I have never preached this Joshua text. I have preached the 2 Corinthians passage more than once through the years. In fact, it was the passage given to me by my presbytery to use for a Greek exegesis paper when I was under the direction of Committee on Preparation for Ministry.
It was fun to think about the Israelites entering the Promised Land. The Witherspoon illustration worked well. I have not had a clear idea of how each week's transition fit into the bigger picture for the congregation, so I have struggled some to answer the "who cares?" question in each sermon.
The lectionary passage from Joshua began at vs. 9, but I went back to vs. 8 to include the circumcision verse since I was mentioned circumcision and baptism. I had intended to mention that circumcising before entering the Promised Land connected their identity from the wilderness to the Promised Land, but it slipped out of the sermon somehow. I think it would have added to the sermon
“Transitions: From Manna to Crops”; SAPC, Denton; March 27, 2022; Lent 4
Joshua 5: 8-12 When the circumcising of all the nation was done, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed.9 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.” And so that place is called Gilgal[a] to this day.
10 While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal they kept the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. 11 On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. 12 The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.
Introduction: As we continue our preaching series on transitions, our two Scripture readings this morning reflect two significant transitions.
First, we read Paul describing the transition between being people who regard the world from a human point of view to becoming people of the resurrection who become new creations with a new worldview.
Second, we read about the the Israelites leaving the wilderness and arriving in the Promised land
As we reflect on those sign major changes for God’s people, I invite you to consider how you approach significant transition in your own lives.
three reflections on handling transitions.
Move 1: Embrace our new identity or the new circumstance in which we live.
a. Look at the Israelites.
1. they have been people wandering in the wilderness for forty years. Everyday another step of their journey to complete.
2. Everyday marked by manna, bread for the journey provided by God.
3. Everyday a reminder that they will not be in that place long enough to plant, grow, and harvest crops.
4. the self-identity wrapped up in their journey from the slavery they left behind to the Promised Land that is ever before them.
b. then, they arrive in the Promised Land.
1. No longer will they awaken to manna from God.
2. Now, they will plant their own crops in the fields.
3. they go from being people on the move to settled people.
4. No longer living in the shadow of being slaves in Egypt, but claiming the land God had promised them
5. A radical change in how they understand themselves.
6. In a very practical sense, if they wait for manna each day instead of planting and harvesting crops, they will starve because the daily arrival of manna has ceased.
7. In fact, in the Hebrew there is a play on words - the word for “manna” is a very close to the word for “crossing over” the river Jordan, as if manna is being exchanged for entering the Promised Land.
A new identity in the Promised Land for the Israelite people to embrace.
c. Paul describes the shift that comes with believing in the resurrection fo Jesus Christ.
1. A new worldview - instead of seeing the world from the perspective of our human limitations;
instead of evaluating the world in terms of worldly power structures;
we lay claim to the a worldview that knows the God of resurrection is at work.
2. As Paul describes it, our worldview shifts and we approach the world out of love and understanding ourselves to be ambassadors of reconciliation.
3. imagine that shift in how we view the world.
4. Take any headline you read that describes conflict and power struggles from the world stage to our local community and consider how differently those situations might be lived out if we all saw ourselves as ambassadors of reconciliation.
5. Paul is writing about a huge change in identity and calling on the Corinthians, and us to embrace that shift.
d. As we reflect on transitions in our own lives, we begin by laying claim to our new identity.
Move 2: Secondly, we look for God in the new life circumstances
a. Again, look at the Israelites.
1. when manna goes away, they lose their daily reminder that God is with them, that God is providing for them with literally the bread of life.
2. Now they will plant crops.
3. as they reimagine where their daily bread will come from, they reimagine how they will find God in their midst.
4. A clue from the text - from the first day the manna ceases, they ate produce from the land.
5. In the Promised Land described as a land of milk and honey, the Israelites will find produce and crops that will feed them.
6. A gift from God, who now provides for thier needs in another way.
7. . Clarence Macartney (see his great sermon Come Before Winter) an early 20th century Presbyterian preacher like to tell a story attributed to Dr. John Witherspoon when preaching on this text.
you may remember that Witherspoon was a Presbyterian minister, signer of the Declaration of Independence (the only minister to do so) and president of what would become Princeton University.
