SCRIPTURE: Deuteronomy 34:1-12
TEXT: 4c but you shall not cross over there.” THEME: Living with God is the reward. INTRODUCTION Makiki Christian Church and I have been preaching from the same lectionary passages. So, when I have the time, I will Zoom in to hear how Pastor Wayne Ibarra or Pastor Gloria Imamura handle the text. Wayne preaches only every other Sunday, so a couple of weeks ago he asked what I was going to preach this week. Exodus is pau so he was jumping to Leviticus and I said I was going to preach on the death of Moses so I could talk about retirement. SCRIPTURE When I read this passage, I think that Moses gets a raw deal. What did he do that is so bad that he gets disqualifies him from entering the Promised Land? It has something to do with not having water in one of their wilderness stops. The people complained and Moses and Aaron pray and then Moses strikes the rock with his staff and water comes forth. Their not trusting in God, results in not being able to enter the Promised land. Aaron dies shortly after this event but Moses continues on until he reaches this spectacular vista, and sees the horizons of the promised land. ‘See but no touch’ is punishment that doesn’t seem to match the crime. But what if, the important thing is not the completion of the journey by entering the Promised Land, and instead, the journey itself that develops an intimate relationship with God? Then Goal accomplished! The narrator describes Moses is as a prophet, whom the Lord knew face to face, unequaled for all of the signs and wonders against Pharaoh, displayer of God’s mighty deeds and terrifying power in the sight of all Israel. Moses’ relationship with God has an eternal consequence. He lays hand on Joshua, from the next generation, and the Spirit of God is upon him to fill the role as the next leader of Israel. A peaceful transition of power is made. Joshua’s leadership is going to be different. No one can be a Moses and no one should expect Joshua to be one either. Joshua brings a different set of gifts, skills, abilities and talents. Not to mention that his relationship with God is their own, just as our relationship with God is as unique, as we are all unique. He will be called to do things that Moses was not called to do, mainly to move the people of God into land promised to them, that now has been occupied by others, causing a continued middle East conflict that is unsettled to this day. Things are going to be different, so mourn and get that out of your system. Be sad for a time (30 days) because we grieve the loss of Moses, but don’t compare a Joshua to a Moses, and move into the new that God has for you, make accommodations, learn something new and move into the next chapters of being the people of God. APPLICATION God gives to Moses a view of the fulfillment of a Promise, but the Promised Land is not the goal. The Goal, is living in relationship with God. The people of God, wandering the wilderness with Moses are still with him after forty years, that’s an accomplishment. This relationship with God through Moses has eternal consequences. The wandering Israelites are living the Passionate love of God expressed in the Ten Commandments. Their next challenge will be to continue to love God and love their neighbor as they re-inhabit the land and establish themselves in the land of Canaan. This too, will have eternal consequences. Heaven has become our new Promised land as we wander this world trying to live in relationship with a God who passionately loves us and to love our neighbors. How do we live so that the Promised Land we strive to enter, is more about our living with God, than a destination? How do we become a place where God dwells with us? Moses’ dies the kind of death we want. Living in full vitality, keen eye sight and at the Lord’s command we are gone. Where Moses lives or dies is encompassed by being known by God. This makes me wonder if heaven is more about being in relationship with God than place. I wanted to preach on this passage because Someday I hope to retire and not die before I leave my responsibilities for this church. After retirement, the Church will get an interim minister, a “search Committee” will be formed to review candidates and discover a ‘Joshua or Elisha’ for the congregation to call, Then the association will celebrate with us and lay hands on the new pastor. Whoever that person may be, as long as they Love God and faithfully follow Jesus, through the Holy Spirit this church will be okay. Don’t compare the old Moses with the New one, instead be thankful for who they are and be gracious with their faults. We got news this week that Margie Baybrook died, in the land of Oahu, at the Lord’s command. I messaged with Grace Baybrook, her daughter, about how my life has followed Pastor George and Margie from the Big Island to Waimea on Kauai, to Wailuku Union and I anticipate to retirement and to the Lord. As a congregation you have never made a comparison of us. Although he was tall and I am not. His ancestry goes East and mine goes to the Far East, and He was led by God and the Holy Spirit as I am but doing different things for God. We were different and God has used both of us doing ministry in different ways for this congregation. We can be thankful for what each of us brought to this congregation and for God bringing the Wailuku Mission Housing Project to the Horizon. Getting there takes a set of skills, living into what it means, will take another set of skills. I had no idea that this was what the result of my ministry here would be, as with the next pastor, following faithfully, will be led to places unexpected, but exactly where God wants the church to be. The check and balance of our lives is to be passionately loved by God and to love our neighbors, with the love of God. CONCLUSION I have a vision of the future that I may never live into, but the next generation will inherit this promise and live into its reality. Up until the time that I die at the Lord’s command, I will live as close with God as I possibly can, with vitality and keen eye sight, even in retirement. I’m not planning to go anywhere, but I am deeply aware of the plans we are making for the future. They are not dependent upon me being there, but upon God being with us. Maybe I’ll preach this sermon again when the text rolls up three years from now or, maybe the next time, I’ll use the text from Leviticus. Pastor Wayne gave me a draft of his sermon notes, it’s on living the rules of God’s passionate love.
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