“CHOOSE A CHAIR”
JOSHUA 24:1-3, 14-25
24:1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem
and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God.
2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the
Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor;
and they served other gods.
3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River
and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac.
14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in
sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose
this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites
in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that
we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods,
17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers
up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all
the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed.
18 And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the
Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able
to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.
20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then
he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.”
21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will
serve the Lord.”
22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses
against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.”
23 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that
are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
24 And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God
we will serve, and his voice we will obey.”
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day,
and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem.
Life is full of choices isn’t it? Each day we wake up we have choices to make. What outfit will I wear
today, what will I have for breakfast, should I go to the gym before or after work? These are all choices but they’re
so automatic we don’t give them much thought. We tend to get comfortable, put it in cruise control and take for granted
that we have clothes to wear, food to eat and are healthy enough to go to the gym. Sometimes we get to be a little like the
women who surprised her husband while driving their new motor home one day. I understand this is a true story. What happened
was simple. This retired couple bought a motor home so they spend more time traveling and see the country while they were
still physically able. You see they cashed in their retirement accounts and purchased one of the finest motor homes available.
One day while they were traveling up the coast of California, the husband, who had been doing all the driving, up until this
point, became very tired so he ask his wife if she would drive while he took a nap. As she was driving, she put the motor
home in cruise control and it worked perfectly. After driving about an hour down the straight highway, she got up to go to
the bathroom. She thought, or at least that is what she told the Highway Patrolman, that cruise control was the same as automatic
pilot. Their motor home crashed and was completely demolished, but neither of them was seriously hurt. Now that is taking
cruise control a little too far. I wonder though, do we ever do that when it comes to our relationship with God? Like the people of Israel, this woman had gotten too comfortable, things had become too easy and she didn’t
give what she was doing much thought.
Joshua saw that with the
Israelites and that is why he called the people together at Shechem that day. He called them there to remind them that they
had a choice to make. Not a choice to be taken lightly mind you, this was an important one that involved a commitment. In
fact, this relationship was so important that it needed to take the form of a covenant.
This is the reason why
Joshua asked the question to the Israelites just before they went to take possession of the Promised Land. Joshua told them
to choose. Choose this day whom you will serve. Joshua asked them that question because already he could sense that they were
getting a little too comfortable in their relationship with God. They were beginning to put their relationship with God on
cruise control. So what does he do? He puts on the blue lights and reminds them
of their commitment to God and asks them if they are going to take it seriously or not. The people had begun to get comfortable
in this in-between time they were in. Rather than staying focused on the One True God with zeal and excitement they were beginning
to take that relationship for granted and were being distracted by other gods and cultures. And if they started to slip now
what would happen once they went their own way and settled permanently into the land?
Like the people of Israel, we too need to be reminded of and think about our relationship with God. Joshua tells
the people to “choose this day whom you will serve”. Notice that this isn’t a passive statement; rather
it is an active one. The people are not only asked to choose but that choice is followed up with a commitment, and that commitment
is to serve God.
The great tenor Luciano Pavarotti new a little something about commitment. Asked in an interview about his success
he stated, "When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song. "He urged me to work very hard to
develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in
a teachers college. On graduating, I asked my father, 'Shall I be a teacher or a singer?' "'Luciano,' my father replied, 'if
you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.' "I chose one. It took seven
years of study and frustration before I made my first professional appearance. It took another seven to reach the Metropolitan
Opera. And now I think whether it's laying bricks, writing a book--whatever we choose--we should give ourselves to it. Commitment,
that's the key. Choose one chair."
Commitment paid off for Pavarotti. He became one of, if not the best tenor the world has ever seen. If you take
your relationship with God for granted, if your relationship with God is a little too casual you’re going to end up
trying to sit in too many chairs.
As you make your way through this crazy mixed up world Joshua wants to
know who you’re going to serve?
When the people around you are chasing the gods of prosperity and hedonism
and selfishness are you going to join them? Or are you going to serve the God
who came to us in Jesus Christ and promises us a life that is truly abundant in this world and a life that is everlasting
in the world to come?
Choose this day and everyday whom you are going to serve.
One man did that when he called into a radio station to participate
in a contest. Disc jockeys invited their listeners to tune in their clock radios. "Just for fun," they said, "when you wake
up to the sound of FM-106, call and tell us the first words you spoke when you rolled out of bed. If you're the third caller,
you'll win
$106."
It
didn't take long for the contest to grow in enthusiasm. The first morning, a buoyant disc jockey said, "Caller number three,
what did you say when you rolled out of bed this morning?" A groggy voice said, "Do I smell coffee burning?" Another day,
a sleepy clerical worker said, "Oh no, I'm late for work." Somebody else said her first words were, "Honey, did I put out
the dog last night?" A muffled curse was immediately heard in the
background, and then a man was heard to say, "No, you
didn't." It was a funny contest and drew a considerable audience. One morning, however, the third caller said something unusual.
The station phone rang. "Good morning, this is FM-106. You're on the air. What did you say when you rolled out of bed this
morning?"A voice with a Bronx accent replied, "You want to know my first wrds in the morning?"
The bubbly DJ said, "Yes, sir! Tell us what you said."
The Bronx
voice responded, "Shema, Israel ... Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might." There was a moment of embarrassed silence. Then the radio
announcer said, "Sorry, wrong number," and cut to a commercial.
Choosing God makes
you stand out doesn’t it. When you choose to have a relationship with God it makes you stand out because it changes
you and the way you interact with the world, the way you live your life and the choices you make. And that can make others
uncomfortable. But my brothers and sisters, that is our charge, that is our challenge.
May we start each day
by answering the question that Joshua asked that day. Who are you going to serve? As for me and my house we will serve the
Lord. Amen
Mike
Gelsomini
Student
Minister
November
9, 2008
