In the mysterious timing of the Holy Spirit, a long-planned sermon about a barrier—the River Jordan blocking the entry of the people of Israel into the Promised Land—coincided with the White House travel ban that blocked the entry of numerous people into America. We experience barriers in all sorts of ways! In our own personal lives, we may confront serious obstacles of various kinds. What do you do when the way into a positive future appears blocked?
The story of the crossing of the Jordan—found in Joshua chapters three and four—speaks of how God can open the way, even through what seems an impassable barrier. We are called to have faith! This means not only believing in what God can do, but stepping forward in the confidence that God will be at work around and through us. Faith also involves joining with the community of faith—the church—so that we can work together toward God’s purposes. After God brought the people of Israel across the Jordan, their first act was to create a monument, built out of stones brought by each tribe out of the riverbed, so that future generations would remember what God had done there. Today, as we share in the ministries of the church, we continue to tell the story of God’s grace and God’s deliverance.
The hand of the Lord is mighty! (Joshua 4:24) Share on XOur journey may be fraught with great obstacles, but as we trust in the Lord, we can travel together in the confidence that, as Joshua declared, “the hand of the Lord is mighty!” (Joshua 4:24)
Sunday’s Scripture Readings
Joshua 3:14-17
Joshua 4:1-7
