October 15,2023
"Promised Land" Sermon by Rev. Trip Porch
October 15, 2023 Based on Deuteronomy 34
There is a line in the biblical commentary writings of an early Jewish Rabbi:
“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief.
Do justly, now.
Love mercy, now.
Walk humbly, now.
You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”
I have to admit that the events of this week have left me feeling daunted. The enormity of our collective grief is right at the surface and whether you know people in Israel and Palestine or not, whether you have ever been to the land we call holy or not, even if you are not following the situation that is even now is still developing… your heart cannot help but break at the sight of such brutality, of so many acts of terror and violence. Your heart cannot help but break as governments rattle their sabers and threaten not just to retaliate but to decimate, your heart cannot help but break at the humanitarian and refugee crisis that is already coming quickly as a result of such rapid attacks, and your heart cannot help but break because as always is the case in times of war, you see innocent civilians are caught in the middle.
I know my heart has been broken as I have walked on eggshells trying to figure out what is the right thing to do or say to my Muslim and Jewish friends and colleagues. How to adequately express my deep grief for the loss of life of Israeli’s and Palestinians, how to speak out against Hamas’ violence while also holding Israel to account for theirs, and how to understand my place (or lack thereof) as a Christian with almost no ties to this conflict apart from a deep heart of love, a commitment to solidarity with the poor and oppressed, and a call to work towards peace.
I have thought of the peacemakers from Israel/Palestine that our church has hosted through the years and as recently as a month ago. Rick and Mary Gene have been in touch with both Amira who visited us this year and Fursan who came last year. Amira’s family is okay, and though her time is wrapping up in the states, she is seeing how she might delay her return due to the border being closed. Fursan and his family are also okay despite nearly a dozen rockets landing next to their house a week ago.
I am daunted by the enormity of the World’s grief… Because the vision of God’s world that we have been invited to see… of swords turned to ploughshares, of lion lying down with lamb, of people coming from east and west and north and south to eat at table together, could not seem more far away. It seems we still wait the peaceful kingdom.
With all of this circling in the background this week, I turned to this text we picked for this Sunday to end this series we have been doing, and frankly I almost changed plans and decided to end our series early, because this text is one that gets right to the center of the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
God leads Moses up to Mt Nebo, a high ridge that still sits in Modern day Jordan, right next to the west bank of Palestine, about 50 miles from modern day Jerusalem and with years and years of journeying and hoping behind them, God invites Moses to look up at the land before them and God says
“This is the land that I swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I promised:
‘I will give it to your descendants.’
I have shown it to you with your own eyes; however, you will not cross over into it.”
This idea of ancestral land, and who it belongs to, and land that is promised by God for a certain group of people is at the center of everything we have seen played out this week.
So you can see why I wanted to pivot.
But, I didn’t and here’s why. As someone who doesn’t hold to a literal interpretation of scripture, I think there is something relevant and powerful in this text that I would hate for us to miss.
God leads Moses up the mountain to witness the promised land, the place they have been dreaming of for years, and told stories about, and envisioned. A destination that provided them hope and a drive to press on. A place of abundance, a land flowing with milk and honey, a place of security, a place to call your own.
The promised land they have been dreaming of is much more than an actual place, but it is an idea. A concept of a state-of-being that was counter to their lived reality in Egypt, and in the desolate wilderness.
God leads Moses up to the mountaintop so he can witness it, God tells him, you’ve made it, your dreams have become reality… but then God tells him, you won’t get to experience it, You’ll get to see it, but you won’t get to step foot into this promised land.
As people who are called to be peacemakers, and kingdom builders, I think we know all too well what it is like to be in Moses’ shoes. To be on the mountain top and see the possibility of a future that is so close and possible, but then your vision comes back to your own feet and you realize you are not there yet, and even though you may not get to step foot into that promised future you commit to joining in the work, in order to get us all there.
I want to share a letter that I got in my inbox this week, that came from a Puerto Rican Pastor I have been following for some time, Carlos Rodriguez.
Carlos had the opportunity to visit Israel and Palestine this year, in his letter he shared about his experience.
"A few months ago I got to spend some time between Jerusalem, Galilee, Jaffa, near the Gaza strip, and right in Bethlehem. I was surrounded by the threat of war and escalation. Unfortunately aware, that what is happening today, was coming.
In the Holy Land I discovered the brutality and the racism suffered by our Palestinian brothers and sisters. I encountered courageous Israelis who speak against apartheid and occupation. I met Jewish settlers who continue to use scripture as an excuse for hatred (while pushing people out of their homes), and I saw Christian voices who use the theology of white supremacy in the Holy Land still.
But I also met Palestinian families who use farming and non-violence resistance to fight back. I met the very first woman ever ordained in the Holy Land as a Christian pastor. I spent hours in the Holocaust Museum faced with the atrocities of anti-semitism. And I had Shabbat with a loving and welcoming Jewish family.