He lived a couple of miles away from the college and drove a horse and buggy each day to his office at the college. One day one of his neighbours burst into his office, exclaiming, 'Dr. Witherspoon, you must join me in giving thanks to God for his extraordinary providence in saving my life, for as I was driving to school today the horse ran away and the buggy was smashed to pieces on the rocks, but I escaped unharmed!'
Witherspoon replied, 'Why, I can tell you a far more remarkable providence than that. I have driven over that road hundreds of times. My horse never ran away, my buggy never was smashed, I was never hurt.' So we must beware of thinking that God is only in the earthquake, wind, and fire; of thinking that manna but not grain is God's food.
Most of God's gifts to his people are not dazzling and gaudy but wrapped in simple brown paper. Quiet provisions of safety on the highway, health of children, picking up a paycheck, supper with the family—all in an ordinary day's work for our God. (https://www.preceptaustin.org/joshua-5-commentary)
b. The early church struggled as it sought new ways to see God at work in their midst.
1. One fo the challenges was what to do with circumcision.
2.Circumcision had been the sign of God’s people for centuries.
3. But, in the early church circumcision was so wrapped up in the law that there were struggles with the idea of christians having to be circumcised.
4. So baptism becomes the new sign of God’s people.
5. Baptism became the mark of entry into God’s covenant.
6. In Christ, a new reality had been discovered - God’s power to resurrect and baptism becomes the sign of that new reality.
c. As we find ourselves trying to find solid ground on which to stand in times of transition, look for where God is at work in your life.
1. the God who created and called the world intoning is the same the God who called Israel is the same God who came in the flesh in Jesus Christ is the same God who raised Christ from the dead.
2. The same God who finds us wherever we are and whatever the circumstances of our lives.
Move 3: Finally, in time of transition, we remember
a. Notice the role of Passover in the life of the Israelites.
1. The first Passover takes place to save God’s people as Pharaoh is forced to let the Israelites leave Egypt.
2. As they enter the Promised Land, the plan is set to celebrate the Passover every year.
3. Why? so the people will remember how God had saved them in the past as a they now discover God’s life-saving grace in their current situation.
will celebrate the Passover
4. their new identity is informed by their past identity.
b. For Paul, the memory of Christians always goes back to the resurrection.
1. He reminds the early Christians again and again that Christ has been resurrected.
2. that memory allows Christians to adopt that new worldview and see themselves as ambassadors of reconciliation.
c. As we baptize Elizabeth today, we lay claim to that memory of Christ’s resurrection and the new life that comes to us as we join with Christ in the waters of baptism.
Our lives today are informed by what God has done in resurrecting Christ.
Conclusion: Choluteca Bridge in Choluteca, Honduras. Originally built in 1930, the bridge was rebuilt in 1996. The Honduras government, knowing the bridge was likely to face extreme weather conditions, commissioned some of the best architectural minds in the world to build a bridge that could withstand any hurricane. It was state-of-the-art at the time, providing a much-needed access point for the people of Honduras and was built to withstand the high winds and hurricanes that plagued the region.
Sure enough, in 1998, Honduras was hit by Hurricane Mitch, a category 5 storm that devastated the Caribbean. Honduras was wrecked. Roads were wiped out, there was considerable damage to buildings and every other bridge in Honduras was destroyed. However, the Choluteca Bridge stood its ground and survived in near perfect condition.
It was an amazing architectural achievement. Or, at least it should have been.
Even though the bridge stood its ground, there was one problem, the storm caused the river to carve a completely new path which no longer ran under the bridge. That’s right, the Choluteca Bridge no longer stood over the river, rendering it essentially useless
so there the bridge sits - perpendicular to the river. It looks sort of add at first glance. In fact, you may not even notice that it is a bridge. But there it sits, a bridge that spans nothing next to a river that needs a a bridge. .https://medium.com/road-less-ventured/why-an-honduran-bridge-is-a-perfect-metaphor-for-disruption-2a2d7c910535
As we face transitions in our lives, we lay claim to our new identity, we look for God in our new circumstance, and we remember - so we will not become bridges to nowhere, but live as people embracing their calling in all circumstances.
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