Going Where No One Has Trod

“There’s a big universe out there,” says Yoda to young Luke Skywalker. Life is often a series of travels to unknown regions–and no matter who lives there, we still feel a tingle of knowing that WE’ve not been here before. Lessons for the upcoming weekend acknowledge that there’s some fear involved–yet offer hope that New Lands will have their own vistas of peace and joy. Moreover, God has been there before: we can count on finding God in new scenes.

Joshua 24:14-25 continues and finishes the Exodus story. Joshua, as a revered sage, has called the leaders of The People together for a final locker-room talk. He recounts the mighty deeds of God and admonishes them, “Put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.” And the People said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” No matter how scary the Land of Promise may be, Yahweh has been at work there, preparing for God’s People.

The centrality of Paul’s writing to the Thessalonian Church (4:13-18) is to sustain them/us with hope. Afraid as most of us are in the Shadow of Death, it’s good to know that God has made arrangements for continued glory for the Church. Mark B. Lee writes in FEASTING on the WORD (A 4:283), “Far from being the end of the relationship, death is but an interlude to a fuller relationship that is grounded on mutual life in Christ.” And, “Together we will be with Christ, which means not only that death will not be the final word, but that neither will evil or injustice or suffering.” (John E. Cole, ibid., page 282)

In Jesus’ final days, according to Matthew 25:1-13, he told the parable of the unprepared bridesmaids who ran out of oil for their lamps as they waited. This was a clear slap at the complacent Jewish leaders of the day who had neglected to prepare for God’s own time for revealing the Messiah. Matthew’s point of remembering this saying was to remind his Jewish readers to live expectantly in the vital hope that God evidently isn’t through yet. Even in the harshness of daily realities we dare live confidently, assured that the Lord is closer that we originally thought.

Isaac Watts wrote, “There’s not a plant or flower below, that makes Thy glories known; and clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from Thy throne. While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care; and everywhere that we can be, Thou, God, art present there.”