veterans and our service

Good morning sisters and brothers,
As you begin your day today, I'd invite you to spend a little time reflecting on the service of our veterans including those currently serving. We dedicated today to thanking our veterans, active duty and reserve military personnel for their courage and dedication to protect our country. The Town of Irondequoit hosts a service of recognition for Veterans' Day this morning at 10:45 on the lawn of town hall. I'll be there to offer prayer, and if you're free you might want to join me. Whether you're at the service or not, please remember our veterans and those who serve now in your prayers.

In our reading for today Joshua moves from remembering the past to giving Israel a choice for their future. He invites them to choose to serve God or to serve other gods. God gives us the same choice each day: will we serve the Lord who gives us life and who comes to us in Jesus Christ, or will we serve other gods? Will we serve the gods of money and power who claim our attention in the headlines? Will we serve the gods of the rat race that call us to endless striving to validate our existence with material possessions? Whom will we serve today?

God bless,
Sam

Joshua 24: 14-24

¹⁴“Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

¹⁵Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

¹⁶Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; ¹⁷for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; ¹⁸and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

¹⁹But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. ²⁰If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good.” ²¹And the people said to Joshua, “No, we will serve the Lord!” ²²Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” ²³He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” ²⁴The people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey.”

temptation

Good morning brothers and sisters,
God warns Moses about the people who live in the Promised Land now. God commands Israel to drive them out completely because otherwise they will be seduced by their worship and go astray from God. As things happen, foreign gods are a snare for Israel, but more in the temptation King Solomon faces because of his many marriages. The lesson here is not about warfare, but more about the risk of conforming to the culture around us. Christians are in danger today of following the gods of our culture (greed, security, success) instead of following the true God. That's a danger we always need to be aware of so we can stay on the right path.

God bless,
Sam

Exodus 34:10-17

10He said: I hereby make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform marvels, such as have not been performed in all the earth or in any nation; and all the people among whom you live shall see the work of the Lord; for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.



11Observe what I command you today. See, I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 12Take care not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you are going, or it will become a snare among you. 13You shall tear down their altars, break their pillars, and cut down their sacred poles 14(for you shall worship no other god, because the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God).


15You shall not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, someone among them will invite you, and you will eat of the sacrifice. 16And you will take wives from among their daughters for your sons, and their daughters who prostitute themselves to their gods will make your sons also prostitute themselves to their gods. 17You shall not make cast idols.