Evensong Sermon: Crossing The Jordan

“When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place. Follow it, so that you may know the way you should go, for you have not passed this way before…”

Life is lived forwards but only understood properly backwards. A trivial example of this is when I was discussing outfits to weddings and other big events. I was telling a friend that however much I plan and wear something I like, I never really feel that I have got it right, and I often feel that I should have done something differently. When I said, “You would have thought I would know how to do this by my stage in life”, there was the reply, “You don’t know the nature of the event until you get there. You are planning for the unknown.” As a bit of a control freak I find this particularly difficult.

A more profound example is the Christmas broadcast by King George VI in 1939, the first Christmas of WWII. He read part of a poem entitled God knows by Minnie Louise Haskins. Eventually it became known as The Gate of the year.

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:

“Give me a light, that I may tread safely into the unknown!”

And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

So, I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night.

And He led me toward the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.

Note that the person who spoke to the man at the gate of the year says that it produced good results, they “trod gladly into the night” and they were led “toward the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.” Risk versus reward. It paid off!

This is the next part of the poem, a part that is less well known.

So, heart, be still! What need our little life, our human life, to know,

if God hath comprehension?

In all the dizzy strife of things both high and low God hideth His intention.

We don’t need to have all the answers, if we have faith and put our trust in God. Our instinct is to want a light to see, but we are told to go out into the darkness and put our hands into the hand of God. We don’t need to see “if God hath comprehension.”

At the start of his speech the King said, “A new year is at hand. We cannot tell what it will bring. If it brings peace, how thankful we shall all be. If it brings us continued struggle we shall remain undaunted.”

This is a strange time of year. There is a mix of anticipation for what the year ahead might bring as well as some apprehension. Though we are not at war, there are many struggles that we face as a society and global community. It is easy to feel overwhelmed in the face of climate change worries, needless violence, selfishness, and corruption; we need the exhortation to remain undaunted and be thankful for the good things.

After Moses died, God appointed Joshua as their new leader. They were looking forward to entering the Promised Land. Finally! after 40 years in the wilderness. They are given the instructions: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place. Follow it, so that you may know the way you should go, for you have not passed this way before…”

You have not passed this way before. This is a new route, a new direction, a new place, a new experience. They must have had newness overload. They were crossing over the river Jordan – mirroring Moses leading the newly freed Hebrew slaves through the Red Sea – to live in the land of Canaan. On Friday as we celebrated Epiphany, we heard how once the kings had met Christ, they travelled back to their own country by another road, which must have been fraught with different challenges, but also remarkable moments. The magi are not the same having seen God incarnate. They were not the same people. And neither are we, for we have not passed this way before.

This is a bit scary but also a time for something new. Rather than new year’s resolutions how about considering some spiritual habits, spiritual resolutions to help guide us in the darkness. Resolutions that enable us to put our hand into the hand of God. What are the lessons we can learn from this reading?

We get our first instruction from the hymn we have just sung - have a closer walk with God. The Israelites were told to follow the Ark! The ark of the covenant was a gold covered wooden chest that contained various things including the stone tablets with the 10 commandments, a bowl of manna – food God had given them, and Aaron’s staff, a display that God can work miracles.

The ark was built under instructions from God, and he promised that he would dwell with his people and give them instructions. During the wilderness years it was kept in the tabernacle tent, and it was the only place believers could go to have their sins forgiven. Christians believe this to be a foreshadowing of Jesus, whose life and death atoned for our sins. Ultimately, Christ crossed all of our Jordans for us.

At the start of 2023, how can we respond to this? Follow God? Have a closer walk with God. How? This leads me to my second point. Sanctify yourself: Joshua told them. Our lives are sacred / holy – sanctus is Latin for sacred –a gift from God to be cherished and we are all precious to God. Then we should act like it and sanctify our lives each day.

Perhaps you might consider incorporating an extra spiritual activity into your daily routine? A short Bible study? A different prayer activity? Use the hand of prayer, with the thumb to praise God, giving him a thumbs up, the index finger – used to point in accusation – to say sorry, the middle finger to pray for the needs of the world, the ring finger for others, then the pinkie for our own needs. Thirdly, be prepared to get your feet wet! The Jordan, we are told, was wider at that time of year, so it would have been an even greater challenge for them to face. Whatever your Jordan is, you have to face it.

In the spiritual Deep River, we are reminded that our home is over Jordan. We cross over into new life, and into the praises we will give God for all eternity. Amen.

Joshua 3:1-8, 14-end, Hebrews 1:1-12

In the name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

“When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place. Follow it, so that you may know the way you should go, for you have not passed this way before…”

Life is lived forwards but only understood properly backwards. A trivial example of this is when I was discussing outfits to weddings and other big events. I was telling a friend that however much I plan and wear something I like, I never really feel that I have got it right, and I often feel that I should have done something differently.

When I said, “You would have thought I would know how to do this by my stage in life”, there was the reply, “You don’t know the nature of the event until you get there. You are planning for the unknown.” As a bit of a control freak I find this particularly difficult.

A more profound example is the Christmas broadcast by King George VI in 1939, the first Christmas of WWII. He read part of a poem entitled God knows by Minnie Louise Haskins. Eventually it became known as The Gate of the year.

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:

“Give me a light, that I may tread safely into the unknown!”

And he replied:

“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

So, I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me toward the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.

Note that the person who spoke to the man at the gate of the year says that it produced good results, they “trod gladly into the night” and they were led “toward the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.” Risk versus reward. It paid off!