Finally, I went to the places Jesus did ministry, to remember that the good news is not about special places or holy sites, but about people… their inclusion, their value, their liberation.
It’s hard to verbalize what I learned. But what is clear is that we must be pro-peace. That we must condemn Hamas and the loss of civilian lives, that we must call out the far-right voices in the government of Israel, that we must pray for peace in Jerusalem and in our own communities, that we must stay vigilant against anti-semitism, and that we must demand full rights for everyone in Gaza and the West Bank."
He then concludes…
"Peace is the goal,
justice is the way,
truth-telling is the starting place.
We won't get it right every time, and we may not get to experience it, but it's worth fighting for."
[Email entitled "The Peace-making update" from Carlos Rodriguez, Pastor and CEO of The Happy Givers Non-profit Organization, sent October 9, 2023]
Peace is the goal… It’s something we can envision; we can journey towards and play our part in working for it but it may not be something we get to reach…
Justice is the way… not a justice that is retributive but a justice that is restorative. Justice is the way… and when we join in justice work, in making right what has been wronged for all people involved, we journey closer to the goal of peace.
Friends, like Moses, God has brought us to a place where we can see the world God envisions, it may not be for us to experience, and it may still be a way off into the future… but it is God’s promise that we will get there.
As your eyes gaze back to your own feet and as we better understand the really hard and painful reality of the world that we actually live in… may we choose to join God in the work to get us there…
WE GATHER IN AWE AND PRAISE
PRELUDE “Water Walk” Adrienne Foster Potter
INTROIT “This Is the Day” Pablo Sosa
WELCOME Rev. Trip Porch
One: This is the day that the Lord has made
All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it
*CALL TO WORSHIP
One: God speaks to us:
All: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.
You shall not hate, but love your neighbor as yourself.”
One: Trusting in God’s Word and God’s promises,
All: Let us worship, God!
*HYMN NO. 405 “Praise God for this Holy Ground” HEYMONYSTRAAT
*PRAYER OF CONFESSION Rev. Rick Nutt
Gracious and Almighty God, You are the One who keeps promises. In You, we can place all our trust. Yet we confess we often do not trust You. We worry. We argue. We complain. We do things our way, not Your way. We profess faith in You, then we live like we have no faith at all. Forgive us, O Lord, in Your great mercy. Renew our hearts and our minds. Give us the faith to trust You in all things, and the courage to step forward in that faith. We pray through Jesus Christ our Lord…
Silent Prayer is offered
*ASSRANCE OF PARDON
*RESPONSE OF PRAISE NO. 585 “Glory to God” vs. 1 MACHU-PICHU
*PASSING OF THE PEACE
One: The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all,
All: And also with you.
WE LISTEN FOR GOD’S WORD
ANTHEM “See That I Am God Carlotta Ferarri
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
SCRIPTURE: Deuteronomy 34:1-12 CEB
Then Moses hiked up from the Moabite plains to Mount Nebo, the peak of the Pisgah slope, which faces Jericho. The Lord showed him the whole land: the Gilead region as far as Dan’s territory; all the parts belonging to Naphtali along with the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, as well as the entirety of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea; also the arid southern plain, and the plain— including the Jericho Valley, Palm City—as far as Zoar.
Then the Lord said to Moses: “This is the land that I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I promised: ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have shown it to you with your own eyes; however, you will not cross over into it.”
Then Moses, the Lord’s servant, died—right there in the land of Moab, according to the Lord’s command. The Lord buried him in a valley in Moabite country across from Beth-peor. Even now, no one knows where Moses’ grave is.
Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eyesight wasn’t impaired, and his vigor hadn’t diminished a bit.
Back down in the Moabite plains, the Israelites mourned Moses’ death for thirty days. At that point, the time for weeping and for mourning Moses was over.
Joshua, Nun’s son, was filled with wisdom because Moses had placed his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to Joshua, and they did exactly what the Lord commanded Moses.
No prophet like Moses has yet emerged in Israel; Moses knew the Lord face-to-face! That’s not even to mention all those signs and wonders that the Lord sent Moses to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh, to all his servants, and to his entire land— as well as all the extraordinary power that Moses displayed before Israel’s own eyes!
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE Dorothy Kyle
SERMON Rev. Trip Porch
WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD
*HYMN NO. 383 “Dream on, Dream On” DREAM ON
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE followed by The Lord’s Prayer as printed on the screen.
TIME OF OFFERING “Improvisation No. 4, Op. 148” Amy Beach
*OFFERTORY RESPONSE NO.596 “You are Holy” DU ÄR HELIG
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION
As we offer our treasure and hearts to you, O God, may they be used to pass on the promise of hope, of peace, of life, of community to all in need of your gifts and presence in their lives. Amen.
*HYMN NO. 754 “Help Us Accept Each Other” AURELIA
TIME OF COMMUNITY SHARING
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
CHORAL RESPONSE “Go Forth for God” Kenneth Dake
POSTLUDE “Let Thy Holy Spirit Guide” Kevin G. Pace