Deuteronomy 26. 1-11
The journey is god’s, not ours!
This was one of “those” weeks! One of “those weeks, not in a bad way, but in a good one! It began when I read the passage from Deuteronomy. The passage we read a few moments ago. And by the time I’d read the first dozen-or-so words, I knew, exactly, what I was going to say, this morning! And any time that happens, it’s a good week. “When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you ….” Of course, there’s more to it! Most of eleven verses more! But that was enough! All I needed!
You see, we’ve been living those very words, for three years now! Ever since we sold the building. Ever since we walked away from the fellowshipHall. Living them as we’ve been making our way through the wilderness. “When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you ….” Faith – believing – for us has become a journey! One step after another! One oasis after the next! Ventures with no end in sight! Paths as yet untrodden! Perils unknown! Deepening our understanding! Expanding our practice! Sharing the beauty we discover – that discovers us – along the way!
I read those words and they felt good! Like meeting an old friend! Like coming home! And from the first, I knew what I wanted – what I needed – to say! Then, round about Wednesday – ashWednesday – all that changed. I began to have second thoughts. Third thoughts. And they morphed into something I hadn’t imagined. Something I hadn’t expected. The words weren’t, so much, about us, as they were about Jesus! “When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you ….” It’s not OUR journey being described. It’s god’s! And until ashWednesday, I’d forgotten! Forgotten that we don’t go anywhere! We can’t go anywhere! We’re captive! In bondage! To sin! And we can’t free ourselves! I’d lost sight of the basics! That by our own understanding … by our own strength … we cannot! Cannot come to Christ! Cannot believe in him! And since we cannot, god must! Must and does! But then, that’s the gospel! The goodNews! It changes us! Makes us different! New! The journey’s not ours to make! It’s god’s! Christ’s!
All motion’s relative. At least, that’s what we were taught. It depends on our frame-of-reference. Our assumptions. There are times when it looks like we’re moving. Times it, even, feels we’re moving. But we aren’t. We’re not, but god is! And Lent’s the same way! We make such a big deal out of contending against evil! Of resisting whatever leads us away from loving! But it’s not us! Our contention! Our resistance! It’s god’s! All the clutter! All the noise! About self-examination and repentance! About fasting and prayer! About sacrificial giving and works of love! But it only gets in the way. Distracting. Confusing. The discipline of Lent, we call it! But it’s not ours to do! After all, we’re captive! In bondage! Static! Stationary! It’s god’s to do!
But then, if you recall, that was the great debate, half-a-millennium ago. By works or by love? By obedience or by trust? By us or by god? Today, it’s the same question, all over again! The church isn’t dying! The church in Europe! The church in North America! The church here in Midland! It’s being reshaped! Reformed! Born again! We’re on a journey. But that journey isn’t ours to take! It’s god’s! God’s! And we’re, simply, drawn along in the wake! It’s not our effort, our energy, that matters! It’s not our blood or our sweat or our tears that are important! It’s god’s!
Sure, we’d like to think it’s us. The strength of our arm. The sweat of our brow. Going – going boldly – where no one’s gone before. Saying what’s never been said. Doing what’s never been done. But that’s not our mission! That’s not why we’re here! It’s god’s purpose! God’s reason-for-being! “When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you ….” It’s god doing the walking! And you and I? You and I are just along for the ride! Like that sheep the good shepherd lays on his shoulders! But then, that’s what the gospel looks like! That’s what goodNews sounds like!
Faith doesn’t being with us … it begins with god! With god’s grace! With god’s mercy! But then again, that’s also where it ends! With god’s grace! With god’s mercy! This thing we’ve been doing these last three years? It hasn’t been our doing; it’s been god’s! It hasn’t been our journey; it’s been god’s journey! If it was up to us, we’d still be in the mud pits. If it was up to us, we never would have left. And if it was up to us, we would have turned around a long time ago. We’d be sitting in the same pews. We’d be saying the same prayers. Singing the same songs. But god had other plans. God has other plans. Somewhere else to go. Somewhere else to be. And for some amazing reason, god chose to take us along! Step by step! Oasis by oasis!
“When you have come …” No! When you have been carried! When you have been brought into the land …. The thing I’d forgotten? The thing we need to remember? It’s god’s journey, not ours! But we have the honor, the privilege, to see where god’s headed! We have the honor, the privilege, to see find out where god ends up! Like the prayer reminds us, it’s not so much the venture or the peril or the path. It’s god – god’s hand leading! It’s god – god’s love supporting!
My friends, like everything else, the land’s not a destination. It’s a gift! A gift given out of the goodness, out of the greatness, of god’s own heart! When you – when we – have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving ….”