My Next Great Adventure: "The Church Will Be Churching!" (sermon)

Two Rivers Pastoral Charge
Sunday January 28, 2024
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20

I know that I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, but I do love the book of Deuteronomy! Our regular bible study people are now experts on the book of Deuteronomy, as we’ve been meandering our way through the Old Testament and spent part of last fall in Deuteronomy.

To set the scene: the Ancient Israelite people had been slaves in Egypt until God called to Moses out of the burning bush telling him that he would be the one to lead the people to freedom. Moses went to Pharoah and demanded, “Let my people go!” After a number of wonders that God worked through Moses, the people were able to escape; Moses parted the waters of the Red Sea so that the people could cross safely to the other side and escape the Egyptians who were hot on their heels; and then the people spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness, learning to trust in God’s presence, learning to trust in God’s guidance, learning to trust in God’s provision. Along the way, Moses climbed to the top of a mountain in the middle of the Sinai desert where God gave him the Law, beginning with the 10 Commandments.

Forty years, and a lot of adventures later, the people are perched on the banks of the Jordan River, about to cross over into the Promised Land – the land that God had promised to them and to their ancestors. But before they cross, Moses stops the people and reminds them of everything that has happened since they left Egypt, and recites the whole law for them a second time, beginning with the 10 Commandments.

The punchline comes towards the end of the book – the part of the book that I especially love. God, speaking through Moses pleads with the people. “Look, I’ve showed you the way to life and blessings through following my commandments. Now choose life and abundance by following me – it’s right there in your grasp! Choose life!”

(We’re going to stay in Deuteronomy today, but if you are curious about what happens next, and how long the people were able to do what God was asking of them, you can ask any of our regular bible study group!)

Now, with the part of Deuteronomy that we read today, we’re only about half way through Moses’s recitation of the law – we haven’t reached that exhortation to choose life yet. But Moses pauses for a moment to reflect on the current situation.

Keep in mind that Moses is 120 years old at this point, and he has been leading the people for more than 40 years. God has also told him that he isn’t going to live long enough to cross the river into the Promised Land, so now that they are right on the banks of the Jordan River, he knows that his days are limited. And in this section that we read today, Moses reassures the people that even when he is gone, God is going to raise up a new leader for them – God will raise up a new prophet for them from among their own people. Not an outsider, but one of their own. They won’t be left leader-less.

The lectionary that we follow gives us four readings for each week – one from the Old Testament, a Psalm, a reading from the Epistles or letters in the New Testament, and a reading from the Gospels. And when I read through the options for today, and saw this passage for Deuteronomy, I thought to myself that this was the perfect reading for the Sunday before I begin my Sabbatical.

Because God is always raising up new leaders from with the people. As I said in my Mid-Week Message on Wednesday, I am going away for 3 months with full confidence that Two Rivers Pastoral Charge will keep on churching while I’m gone. The church isn’t just about one person and what that one person does, but instead the church is about what all of us do, and about the shared leadership.

The church will continue to gather together to worship God. Different Lay Worship Leaders and clergy will lead worship. Our musicians will continue to lead the music. The quilters will continue to quilt and the UCW will continue to prepare funeral lunches (though hopefully not too many). Ross will continue to encourage the church to share out of our abundance with Mission and Service; and Chris and the rest of Session will continue to pray for the church and nourish the spiritual life. Bette, Anne, and the rest of the Church in the World Committee will remind the church to leave food in Ida’s Cupboard, and search out new opportunities in the world where we can serve our neighbours.

The church will keep on churching, because God is always raising up new leaders. This is God’s church, and God will always equip us so that we can do the work of churching that God puts before us.

And so these words of Moses are a good ego-check for me this week, reminding me that it’s not all about me and re-assuring me that it’s not just OK to step back, but it’s good to step back for a time to rest, knowing that this is God’s church, and God’s got us.

And so I step away for three months, knowing that I will likely be a slightly different person when I return, shaped by my sabbath months; but also knowing that Two Rivers will also likely be slightly different then too, because this is a living church, and God is always raising up new leaders from among us to lead us in the new directions where God is calling us to follow.

And may we all have the courage to say yes when God is calling! Amen.