Pentecost 14-Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son,+ and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

‘And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”’ (V. 15)

There is a striking story told in an ancient book. It speaks of the hero Hercules. He was at the point in a boy’s life when he moves from boyhood into manhood. The child Hercules was at a crossroads like the people of Israel are here in this last chapter of Joshua’s book. The boy is wondering which path he will take. He does not know yet how his life will be.

Many of us do this at one point or other. It may be that we do so when Hercules does his wondering. When we are children, we may at times wonder how our life will turn out. For others, such contemplation does not happen until later in life. For some the course they will take is set for them when they are young. In such a person’s case as this, it is not until later, at a career setback for example, that they wonder, “will my life turn out as I had planned?”

In Hercules’ case, as the tale goes, two women appear before him. One is shapely in form and luxurious in dress. Certainly, this is a life that will yield good reward! The other, by contrast, is severe and strict in appearance and is clothed in simple dress. The name of the first is Pleasure and the other is Virtue.

Pleasure promised to lead the young man down a path that was the shortest of all; it is a road that is without any hardship on it. This road had at its end pleasures of every kind.

Virtue promised instead of an easy path to follow in life a life of labor and suffering. By this woman, Hercules was promised he would experience toil and hardship. It is on this road alone that the young man will experience a beautiful and good life worthy of his manhood (cf. St. Matt. 7:13-14).[1]

In our text from the book of Joshua for this morning, we also see a people at a crossroads. The people of Israel are given a choice. They can follow the true God or they can follow the gods of their ancestors. Their “fathers”, as Joshua phrases it. In this passage, the people of Israel pledge to follow the true God. They choose to destroy the gods of their fathers and that they themselves followed in the land of Egypt. As we read more of the history of Israel, we see this to be mere words. The later actions of the people betray otherwise than what is said here with words.

‘And the people answered and said, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did these great signs in our sight and preserved us through all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed. And the LORD drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who lived in the land. We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God.”’ (Vv. 16-18)

Today much of Christianity finds itself at a crossroads. Yes, we have recently heard of the shocking news out of the ELCA convention held last month; this is simply one more in a long litany. Many of the big denominations have officially gone down the same road or down other un-Scriptural paths. These church bodies have found themselves tempted by the pleasures of this world. They have been given the choice as was Hercules.

Jesus has harsh words for such as these in the second chapter of St. John’s Apocalypse. '‘‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.’’' (Rev. 2:4) Jesus goes on to urge the people of Ephesus to repent and return to the deeds they had done at first, but above all, to repent. Joshua also urges the people of Israel, and us, in the same direction. After all, Joshua states: ‘“Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD."’ (V. 14)

We have all been instructed in the true faith through study of our Catechism and holy Scripture when we were twelve or fourteen years of age. We also, as with all those others of the Christian faith in our country where taught the faith of our fathers. Yet, so many are now wandering off from this faith of Christ’s given to us (2 Tim. 4:3-5). It is true that so many others have wandered from the faith. It is also true that our church body is struggling with the same choices that have been made by others before us. It is for us as a church body to now decide which woman we will choose. Will we choose Pleasure or will we choose Virtue? Which one did Hercules choose?

What I am trying to point out is, when we speak of the forgiveness won for all men by Jesus on the cross to those in the other church bodies we need to remember the speck which is in our own eye. We also have our own sins. We must acknowledge them when discussing the faith with those Christians in other church bodies. They can see our sins as well as we can see theirs. It will do us no good to ignore them. This does not give us an out to not speak of the true faith to our neighbor.

We cannot pretend that we have no problems. Also it is the national church bodies who make these decisions. Our friends and relatives in these different denominations are very likely still holding the same faith they were taught as children. The same faith you and I were given in our Catechism instruction. We may be able to point out for them the conflict between their local church and the national church body.

For, really, our Christian life is along the lines of what St. Paul speaks of in our Epistle. There the Apostle tells us what kind of relationship marriage really is. He tells us that it is actually a picture of Christ and His Church. So, think that through.

If our Christian faith is to be compared to a marriage relationship, what then is expected? What is expected of married couples even if they do not always live up to those vows? Well, when we are married, we vow to remain faithful to that one for our whole life. This is a thought, word, and deed sort of promise. By comparison, what do we vow at our baptism? We vow to remain faithful to our heavenly Father, because of His Son who rescued us, for our whole life. Do all of us remain faithful to that vow? No. We fail at that vow, we sin. What then are we to do if we sin, repent.

This is why each of us was confirmed in the faith later in our lives. We recommit ourselves to the faith of our baptisms. We do this over and over. We actually do this recommitting of ourselves to the faith of our baptisms each time we confess our sins at the beginning of the Sunday service.

As I said earlier. It is God who chooses us; you and me, we do not choose God. We cannot, “We cannot by our own reason or strength believe in or come to” God. It is entirely His choice. As Jesus tells His Twelve disciples ‘Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve”’ (St. Jn. 6:70). Once God has chosen us in Jesus, then and only then, are we able to choose God. Our choosing only and always comes second. It is a response to receiving the gift of salvation.

If it were not so, it would not be grace.

‘It was grace in Christ that called me,
Taught my darkened heart and mind;
Else the world had yet enthralled me,
To Thy heavenly glories blind.
Now I worship none above Thee;
For Thy grace alone I thirst,
Knowing well that, if I love Thee,
Thou, O Lord, didst love me first.’
(LSB 573:2)

This is the thing. In each of our lessons for this Sunday, there is a choice. In Joshua 24, there is the choice of the Israelites who must follow the true God who brought them out of Egypt or the false gods of the nations that surrounded them. In Ephesians 5, there is an implied choice. The wife chooses to be submissive to the husband, as the church is submissive to her husband, Christ, out of love for her husband. In St. John 6, the Twelve choose to remain faithful to their Master and Savior even when all others had left. St. Peter gives a very good reason for this, ‘“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”’ (Vv. 68-69)

It is to this same minority that we as Christians are now being called. It matters not if we are Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, or Lutheran ELCA or LC-MS or any other denomination. We each as individual Christians are being called by the Holy Spirit to believe in the gospel for the forgiveness of our sins. That same gospel that Paul spells out for us elsewhere: ‘even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus’ (Rom. 3:22-24).

This is the message that we as Missouri Synod Lutherans carry to those around us; as do all Christians. It is the message that we tell to those who are lost or hurting or confused in their faith, our neighbor. It is the message that we bring to a lost and dying world that is all around us.

In Jesus’+ Name. Amen.

[1] Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations, p. 155 entry #717; the book referred to is Xenophon’s Memoirs.