down trails and across passes and mountain ridges. Lucky for us as the new people in the church, we got to experience every single one of these (and some of them not as willingly as others). One of our trips was to Rabbit Valley on the border of Colorado and Utah at which we climbed aboard an ATV and went 4-wheeling. At one point along the trail we came to a cliff with a tiny little trail winding down the side just wide enough for our ATV. I assumed we were turning around – I was wrong. The family we were with, the more experienced riders, told us we were headed to the trails at the bottom of the cliff. In order to get there, there were a few instructions we needed to follow if we were to make it. We were told, “On the way down, don’t hit the brakes. That’ll cause you to topple over the front. Just let it coast down the incline, make the turn about midway, keep coasting…by this point you’ll be moving pretty fast so keep a steady grip on the handle bars.” (As if I were planning to let go…) “Do all of this and you’ll be fine.” Of course, in the back of my mind I knew that really meant, “Don’t do this and you’re probably toast!” Standing at the edge, even though my heart was pounding, somewhat with excitement, mostly with fear, I was thankful they had provided the instruction for our safety and protection.
In our passage today, the people of Israel are standing at the edge of the wilderness and the Promised Land. Their time of suffering in the wilderness has finally come to a close, and Moses has just recalled to them how God has remained faithful, how he has led them to this point through their suffering, continuously providing for them. Now, as they stand at the boundary, not yet in the land but ready to take it, they are reminded of a few things.
First, they are instructed to hear and follow that which has already been given. Patrick Miller calls this an “implication of their past history with God and the necessity for their future life with God.” If they are to cross into the land, they must be a faithful, obedient people. And it is not for their sake alone that they are to be obedient but that they might display true wisdom and true understanding to the nations.
I am reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1. Paul calls the church at Corinth out of worldly wisdom, that which has been defeated by Christ, and into true wisdom, that which has been displayed by Christ’s self-giving love on the cross. He says that this act of true wisdom was a stumbling block to Jews – after all, the Messiah can’t die! He’s supposed to be the king! It was foolishness to Gentiles – what power is there in a dead God? But this act of the cross was, indeed, no act of foolishness. It was true, Godly wisdom, wisdom that stands out in the world, wisdom that stands against the world. Paul calls the Corinthians to live as a contrast society in true wisdom, but long before that, Moses is commanding the same of Israel. He’s calling them out of the world, out of their previous disobedience and idolatry, out of the life and the kind of people they had been before and into true wisdom to be displayed before the nations. He calls them to live in the law that had been given – the law that commanded undivided love of God. It commanded holy living before God and in the world. It commanded love for one’s neighbor. It beckoned one to care for others, to care for the poor, the orphan, and the widow. The law called one into a community that would live over and against the ways of the surrounding world. As a contrast society, as a people who lived out true wisdom before the rest of the world, God’s nearness to Israel would be evident to the nations. Israel is reminded to hear and follow.
They are also prompted to remain steadfast and committed to the covenant just as God has remained committed. This will take teaching and passing down the word that was given to them. It will take a recollection of the covenant before their children, the covenant given to Abraham (the promise of descendents and land) and the covenant given at Sinai (“I will be your God and you will be my people”). Through the passing down of this word, the children of Israel will also hear and follow. Through word, the people of Israel will be drawn back to join in the assembly of generations before. Through word, not form, Israel will hear the voice of the Lord. Through word, Israel will hear and follow the commandments, those written in stone, completed, finished. And in hearing and following what has been handed down to them, in obedience, they will possess the land. The God who was near to Abraham and was near to Israel at Sinai and through the wilderness is still near to them at the boundary and will continue to be near to them as they enter the land.
Today, for us, our circumstances are quite similar. We too find ourselves at the edge of the wilderness and the Promise. Our time in the wilderness is quickly coming to a close. God has continued to remain faithful. Now, as we stand at the boundary, not yet in the land but being prepared for it, the message for us is much the same.
First, we are called to hear and follow. We are called to remain as God’s faithful and obedient people. It is an implication of our past and a necessity for our future with God. And it is not for our sake alone but that the world might witness and come to gain true wisdom and true understanding. The wisdom of the world still stands in stark contrast to true wisdom. The world speaks vengeance (an eye for an eye) while true wisdom speaks mercy and forgiveness. The wisdom of the world tells us to eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die. True wisdom speaks of self-control and hope of the resurrection. The wisdom of the world speaks greed and immediate satisfaction (we must get what we want and we must get it now) while true wisdom speaks patience. The world views love as ultimately being fulfilled through sexual satisfaction. True wisdom understands love to be self-giving and sacrificial for the sake of the other. The wisdom of the world teaches self-centeredness, individuality, and that we’re alone, fending for ourselves. True wisdom declares that there is a God, YHWH, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, who was near to his people at Mt. Sinai, was near to the praying psalmist, was near to his son, Jesus, as he prayed in the garden, and is still near to us today. We are called to remain obedient to this God as we stand at the boundary.
We are also called to remain steadfast and committed to the covenant just as God has remained committed. This not only requires hearing and following but also teaching and passing down the faith to our children and their children. In a world in which images are so prevalent, we must remember that it is through word that our children will hear and follow. It is through word that we are drawn back to the generations before us. It is through word that we hear the voice of the Lord, the same voice that still speaks truth to us today, still guides us, and is still near to us. We remember our covenant & recommit ourselves to it at the Table. There, we are joined with those who have gone before us, those who heard and followed, those who, themselves, remained committed in the wilderness, and those who taught us when we were children. There, we are drawn back to the cross as we witness the Word, now in form, as it is perfected, completed, finished.
This is the message for us today. It is not unlike the one spoken to the people of Israel as they stood at the edge of the wilderness ready to take possession of the land that had been promised: “Hear and follow; remember the covenant.” May we hear and follow the word today and faithfully commit ourselves to it as we, once again, stand at the edge, preparing for the one who is to come.
Grace to you,
Matt
No comments:
Post a Comment