2018 was a tough year for me. We had some struggles at home that I won't go into here, and the church I serve went through some big transitions, with their worship and pastoral care minister, who had been with them for 18 years, moving on, and a church assessment committee that recommended some pretty big changes for future staffing, and a vote on whether or not to sell their manse (house available for minister) and use the money to renovate the church.
Those of you who have been with communities of faith dealing with big changes know that it doesn't always happen gracefully. Those who are fearful and feel they're not being heard or that they're not getting their way may choose to take action in appropriate and hurtful ways, sometimes putting staff and others in tough spots, feeling pushed and pulled, and experiencing high levels of stress. Honestly, I don't know where I'd be right now if my year hadn't started with a sabbatical.
But all of that is behind me now, right? Changes have been decided upon, and we can just move on without any more stress or struggles. Right?
I'm not going to fool myself. It feels good to fell like we are moving out of transition and moving into a different part of the journey, but in some ways, the stress and struggles are just beginning. I am moving into a whole new role at the church I serve, with new challenges. My family, with both my sons almost graduated and moving on to university, will also go through challenges. Some years will have more struggles than celebrations, and at times, we will feel heavy burdens, and that's life.
As a church, a world wide, universal church, it feels like we have been struggling for a long time. Our culture and society are changing. More and more people are questioning their faith and the church's role in their lives. Some are fighting to hold on to their faith, standing firm on fundamental beliefs, while others, with a more modern, scientific, and logical view, just don't see how these beliefs hold up. Many dismiss magic and miracles and even find wonder difficult to discover.
In the United Church, we've been hearing for many years the struggles we are facing with a shortage of ministers, a lack of resources, churches closing, and faith communities experiencing conflict. Ministry has become linked with stress, disagreements, bitterness, and even despair at it getting any better.
We hear these messages over and over again, and I got to tell you, my friends, I sometimes wonder if these messages have become who are are as a church. It feels like a loop. We are told people don't want to come to church so we don't ask people to come to church. We are told there is no money, so we scale back because there is no money. We are told we are dying, so we prepare for the end. We are scared; we are on high alert all the time; amalgamations and closures become expected and sad, but not surprising; we get trained on conflict resolution and how to work through crises, and we wait for the day when it will all come crashing down on us. Little hope is offered and cynicism sets in. Is that who we are as a church?
I hesitated. This passage follows the end of the Torah, the first five books of the bible. Moses, the great leader who had led the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt, had just died at the entrance into the holy land, after a long journey through the wilderness. Now we are introduced to a new leader, Joshua. It's the beginning of a very violent chapter for the Hebrew people, taking over a land that wasn't theirs, a land that had already been populated by other nations, all, supposedly, with God's blessing and support.
Joshua though was leading a people into a whole new world and this is where I see the similarity of this story and out story. The people of God were ending one journey and beginning another. They were no longer slaves of an Egyptian Empire. We are moving away from a Christian Empire and its many privileges. They were done wandering in a wilderness and ready for a new beginning. It's time for us to end our wandering and find a new beginning.
Three times in this passage, Joshua is told to be "strong and courageous." God says to Joshua, "Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them." We might heard God saying to us, "Be strong and courageous; for there is good news to share that can inspire people to own their gifts and to share their abundance to a world in need."
God said to Joshua, "Only be strong and courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go." We might hear God saying to us, "Only be strong and courageous, carrying the wisdom of our ancestors, remembering all that we have been taught, so that we might serve one another with mercy and compassion, peace and justice."
God said to Joshua, "Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." We might hear God saying to us....well, I think we might hear these same words for us today, "Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
We are starting a new chapter. We look different. As churches close, others are creating new visions and beginning to thrive and grow. Christendom has come to an end and churches are struggling to determine what that means and how it looks. But we are also the same. We are still Christians. We still follow Jesus. We are still to support one another, strive to make connections with each others, and, with God's guidance, we all strive to discern God's call to us and live out the words and the wisdom of Jesus, who we profess is still with us, through the Spirit, supporting and leading us. Whether or not the church as we know it crumbles, our call to serve one another, to love our neighbour as ourselves, and to bring hope to a broken world, does not change.
Joshua was a leader for a people who really had no idea what they were doing and what was coming next. Sound familiar? We are also guessing. Sometimes we get it right; sometimes we don't. We have made a lot of mistakes. Hopefully we learn from those mistakes, seek forgiveness and make amends, and we try again.
Are you ready for this new adventure? Are you ready to stop dying and figure out a new way to live? Are you ready to join together in this new beginning, professing our willing to follow Christ to the cross and to resurrection? Because we are a resurrection people. We believe in new life, new beginnings, and transformation.
Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened or dismayed, for God is with us wherever we go. We are not alone. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Do you see any benefits or a necessity to being in times of wandering especially after traumatic times or times of great fear and anxiety?
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