Twice more in 2021 I had
the privilege of preaching at First Presbyterian Church SLC. These sermons were
each part of a series—the first called “Immerse Beginnings” where we studied from
the first five books of the Bible (known as the Torah or Pentateuch), and the second
from our Advent series looking at different characters in the biblical
Christmas narrative. Both sermon texts are about people at the crossroads. And
both stories point to the near-unbelievable reality that Christ desires to be
in, with, and through us in all things.
Where the Rubber Meets
the Road (Numbers 13:25-14:4) Imagine this: you were
born in the land of Egypt, a slave born of slaves—the most recent generation of
Israelites to serve the mighty pharaohs. As a child, your parents and
grandparents told stories of a different kind of life. They spoke of a God who
once called to their ancestor, Abraham, and promised him that his people would
come into an abundant land that he would give them as a gift. They said that
this promise was repeated over and over to Abraham and to his son, Isaac, and later
to Isaac’s son, Jacob. Then, one day, you hear
of a man named Moses—a fellow Israelite once raised in the Pharoah’s household.
He’s returned to Egypt claiming to hear this God’s voice from a burning bush. He’s
demanding that Pharoah let your people go into the wilderness and worship this
God of your ancestors. Before you know it, this
God demonstrates his power throughout Egypt. There are rivers of blood and
plagues of gnats and frogs. The onslaught hardens Pharaoh’s resolve until one
day, after sacrificing a lamb and spreading its blood across your doorframe,
you wake up to wailing and screaming. The Egyptians hand you gold and beg you
to leave. Moses leads your people out of Egypt, and the power of this God
called Yahweh parts the Red Sea so you can walk through on dry ground. You go to Mt. Sinai, where
Moses found the burning bush, and the sky above splits with lightning. You hear
God’s voice in the stormy clouds. Moses goes up onto the mountain for forty
days and receives instruction for how this new nation—your people—are to live
under the rule of your Savior God. And once again, you are reminded of this Promised
Land, the land that Yahweh will give you. As you walk through the
desert, you wake each morning to sweet wafers on the ground. The priests are consecrated,
offerings are made at the newly-constructed tabernacle, and water comes forth
from a rock. Some of your people rebel and complain along the way, but God continues
to lead you nevertheless. Finally, you come to the border
of the Canaan—the land “flowing with milk and honey” that was promised. You
wait encamped for another forty days as leaders from each of the twelve tribes
of Israel are sent to spy out the land. When they come back, they bring back fruit
larger than you’ve ever seen.They talk
about the land’s abundance and goodness. But ten of them also say, “There are
giants there.We cannot hope to take it.”
Only two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua, are adamant: “We can take the land. Yahweh
is with us.” The cities are fortified.
The people are strong. Your army is outnumbered. But Yahweh has promised to go
ahead of you and give your people this land.What will you do?
Christ in You (Luke 1:26-38) Now, imagine this: you
are a fourteen-year-old Hebrew girl, recently engaged to be married to a
well-respected man in a small Galilean village called Nazareth. You’ve led a
simple life thus far—the kind that’s expected for a child of your age and
culture. You’ve learned the customs of a keeping a home, obeying your elders, and
following the Torah given to the ancient prophet, Moses. You say your daily prayers
to Yahweh, even as the once-great Israelite nation of your people is under
Roman occupation. For the most part, you and yours are left alone. But one night, walking
back toward your home, mind lost in the fear and excitement of this marriage to
come, a bright light fills your eyes. A heavenly being of almost indecipherable
form appears in front of you and speaks with a voice that’s both intimate and
terrifying: “Greetings, favored one. The Lord is with you.” You are paralyzed at this
arrival. You’ve heard of heavenly messengers in age-old stories, but how could
this possibly be happening—here, of all places, and to you, of all people? Your
feet refuse to move, and words catch in your throat. The angel speaks once
more, reading the troubled expression on your face: “Do not be afraid, for your
have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a
son, and you will name him Yeshua—Jesus. He will be great, and will be called
the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his
ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his
kingdom there will be no end.” Most High. David. House
of Jacob. You know these names, but can barely comprehend them now. But the
baby catches your attention. You will conceive, the angel said. But how? You
have never been with Joseph, and won’t be until the marriage is official. That
is the only way this happens. Every girl knows this.Every girl prepares for this. You finally find your
voice: “How can this be?”It comes out
in almost a whisper. The Holy Spirit will make
it so, the angel says.You will carry
the Son of God in your body, and bring him into the world. God desires to
reveal himself, in human form, in you. Gabriel's form stands
gloriously before you.Your hands shake
and you take a deep, bated breath.What will
you do?