This is the next part of the poem, a part that is less well known.

So, heart, be still!

What need our little life,

Our human life, to know,

If God hath comprehension?

In all the dizzy strife

Of things both high and low

God hideth His intention.

Acknowledging that we don’t need to have all the answers, we must have faith and put our trust in God – our instinct is to want a light to see, but we are told to go out into the darkness and put our hands into the hand of God. We don’t need to see “if God hath comprehension.”

At the start of his speech the king said, “A new year is at hand. We cannot tell what it will bring. If it brings peace, how thankful we shall all be. If it brings us continued struggle we shall remain undaunted.”

It is a strange time of year. There is a mix of excited anticipation for what the year ahead might bring as well as some apprehension. Though we are not at war, there are many struggles that we face as a society and global community. It is easy to become overwhelmed in the face of climate change worries, needless violence, selfishness, and corruption; we must all heed the exhortation to remain undaunted and to be thankful for the good things.

After Moses died, God appointed Joshua as their new leader. They were looking forward to entering the Promised Land. Finally! The Israelites had spent 40 years in the wilderness. 40 years! How utterly awful to be camping for that amount of time…I couldn’t manage 40 minutes! 40 years of not having a proper home to call your own, a place you can put down roots.

They are given the instructions: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place. Follow it, so that you may know the way you should go, for you have not passed this way before…”

FOR YOU HAVE NOT PASSED THIS WAY BEFORE. This is a new route, a new direction, a new place, a new experience. They must have had newness overload. They were crossing over the river Jordan – mirroring Moses leading the newly freed Hebrew slaves through the Red Sea – to live in the land of Canaan. On Friday as we celebrated Epiphany, we heard how once the kings had met Christ, they travelled back to their own country by another road, which must have been fraught with different challenges, but also remarkable moments. The magi are not the same having seen God incarnate. They were not the same people. And neither are we, for we have not passed this way before.

This is a bit scary but also a time for something new. Rather than new year’s resolutions being about physical fitness, drinking or smoking less, eating cleaner – and I’m not saying you shouldn’t do those things – but I would like us to consider some spiritual habits, spiritual resolutions to help guide us in the darkness. Resolutions that enable us to put our hand into the hand of God. What are the lessons we can learn from this reading?

We get our first instruction from the hymn we have just sung - have a closer walk with God. The Israelites were told to follow the Ark! The ark of the covenant was a gold covered wooden chest that contained various things including the stone tablets with the 10 commandments, a bowl of manna – food God had given them, and Aaron’s staff, a display that God can work miracles.

The ark was built under instructions from God, and he promised that he would dwell with his people and give them instructions. During the wilderness years it was kept in the tabernacle tent, and it was the only place believers could go to have their sins forgiven. Christians believe this to be a foreshadowing of Jesus, whose life and death atoned for our sins. Ultimately, Christ crossed all of our Jordans for us.

At the start of 2023, how can we respond to this? Follow God? Have a closer walk with God. How? This leads me to my second point. Sanctify yourself: Joshua told them, “Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” The concept of the sanctity of life means that our lives are sacred / holy – sanctus is Latin for sacred – that they are a gift from God to be cherished and that we are all precious to God. Then we should act like it and treat every life as though it were sacred. We must follow what is godly. As Christians, we should follow what is Christlike, not simply what is biblical. What happens when we do this? The Lord will do wonders among you.

Sancitfying also means shaking things up a bit. Perhaps you might consider incorporating an extra spiritual activity into your daily routine? A short Bible study? A different prayer activity? Use the hand of prayer, with the thumb to praise God, giving him a thumbs up, the index finger – used to point in accusation – to say sorry, the middle finger to pray for the needs of the world, the ring finger for others, then the pinkie for our own needs. Got a hand? Great, you can pray using a hand of prayer. Think what incredible things might happen if we all prayed a bit more. It might not change God, but it will definitely change us. “For tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”

Thirdly, be prepared to get your feet wet! The Jordan, we are told, was wider at that time of year, so it would have been an even greater challenge for them to face. But they did it anyway. The priests stood in the water of the river and signposted to the others to follow. They took the risk, they followed instructions from God, and the sea stood still. “While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.” Whatever your Jordan is, you have to face it. We can’t go back to 2022, and we can’t know what 2023 has in store for us but pop your toe in the river anyway. We have not passed this way before.

In the spiritual Deep River, we are reminded that our home is over Jordan.

Deep River,

My home is over Jordan.

Deep River Lord.

I want to cross over into campground.

Deep River…

Oh, don't you want to go,

To the gospel feast.

That promised land,

Where all, is peace.

Oh, deep River, Lord,

I want to cross over into campground.

By campground, it doesn’t mean an actual campground full of tents, but rather a place where the slaves could gather in community with fellow slaves. I read an article the song and it explained that the campground refers to large gatherings / camp meetings as times when slaves could feel free, even for a little while, whilst singing, playing instruments, and sharing stories. This freedom speaks of the nature of heaven, a place that promised freedom from earthly slavery, whether that slavery is imposed upon us or even self-imposed.

As Christians, our belief is that our eventual existence is eternal life with God in heaven. To reach that we cross our own River Jordan. The last verse of the hymn Guide me, O thou great Redeemer describes this:

When I tread the verge of Jordan

Bid my fears subside

Death of death,

And hell's destruction,

Land me safe on Canaan's side,

Songs of praises

I will ever give to thee.

And these praises will echo throughout eternity. Amen.