Loving God, it seems so easy for us to forget what you have done for us and to forget the depth of your love for us.  Help us not only to remember what you have done, but also to continue to see your power at work; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    To at least some people, the reading today from Joshua probably sounded like a long, boring speech.  In fact, some of it might have sounded quite meaningless, especially if you don’t happen to know the stories that are being mentioned.  However, each thing that is mentioned is there for a reason.

    Just to give today’s reading a little bit of context, this is one of the last things that Joshua says to the people before he dies.  Many years have already passed since last week’s reading, when Moses was the leader and they were gathered at Mount Sinai in the wilderness.  Now, they have entered the promised land and are living in the towns and villages that used to belong to others.  Since Moses died, Joshua has been their leader, and he is the one who actually brings them into the promised land – by God’s hand, of course!

    And so, now at the end of Joshua’s life, he wants to remind the people of all that God has done.  He says to them, Remember Abraham, and how he was led to the land of Canaan and was given many descendants and even had a son with Sarah when both of them were really old? – God did that!  Remember how Jacob went down to Egypt, and Moses and Aaron led you out of slavery and how the Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea? – God did that!

    Remember how you defeated the Ammonites and the Amorites and all of those other people? – God did that!  Remember how King Balak wanted Balaam to curse you, but there were only words of blessing that came out of Balaam’s mouth? – God did that!  God drove out the people before you and gave you towns that you had not built and fields that you had not planted and good vineyards and olive trees.  Joshua says, God has done all this for you over all these years.  So what is your response going to be?

    There was good reason for Joshua to be asking this question, for in spite of all that God had done for them, many of the people were still worshiping other gods – just as their ancestors had done when they were beyond the Euphrates River and when they were in Egypt.  “Choose this day whom you will serve,” says Joshua.  And then he gives his own well-known response: “as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15).

    I’d like to invite you to think about this for a moment in slightly more human terms.  Try to remember a time in your life when another person did something for you for which you were truly grateful.... When you are really grateful to somebody for what they have done, what might you do in response?... [thank you card or gift; remember them - keep in touch; help/serve them in any way you can; humble gratitude - say thank you].  So there are a number of different things that you might want to do in order to show your gratitude to somebody.

    The same would be true if you were grateful for what God has done for you.  If I were to give today a speech like Joshua’s, it probably wouldn’t mention the Jebusites, or Balaam, or the Egyptians, or the Amorites.  Instead, it would mention things like these: Remember how Jesus was God with us, and loved and served people, and even died for us? – God did that!  Remember how you were baptized and saved and forgiven and made God’s very own child through Jesus? – God did that!

    Remember how you have been given food to eat and a roof over your head and the skills and abilities in order to make a living? – God did that!  Remember how your prayers have been answered, and how you have been healed, and how you have been blessed to be a blessing? – God did that!  God has loved and forgiven you and given you the gift of eternal life, all because of Jesus.  So what is your response going to be?

    When we remember these things and are grateful for them, at least some of our response might be very similar to how we would show gratitude to another person.  We might serve God in any way that we can.  We might remember God and keep in touch – taking the time to worship and to pray.  We might have an attitude of humble gratitude, praising and thanking God at every opportunity.  We might give to God by giving to others.

    At the same time, one might think that we would also “worship the Lord [our] God, and serve only him” (Mt. 4:10).  We heard the same thing last week in at least two different ways: “you shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3) and “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Mt. 22:37).  While we might be tempted to believe that worshiping other gods isn’t much of a problem today, consider that whatever your number one priority is in your life – that is your god.  When there are other things that come before God, that is the same as worshiping an idol.

    The thing is that some of the things that end up coming first in our lives even seem like good things and necessary things.  And yet, ultimately, it is only God who gives life.  While we might pour the bulk of our time and energy into our work or into our family or into sports or into our possessions, ultimately none of those things can give us life and salvation.  Whatever it is that we are involved with, each thing needs to come under God and needs to serve God.  It is only then that we are able to love God with all that we have and all that we are, and as a result love one another.

    To be sure, this is not easy in today’s world when so many things seem to clamour for our time and attention.  Yet, we sell ourselves short when we forget what God has done for us and allow other things to crowd out having a life-giving relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

    And so, today, remember what God has done for you.  Remember that there is only one God who can give life.  Drink deeply from the fountain of God’s love and God’s salvation, and give thanks for the gift of Jesus, who gives himself to us today.  For God has acted to save us and has revealed the depth of his love for us through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Pentecost 18 (NL1) / Thanksgiving                    Joshua 24:1-15
October 12, 2014                                Matthew 4:8-10
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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