Sermon Text for the 9th Sunday after Pentecost

 

The Ninth Pentecost Sunday after Pentecost  (Proper 12A)

Deuteronomy 7:6-9
Romans 8:28-39
Matthew 13:44-52



O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen. 

Through the book of Deuteronomy Moses retells the teaching and events of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. As Moses speaks to the people these words and commits them to written form, he knows that he is near the conclusion of his earthly journey.  The Lord will call him home soon. Moses will not go into the Promised Land. The mantel of leadership will pass on to Joshua. He will lead them in the conquest of the Promised Land. 

Through Moses God addresses the new generation of Israel. Those who originally witnessed the mighty plagues that God visited upon Egypt, crossed the Red Sea on dry land, and wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, are passing on or soon will. The new generation needs to hear anew that God views them as His treasured possession. The very first words that we heard in Deuteronomy are the affirmation that Israel is holy, chosen, and the Lord’s treasured possession. God says through Moses, “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”  The LORD reminds the people again of how He views them in chapter 14 and 26. They should never forget this. 

The LORD does not treasure them because of their great number or superhuman skills and certainly not because of their moral courage and extraordinary faith. The LORD treasures them because He chooses to. He chose them. He chose to establish His covenant with Abraham. Abraham believed God and God reckoned Abraham as righteous because of his faith in the Lord. Abraham trusted in God’s Word of promise. The Lord chose to continue his covenant with Abraham’s son Isaac, and grandson Jacob, and subsequent generations. Now, as they enter the Promised Land, they do so with the confidence that they are the Lord’s and that the Lord is honoring his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that they will have a land of their own and a vast number of descendants. 

As the Word of God assures the people of their status before God, the Word also encourages the people to respond to God’s generosity with loving obedience. Live the commandments with the intent and in the spirit with which the Lord gives them. 

Being Chosen by God is a gift to be cherished. But being Chosen does not mean that life will necessarily be easy. In fact, Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land will be filled with conflict and violence. God will use Israel to punish the Canaanites for their idolatry. 

The Lord our God forbids the worship of that which is false. The Canaanites refuse to receive the Lord and worship only Him. The lectionary begins with verse 6, but in verses 1-5, God instructs the faithful to destroy the Canaanites and all their idols. There shall be no peaceful co-existence. No tolerance. No mercy. God desires to fill the land only with the obedient chosen that worship the Lord our God alone. As the Bible testifies, this is no easy task. And, it was a task at which they ultimately failed. 

Sin and the devil worked in people’s hearts. Reading the Old Testament, especially as the first generation to enter the Promised Land passed into later generations, we can see a pattern emerge of Israel’s failure to resist temptation, yet God chooses to remain steadfast to His people and His covenant. He remains faithful even when we do not. The other part of that pattern is divine punishment which eventually leads to the people’s repentance and God’s forgiveness. 

Israel, the Chosen people, are a light unto the gentiles. They witness to God’s faithfulness and love for all people. In the fullness of God’s time, the Son is born to us. The Light of the world is extended outward into the world directly and dramatically. Jesus dwells among us. He is the fulfillment of the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He calls all the world to have faith in Him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. All people, Jew and Gentile, are called into the Promised Land that Jesus gives us through his sacrifice on the cross. Jesus teaches us about the kingdom of heaven. Through faith in Jesus as the Christ, we follow Him into the Promised Land of eternal life with God. 

Through Jesus we are grafted into the promise of Israel. God chose you. Christ died for you. Respond to the good news of Jesus with faith. Our Lord reckons our faith as righteousness. We are forgiven of our sins. We are free to live with the confidence that we are God’s Chosen and Beloved. Through Christ, God dwells with us in this life so that in eternal life, we may dwell with Him forever.  

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.   


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