Scripture
14“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
Observation
It’s important to lean in when someone is sharing their last words. Joshua knew he had reached the end of his journey on earth. He recounted the faithfulness of God that had led Israel and their ancestors to the place of peace in The Promised Land where they now stood. His last words sounded very similar to his first words before crossing the Jordan and emphasized the importance of the household of faith and the power of choice. In Joshua 3:5 Joshua sent the Levitical priests to each tent and household and told them “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.” Joshua knew that even though the priests were the first to step into the Jordan each family that made up each tribe that made up the people of Israel would need to choose every step after that through the Jordan and beyond. They did purify their homes, but not fully. How do I know? Joshua is challenging Israel all these years later to “throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped.” There would be nothing to “throw away” if they hadn’t brought their idols the whole way through. Idol’s are not easy to let go of. They chose to hold on to them the waters of the Jordan parted around them. They chose to hold on to them when the walls of Jericho fell. They chose to hold on to them when the Sun stood still in the sky. Joshua knew no matter who would lead Israel next it was the leaders of the home who would need to pass their faith on to the next generation. Even though everyone responds with a wholehearted agreement at that moment the Book of Judges reveals many houses held on to their idols instead of choosing to serve the Lord. “10After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them.” (Judges 2:10-12). Joshua couldn’t choose for them, but he could make clear how the fruit of their choices at that moment would impact future generations. Every family had to choose who they would serve.
Application
Church online is not for the faint of heart. You really have to choose to engage, choose to worship, choose to press in because the mind is telling you the whole time that this is about passive observance rather than active participation. With five energetic boys it’s not easy getting them to sit in one spot for anything for any length of time, but, in this new normal we have chosen to “attend” Midweek and Sunday service as a family. Before Covid-19 we thought it was hard to get everyone to the church building at the same time. It turns out that was nothing in comparison to getting everyone to worship from home at the same time. It’s so easy to worship when there’s a chorus of hundreds around you singing along. When it’s just our own voices it really takes a choice. You can’t go on feelings when worshiping from home, because, it just doesn’t “feel right” and probably won't. So, I choose to stand up from the couch and to reach my hands toward the heavens and worship. Here’s what I noticed. When I do that my boys follow suit. When I just sit there and couch surf the service they disengage. In that one moment, I’m making the choice that Joshua is telling us we need to make over and over again. When I make that choice to worship I’m laying down some idols of religious tradition and emotionalism that I didn’t even know I had until it was all stripped away. It’s a small choice in a small house but it could have a big impact. Instead of letting the atmosphere in the room determine the depth of my worship, I must choose to worship and change the atmosphere in the room. Every house must make this choice to serve the Lord over and over again. When the President declared “no groups larger than 10 will gather" I could hear God declaring "groups no larger than 10 will have a bigger impact than anyone could possibly imagine." It's 21st Century Church returning to the model of the 1st Century Church that did ministry primarily from home. I’m looking at the faith of a prostitute named Rahab who believed in God when the rest of her city did not. She made the choice to serve the Lord and lay down her idols and sinful lifestyle. This act saved her whole family and opened the door for Israel's first victory in The Promised Land. The choices we make right now while all of us are at home will impact the next generation in ways we can’t possibly imagine. We no longer have the excuse of “I’m just too busy to help my kids choose Jesus”. I’ve seen some posts going around on the web where well-meaning Christians are condemning as idol worshipers anyone who loved entertainment, sports, or a healthy 401K. I understand where they are coming from, but it doesn’t do any good to force someone to choose or to condemn them for a lifestyle we all participated in to some degree before Covid-19 shut everything down. Joshua made clear what he was choosing but didn't make the choice for other households. When I talk of my idol of religious tradition that doesn’t mean I’m not going back to our large gatherings when the coast is clear. It just means I’m choosing to serve the Lord at home and with my family whether that includes a full worship band and a room full of people or a gathering of seven on the couch in my living room. When theaters open again you better believe I’ll be taking my family to see Disney’s Mulan, but these times with lots of time have allowed us the opportunity to choose other ways to spend time together. It’s my choice to bring my Living Room into the Throne Room through worship and Word. No one can choose that for me. Now, my boys are seeing faith lived out in front of them and not just in front of other people at church. It’s becoming more real than ever before. After the Midweek service last night we talked through the application questions and I learned so much from them as each of them is choosing to serve the Lord and thanking God for this time to be together as a family.
Prayer
Playing church doesn’t work anymore. You have reminded us that we are the church! I choose to bring my living room into Your throne room. Even when the boys are crazy and running all over the place. Even when I want to go hide in my room. I repent for my idolatry. The things I’ve been carrying with me to define me or distract me have delayed me from following You wholeheartedly. Thank You! You see every single person and every single home as “essential” for what You want to do. Thank You for this time where I get to choose on the daily and on the hourly, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”
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