Joshua 24:1-16 (NIV)

1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.
2 Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your forefathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River and worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.
5 " 'Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. 6 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. 7 But they cried to the LORD for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the desert for a long time.
8 " 'I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. 9 When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. 10 But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.
11 " 'Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. 12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. 13 So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.'
14 "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
16 Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!

Erwin Lutzer, commenting on commitment, wrote this:

"Better to love God and die unknown;
than to love the world and die a hero.
Better to be content with poverty;
than to die a slave to wealth.
Better to have taken some risks and lost;
than to have done nothing and succeeded at it.
Better to have failed when serving God;
than to have succeeded when serving Satan.
What a tragedy to have climbed the ladder of success,
only to find the ladder was leaning against the wrong wall."

We are constantly being bombarded by the media, people at work, friends and relatives with a view of society and success that is false and shallow at best—one that leans against the wrong wall.

We are led to believe that the two greatest achievements of our society in the past generation have been the mini-van and Ice Beer.

We are corrupted into thinking success equates with keeping our jobs in tough times or owning the latest technology.

We forget that success really isn't tied to what we have but who we are and what we do with what we have.

We listen to news items that stress individual rights, lawsuits and justice that makes society, in general pay.

We hear about these and much more in a world of warped values and norms.

We find ourselves influenced directly and indirectly by all that goes on around us. The norms and standards of our culture seep into our thinking and our way of life.

Little Junior was six years old and a holy terror. His father was surprised when his Mother suggested that they buy him a bike for his birthday.
" Do you really believe that'll help improve his behaviour?" he said.
“ Well, no," she admitted, "But it'll spread it over a wider area."

Christianity has struggled to fight the influences of holy terrors spread over wide areas for a long time. It has struggled to point us to commitment that matters—to the ladder that rests against the right wall.

The Hebrews—God's Chosen People—struggled, as well, from the time of Abraham's call.

The final chapter of the book of Joshua has some things to say to our unsettled minds.

Joshua 24 takes place when the Promised Land had been conquered by Israel. Joshua's job as leader was at an end. His death was just around the corner. It was time for a farewell address.

Joshua didn’t take the opportunity to congratulate everyone for what they had accomplished. Instead, he called upon the people to renew their Covenant with God.

He called upon them to rededicate themselves to their Lord.

They had been a fickle people. Time and time again they had been for God—win or tie. When the going got tough, the Hebrews usually got going—to other gods and the influences of other societies.

God and Joshua wanted that to change!

In verses 2-13 of Ch. 24, we find a rehearsal of God's care for His people from the time of Abraham to the present. It was a reminder of how God had blessed and protected them.

The divine pronoun "I" is mentioned no less than 18 times in these 11 verses.
God declared: I gave I assigned I sent I delivered I brought.

This wasn’t a massive ego trip on God's part. It was a recollection of what God had done for Israel, lest they get a swelled head over their success.
In truth, the Hebrews owed everything to God. They could never repay God for all God had done for them.

But, you see, God didn't want repayment—God only wanted their loyalty.

After rehearsing the past, Joshua called the people to faithfulness. The Lord God had been their God. He would remain their God.

But what about them?
Whom would they serve?

Would they go back and serve the false gods of their forefathers?
Would they serve the false gods of the land they now inhabited?
Would they turn their face against the Lord OR would they open their arms to God as they rededicated themselves to Yahweh, the true God of Israel?

Joshua, in one of the most dramatic and powerful, yet simple statements in Scripture, let his decision be known:

"As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord!"

This congregation has served the Lord for almost 45 years.
During those years we have experienced many turning points.

Our 45th Anniversary celebration was one such turning point.

Turning points are glorious times to remember and rehearse how God has blessed and cared for God’s people.

They are opportunities to celebrate how the Lord has served this community through the ministry of this congregation.

Turning points are wondrous occasions to look back and give thanks for what the Church has meant to our lives and our faith.

Rehearsing as Joshua rehearsed.
Remembering as the people under Joshua remembered.

We, like Joshua and Israel, need to celebrate our history with God—to be warmed by the memories and inspired by God’s touch.

But our challenge goes well beyond that.

Joshua and Israel remembered and rehearsed the past so they could take on the future.

Their thoughts on the past were geared to produce a recommitment to the future.

Because God had been faithful—
Because God had blessed them—
Because God had delivered them—
Because God had shown Himself to be their God—
a response was called for.

"As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

It was a response that looked to the future because Israel was just beginning to know how wonderful their God truly was.

There are exciting times in the future for the people of St. Timothy’s with our wonderful God.

Ajax continues to add houses at an incredible rate. This time next year we will have 78 new neighbours as a housing development goes in just south of us. The wasteland long undeveloped on Bayly, just east of Monarch, is set to have houses up soon. We are the only Presbyterian Church south of the 401 in Pickering, Ajax or Whitby.

The circumstances are in place for us to grow.

And, we are beginning to see growth.

We need to continue to do the things that have allowed us to grow so far.

The two main reasons for our growth to this point have been a commitment to Christ and a commitment to grow.

Without that dual commitment we wouldn’t have reached the turning point we are looking at now.

When I came to St. Timothy’s three and a half years ago, I came because I saw tremendous potential for this congregation and its ministry. I have found people who share in the hopes of truly being God's people in challenging and wonderful ways. I have been delighted to serve with a special group of disciples—eager followers and learners of Jesus Christ.

Your commitment to Christ and to the spread of this congregation's ministry is something I give thanks for each and every day.

There is, of course, a price to be paid for growth.
It includes adjusting to new faces and new ideas.
The price includes change.

A loud college student challenged a senior citizen saying it was impossible for their generation to understand his world.
" You grew up in a different time," the student said. "Today we have television, jet planes, space travel, nuclear energy, computers, the internet..."
Taking advantage of a pause in the student's litany, the senior said, "You're right Sonny. We didn't have those things when we were young...so we invented them!"

We are laying the ground work for future generations here at St. Timothy’s. We are in a constant process of growing in Christ—growing closer so we can determine and act upon God’s will for us as a Church. We are in the business of inventing and reinventing ourselves as God directs. Christian living is never to be a static thing. Change is inevitable. Such is the joy of Christian living. Such is the challenge of always seeking to develop our relationship with God.

The challenge is before us.

The way to meet that challenge is through commitment.

We can be like a lovesick Romeo or a famous statesman.

"My dearest Susan," wrote a lovesick Romeo, "I would swim the mighty ocean for one glance from your lovely eyes. I would walk through a wall of fire for one touch of your delicate hand. I would traverse the widest river; climb the highest mountain for a single word from your warm lips.
As ever, your faithful Alex.
P.S. I'll come to see you next Saturday, if it doesn't rain.

Or as a famous statesman responded when asked how he could make seven speeches in a day and still have lots of energy:

"I can do that because I believe in what I said. I am enthusiastic about my convictions."

Joshua looked ahead and proclaimed his enthusiasm for God.
This congregation has a history of doing the same.

May God bless us and strengthen us to proclaim:

"As for me and my Church, we will serve the Lord!"
(1520)

© The Rev. Dennis Cook, St. Timothy’s Presbyterian Church, Ajax, ON, Canada