Into the New Land

Joshua 5:9-12

Rev. Dr. Mary Alice Mulligan

You know some of the history of the Hebrews. They were enslaved in Egypt; God called Moses to get the people out, sending plagues to stimulate Pharoh’s willingness to release them. All Hebrews marked their doors, so the final plague, the death of all first-born children, passed over their houses, causing Pharoh to relent. The Hebrews made their Exodus, crossing the Red Sea on dry ground. In the wilderness they were totally dependent on God’s guidance; they ate manna which God provided each day, for 40 years. When they finally got right up to the Promised Land, Moses died, passing leadership to Joshua, who hears God’s directions to enter the land by crossing the River Jordan. As the leaders step into the water, they experience another sign from God. They cross on dry land (sound familiar?). Once in the Promise Land, the people gather at Gilgal, which means “circle,” apparently after a circle of 12 stones set up as a place of ritual celebration for God’s unfailing presence and deliverance. God tells Joshua to have all the men circumcised. After they heal, the people observe Passover. Then they are allowed to eat food the land produces, food which none of them except Joshua and Caleb had ever eaten before. And that day the manna ceased. From the 5th chapter of the book of Joshua, listen for the word of God. 

When the circumcising of all the nation was done, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed. The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.” And so that place is called Gilgal to this day.

While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal they kept the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.

The book of Joshua was written down hundreds of years after the events it relates, when the people of Judah were in exile in Babylon. They needed to remember their total reliance on God in Egyptian enslavement and in the wilderness, how God sustained the people, gave them a new leader, and brought them to their new home land. So they could claim God’s abiding sustenance even in exile, as they long for Judah, because God still has the power to bring the people home.

God met our needs in the past. We know God does not fail to sustain us. Think of the Hebrews, suddenly on their own in the wilderness, with nothing but what they carried out with them from enslavement. Except, LORD Yahweh was with them every step. They could see the presence of God always, as a pillar of fire at night and a pillar of cloud by day. They depended on God for more than manna. The book of Deuteronomy says their clothes remained whole and their shoes did not wear out, for 40 years. They were protected from warring armies for their entire sojourn; God provided water when there seemed no possibility of drink. For 40 years God supplied all their needs.

But not just the Hebrews. God’s providential care is true for us too, if we think about our own past. How many of us have been heard to say, “I don’t know how I survived my son’s teen-age years,.. or that horrible boss,.. or that first marriage.” Really? We don’t know how we survived? [It was God.] How easily we ignore the movement of the Holy Spirit, but there she is, giving us strength when we feel our weakest, or prompting someone to call with a word of encouragement, or silently inviting someone to drop a little check in the mail.

Of course God isn’t Santa Claus granting any whim we have. We know all but two of the adults who escaped Egypt died in the wilderness. And every one of us faced painful situations sometime in our life yet somehow we sense the sustaining presence of God through it all. We find a pretty good pair of sneakers at Good Will in just the right size for our child; the other job we found turns out to be sort of rewarding; the person who moved into our best friend’s house isn’t awful. If we pause to look back, we can see how God continually cared for us through the years. Our past is full of God’s providing for us.

So we can embrace the future. We hold out our arms to receive what is coming next. Think of the parents who lovingly prepare for their baby, who are told by some nurses it’s like planning a trip to Cancun. They read and pray, practice a new language and prepare for what’s ahead, but if the baby is born with a serious genetic disorder, it’s as if their plane lands in Finland instead. Past preparations are no longer fitting. True they have arrived in a foreign country, but the place is not where they planned. New learnings need to be acquired. To keep hoping for Cancun is useless, so they open themselves to the future their family will be.

A similar situation happens in churches. We get comfortable living our church-life in specific ways, but that cannot last. During Covid, our director of music and I talked often about how we needed to adjust behaviors every week. Bruce said it was like inventing the wheel over and over. And he was exactly right. The only way to survive was to stay light on our feet.

St. Andrew, we have our Annual Congregational Meeting at brunch today. Everyone will want to stay. We will celebrate amazing workers. There are missions and faith activities shared in the annual report. A bridge minister to vote on. But we also need to stay light on our feet because the past is past and new circumstances arise all the time. The stewardship team has created a budget where a $50,000 gift we received for the past four years wasn’t renewed for the coming year. We celebrate the congregation’s pledging $10,000 over the pledge goal, but a deficit remains. With financial uncertainty, we need to reimagine the future. Here are a few ideas: Every person could promise to invite one new person to worship each week. Or we might find another congregation to partner with us in the building. Or we could advertise more in the music community about our amazing piano and excellent acoustics so more concerts are scheduled to rent the sanctuary. We didn’t land in Cancun, but we aren’t in Finland either. We are in Sarasota, the most glorious place on Earth. And the future is totally embraceable.

Because God will never abandon us. God promises to provide. The Holy One seeks the well-being of all creation, even us. Every day, God is attentive to us as a people of faith. As people talk about St. Andrew, we hear over and over appreciation for this congregation’s overflowing love. And we know the source of such love is God.

At one of the Strategic Planning Workshops with Minister Neal, we considered the significant number of people around the community who are not just lonely, but who are yearning for a God-connection, even if they would not use that term. People are hungry for sacred connection with other people of good will, people who are interested in making the world a better place for all. We can offer that because God continues to provide here a loving connection for others to share. When we think about St. Andrew, we know this is a place of extravagant welcome which comes from our unconditional acceptance from God. Since we know God’s loving presence surrounding and sustaining us every second, we feel called to spread it around. I say it often: St. Andrew has something distinct and needed by our community because here people are filled with God’s Holy Spirit, which empowers us to spread the good news of God’s unconditional love, as well as divine compassion, and gentle care to others. With our congregation of about 67 active members, we make a powerful witness into the Sarasota community, welcoming around 200 people into the building each week for support group meetings, orchestra rehearsals, neighborhood HOA meetings and other groups. And the active church members are, well, active. Our four teams have energetic leaders and ad hoc committees have eager workers.

We might not consider often enough how none of this, our extravagant welcome of strangers, our ministry within the congregation, and our outreach beyond, none of this would be possible without the undergirding sustenance of the Holy Spirit. The teams work because they have a holy vision. And the church thrives because God is every minute supporting us as a congregation of people committed to the teachings of Jesus Christ. We rightly have faith that God will continue to support us into a fruitful and amazing future.