No excuses

27 Mar No excuses

Tuesday in Holy Week…I wonder…

The palms were likely still lying in the streets…trampled, dried & crumbling into the dust. The cloaks gathered & dusted off to be worn again as needed.

Judas must have wondered when the “big reveal” was going to happen…and if it wasn’t he would find a way to make it happen.

For some…business as usual with children to feed, hurts to tend, bills to pay…Certainly for a few there was a plot to hatch…a trap to spring.

The other disciples…hopeful & confused at the same time just waited for the next word from Jesus.

How about you? Where is your life this Holy Week? Somewhere in that mix, or maybe nowhere at all…you know where & when worship is but beyond that not much? There’s always something that fills our days & busies our lives and too often it’s at far remove from Jesus’ word to us on this side of the first Easter.

I’ve been thinking about that as I’ve read Joshua these last few days. After 40 years wandering in the wilderness as judgment against the generation that refused to go into the Promised Land under Moses, Joshua is chosen by God to lead the conquest of the land & the establishment of the nation God’s people were to become. The command from God is simple & straightforward: Kill everyone who stands against you. Drive out the nations that inhabit the land & adopt nothing of their lifestyles, practices or beliefs. Destroy everything that is soaked in the idolatry of those nations so there is no distraction or distortion to your faithfulness. It’s as unambiguous as it is direct.

We know that didn’t go according to God’s plan or command…the native human rebelliousness was not driven out of the Israelites in the wilderness or by the first victory at Jericho. They would always be a “stubborn & rebellious” people. They didn’t always carry out the conquest in full. One of those instances caught my attention…In Joshua 17, the land is being allotted to the tribes according to God’s direction & the size of the tribe…or sometimes by their request.

Joshua 17:14ff reads: The descendants of Joseph came to Joshua & asked, “Why have you given us only one portion of land as our homeland when the Lord has blessed us with so many people?” Joshua replied, “If there are so many of you, & if the hill country of Ephraim is not large enough for you, clear out land for yourselves in the forest where the Perizzites & Rephaites live.” The descendants of Joseph responded, “It’s true that the hill country is not large enough for us. But all the Canaanites in the lowlands have iron chariots, both those in Beth-shan & its surrounding settlements & those in the valley of Jezreel. They are too strong for us.”

Look at those last words…They are too strong for us…WHAT!?!?! Have they forgotten the battle isn’t theirs to fight but God’s? Have they not seen with their own eyes what God has done at every stage of the conquest, routing their enemies, even making the sun & moon halt their movements across the sky for one battle? They are too strong for us…WHAT!?!?! What kind of excuse is that?

And BANG…it hit me…There’s always an excuse masquerading as a reason for not doing what God says. Always. I can always think of something I’d rather do than pray or read the Bible. I can always think of an “out” for being generous or ensuring my household is in worship and tell myself it’s not my fault because that other “thing” was “too strong.”

As we move closer to the experience of Christ’s death and resurrection…the Great Three Days (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter) don’t let anything be “too strong” for you. Be a part of the whole experience. Invite your friends & family to be there with you.  I love Joshua’s response to the descendants of Joseph, Then Joshua said to the tribes of Ephraim & Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph, “Since you are so large & strong, you will be given more than one portion. The forests of the hill country will be yours as well. Clear as much of the land as you wish, & take possession of its farthest corners. And you will drive out the Canaanites from the valleys, too, even though they are strong & have iron chariots.” No excuses, just obedience to what God has commanded.

Maundy Thursday – 7:00 p.m.

Good Friday – 9:00 a.m.

Easter Sunday’s Resurrection Celebration – 10:00 a.m.

There’s sure to be deep love, great joy, bold assurance, & hot cross buns along the way. Don’t miss a minute!

 

John