Crossing the Jordan (from my Facebook Notes last edited 4/20/2021)

I wrote this piece on Facebook Notes years ago, with an edit on 4/20/2021.  (Facebook disabled Notes in 2020 but you can still edit your Notes. It is Facebook's blog feature.)  In many ways, this is a journey I've taken in the last several years, which I will write/blog in a later post about spiritual deconstruction.

One of the most classic Easter movies in the United States is the Ten Commandments with Charleston Heston. I actually don’t know why it’s become an Easter movie only that there is a snippet of The Passover which is later a significant part of the story of Jesus. Much like the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, the movie tells the story of the Hebrews leaving Egypt under the leadership of Moses. (And most movies telling the stories of anything from the Bible should be taken with a grain of salt. I know so, I also watched the Prince of Egypt and it was slightly botched.) Along the way, the Hebrews (aka Israelites) have made a lot of big mistakes: they’ve made idols for themselves, they probably ate bad unclean things, they complained, they went to battle without God’s blessing, and so on. And where is the bathroom? (Dig a hole!-Deuteronomy 23:13-The Bible thinks of everything.) But one of the most intriguing things I find that kept them from going into The Promised Land right away is that they were afraid of the different people group in Canaan (another name for The Promised Land), after the 12 spies came back with the report of these evil people groups (Numbers 13 and 14). Only Joshua and Caleb were really on fire to take over the land. So, it began their wanderings in the desert for the next 40 years, to rid of the older generation and raising up a new one.

I’ve just finished the book of Deuteronomy and started the book of Joshua. While Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers were very heavy laden with laws, laws, and more laws, Deuteronomy, although it’s a summary of these same laws, the tone and messaging is like that of an old grandfather telling his grandchildren in a very loving way on how to follow God. Moses wants to prepare the Israelites for what’s ahead in crossing the Jordan and taking over the Promised Land but Moses himself was not going with them. Towards the end of Deuteronomy, I think Moses knew that these people are going to get tired of the laws and they will continue to sin and break the laws. In the beginning of Chapter 30, Moses laid out what will happen if you turn your hearts back to God.

“Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors. The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. You will again obey the Lord and follow all his commands I am giving you today. Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” ~Deuteronomy 30:4-10

It’s hard for me to conceptualize why I need to just obey God. But I think it’s the understanding of this earlier on in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 The Lord is God. And again Deuteronomy 7:7-9 God loves you.

Much like the Hebrews, I have been wandering for a while and making my own mistakes. But along the way, God was with me and I did my best to follow God. God showed me a lot about my character, how I think, how I was made, my talents, skills and my own weaknesses. But it wasn’t about me. All along, God showed me Him - His mercy, love, sovereignty, and that ultimately, He is Lord. And God is preparing me for something much greater than myself. There is a Jordan River I’m about to cross and yet I don’t know what lies ahead. A phrase and theme I see from the end of Deuteronomy and into the first part of Joshua is from this verse: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” ~Deuteronomy 31:8

To us a Child is Born

I originally started writing this for Christmas, but I had this thought at the time to save it for Holy Week.

I've recently watched A Charlie Brown Christmas.  I knew that towards the end, Linus would recite the verses from Luke 2.  After the film, I went back to Luke to read this for myself.  I think I must have read this tons of times before and often times when I read scripture, I often think of all the funny things that could happen.  I can imagine that all the shepherds were quite startled by the sudden appearance of an angel of the Lord as they were filled with great fear.  Like, "Yowzers!  What in the world??"  

In this particular story of the Gospel, the angel appeared to shepherds.  Not kings or priests, nor any teachers or leaders of the Jewish community.  This to me shows the character of God, that He would show us his grace and humbleness in picking ordinary people to share in His extraordinary story of Christ, and that Christ is for all people.

'And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying

“Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”'

(Luke 2:8-14)

So much of this story is focused on the birth of Christ as a human baby but it also foreshadows what is to come.  When Mary marveled at this child and kept her thoughts to herself, was she thinking that someday this child will be driven into a cross?  God chose an ordinary woman to bear the Christ, He chose a carpenter to be his earthly father, and Jesus was amongst the poor, sick, and those who didn't belong to society.  Ordinary people to share and witness the extraordinary life of Jesus.