So…What Next?—Joshua 1:9
“I hereby command you: be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” —Joshua 1:9
Despite the fact that church is cancelled tomorrow due to the COVID-19 “Corona” Virus, I would definitely be negligent in my duties if I left you without a sermon on Sunday. Thus, I am attempting to do this whole “virtual” frontier with this week’s sermon. It’s not in our regular worship line up, but I thought we needed to chat for a moment about all that is going on in our world.
There was a posting on facebook going around the pastor-specific facebook pages which said this: “Dear Everybody—Since I’ve not pastored people through a pandemic before, I don’t know all the answers. But, I”m paying attention to science and praying for wisdom. Together we will take courage, be patient, consider the least of these, and press onward while loving our neighbors. Love, Your Pastor…PS…wash your hands.”
I got a bit of a chuckle out of that, especially the last part. But the truth still remains that it is agonizing to make decisions such as cancelling church on a Sunday, asking folks to stay home for safety reasons, and so on. There is a fine balance between being safe and unfounded panic. As a pastor, and as a lawyer, I see people tread that line in various ways on almost a daily basis.
The scripture from Joshua was chosen intentionally. The Israelite people had been waiting to enter the promised land, and it was a long wait of years and years in the desert. They were also in a state of confusion and concern. Moses, who had led them throughout this whole journey was dead. Joshua was new in the leadership role, and he would be put to the test as the people now journeyed from the desert into the promised land.
For many of us, waiting is a difficult part of life. Nobody wants to sit at home waiting for a virus like this one, the flu, or something else to pass. We worry that we’ve gone overboard, or even that we’ve become weak. God, though, very often had the people in waiting periods: waiting for the danger to pass, waiting for the time to be right, waiting for God to speak.
First, God spoke to the people a command: be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed. When the time was right, when all was safe, secure, in place, and ready for God’s divine timing, God commanded them to go forth. And God sent them forth with a powerful promise: the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
God will do the same for us: go forth when God says the time is right, and God will be with you all the way. As your minister, it is my job to teach and counsel, comfort and provide a pastoral presence. Also as part of my ministerial role, it is my responsibility to ensure that church is a safe place where you feel welcomed, but also where we come too concerned to properly worship our God.
So therefore, take this Sunday to pray and lift up those who need love and prayers. Know that there is no need to worry because God loves you and will see after you both in illness and in good health. Do call and let me know if you need something, or if you need someone to brave the masses at the store and pick up some groceries/supplies for you. Always remember how much I love you and God loves you. And PS…wash your hands. Much love, my friends.