PK writes:

We recently completed a read-through of the book of Joshua, and Karen Kersey invited/challenged/asked me to share two “Take-away” thoughts about the book.

One, Joshua is something of a sequel to one of the central books of the Old Testament, Exodus. (If you think about it, Genesis is something of a prequel to Exodus, but that’d be a chat for another paragraph). In Exodus, God’s people (who were created and set apart in Genesis) are freed from slavery and are given the Law. The central figures are God, and Moses, and the people, and at the end of Exodus, we have the people standing on the edge of the Promised Land, and we have Moses watching from a distance. Joshua picks up after the death of Moses, and we see God’s promises of land and people and blessing start to come to fruition. If you look at one generic story “shape,” you have an introduction, an escalation, a valley, and a resolution. Joshua is the resolution of the earlier valley. Earlier, the people were enslaved – they did not have their own land, they did not have their own lives. But through grace and faith as well as blood, sweat, and tears, they come into lives and land of their own.

That’s one of the “take-away” thoughts about Joshua.

And here’s a second. I know there were boring parts of Joshua, when it felt like we were reading a land surveyor’s notebook. And I know there were parts of Joshua that probably made you raise an eyebrow and say, “wait, what?” as God instructs the people to kill every living thing as they move in. I’ll be honest with you, some parts of scripture just leave a bad taste in the mouth and kind of make you question God’s goodness. To this particular issue I’ll say that while parts of this narrative are unpalatable to our 21^st century tastes, our views are informed by many centuries of global history, and our context is not the same as that of a desert-agrarian monotheistic fledgling society. But consider our clean kitchen practices today. We are generally careful when making bread, for example, to pay special attention to temperature and humidity and purity. We take measures to avoid unwanted contaminations so that we can produce a good (or an excellent!) bread. Regarding Joshua: God is interested in providing a place for the chosen people to develop, unadulterated and fully devoted to God, and that calls for a clean slate. Not only that, but having the people “do the work” of taking the land gives the people some “buy-in” that wouldn’t be there if God just gave them the clean slate.

So. Two “take-away” points from PK regarding the book of Joshua: Joshua shows us that God fulfills promises, and that God invites people to participate in becoming what God would have them become.

Thank you, Karen, for inviting this reflection. And believe it or not, I wrote this before reading the one you shared.

Some newsy items:

After facilitating a full year of mid-week email communications by and for the congregation, Karen Kersey and PK spoke about phasing her weekly devotional offering out, given PK’s weekly email as well as the fact that we’re worshiping together in the sanctuary again. We agreed on something like a monthly newsletter, to be shared a week after the monthly administrative council meeting. So here we are! And we would love to have your feedback and especially your submissions / contributions! Consider this invitation for a June communication: Tell of a time when you felt particularly close to God. Email Karen or PK.

Annual Conference is the first week of June, PK will share information in the weekly email as well as the bulletin for how you can stay up-to-date on what’s happening at Conference.

Have you noticed in the sanctuary that the top is off the baptismal font? That is not an accident or an oversight – indeed, it’s something of a theological statement and invitation. Baptism is entry into the church, into the family of God. When Jesus was baptized by John, it was as if he was saying, “You who would be my followers, this is where you begin.” An open baptismal font near the entrance of the church allows worshipers to remember on a weekly basis that this is where discipleship begins. If you are so inclined, next time you enter the sanctuary, pause at the baptismal font. Touch the font, even dip a finger into the water if you wish, and touch your own forehead and simply say “yes” or “Here I am, Lord.”

I love you and there is nothing you can do about it!

Fear keeps a person awake at night, but faith makes a fine pillow.

PK