"Moses Stories For Our Times: The Journey That Matters"
Dr. James L.
Mayfield November 3, 2002
Text: Deuteronomy 34:1- 6 The story for today, is the last story in the Moses saga. And it is an appropriate story for us on this All Saints Sunday as we think about the lives of those who have gone before us and as we think about where our lives are headed. As we look into today's story, I encourage you to be alert for the message the Holy Spirit addresses to you and your situation. After wandering in the wilderness for forty years, the generation of complaining Israelites who had been freed from slavery had all died of old age, and a new generation, hardened by all they had been through, was ready to move in and take possession of the land God had promised. However, Moses was not going with them. Like those he had led, he would die and be buried in the wilderness. But before Moses died, God told him to climb to the top of Mt. Pisgah, and there, God enabled Moses to see the Promised Land from from one end to the other. I am convinced, Moses saw more than real estate. Moses saw the goal toward which he had been struggling for so long. He saw the fulfillment of God's promise. And in my imagination, I picture Moses remembering his journey with God It was a long way and long time from his days in Egypt when, as an infant, he had been rescued from death by Pharaoh's daughter and raised with all the advantages of a child in the house of Pharaoh. It was a long way and a long time since he had, had to flee from Egypt because he had murdered an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. It was a long way and a long time since God had spoken to him in the wilderness and told him to confront Pharaoh and lead the Hebrews, the Israelites, from bondage. It was a long way and a long time since God had rescued the Israelites from Pharaoh's army by dividing the Red Sea. It was a long way and a long time from the first time God first provided quail and manna and water. It was a long time since the covenant was made at Mt. Sinai and God told Moses what was expected of the people and given them the Law. Across the years there had been many struggles with the people he led. Often they had doubted God was with them. Too often they had rebelled, complaining that God was trying to kill them and longing to return to the "good old days" of slavery in Egypt. Often they had complained about the leadership of Moses. But in and through it all, God had been there, providing what was needed, and enabling Moses to do what God wanted. It had been a long journey that took a long time, but now, Moses stood on Mt Pisgah and saw the land that had been promised and Moses knew, the promise was about to be fulfilled. If Moses was anything like I am, tears would have blurred his vision as he stood there envisioning the future of his people and remembering the many ways God had been at work in his life. Of all the boy babies Pharaoh had drowned, why was he the one who was spared? Why was he the one who was raised with the advantages of Pharaoh's household? Why was he the one God had chosen to be God's instrument in delivering the Israelites from bondage and leading them to this point? Moses had suffered a lot. He had endured a lot. It had not been easy leading the Israelites. Moses had worked hard. And yet, Moses knew it was not his effort that made it possible for him to stand there knowing God was about to fulfill the promise made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was finally, ultimately a gift from God. I am confident that any disappointment Moses may have felt because he was not going to enter the Promised Land could not begin to compare with his amazement, awe and humble gratitude. The payoff for Moses' life was not whether or not he entered the Promised Land. Of course, that would have been nice -- a kind of icing on the cake. But that is all it would have been -- icing on the cake. The real payoff was the journey of his life with God -- not where the journey ended but the journey itself. The real payoff was that Moses was aware God had been at work in his life. The real payoff was God being involved through the lifetime of Moses. It was the journey of faith that was the real payoff. As I have thought about this story of Moses on the top of Mt. Pisgah viewing the Promised Land, I have wondered: "When we come to that time in life when we stand on some sort of Mt. Pisgah and are able to see where we have been and the future we have helped prepare for, what are we going to see?" What will we have done with our lives? What is the future we will have helped prepare for those who follow us? Will our view have anything in common with what Moses saw with the eyes of his heart? It is tempting for us to respond: "Wait a minute. I am no Moses." And in a sense this is correct. God has already had a Moses. God does not need you or me to be Moses. God needs me to be Jim Mayfield. And God needs you to be you. And yet, declaring we are "no Moses" is also, in a sense, incorrect, if in our saying we are not Moses we are saying we do not believe we have any talents or abilities God can use. In fact, in our saying we are no Moses, we sound just like Moses. Remember, Moses used every excuse in the book trying to avoid the journey God intended him to travel. It is not unusual for us to respond the way Moses did at first and focus on all the reasons why we cannot do what we know in our hearts God wants us to do. We focus on all we are unable to do, but God's focus is on all we are able to do with God's help. God knows both our limits and our abilities better than we do, and what God wants from us is what God sees we can do with the help of God. Moses did not think he was the one God could use. But God knew better. And the way God used his life was amazing. The Moses story for today took place just before he died. God had told him to climb to the top of Mt. Pisgah and see the land God had promised Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendents. I am convinced, Moses saw more than real estate. Moses saw the goal toward which he had been struggling for so long. He saw the fulfillment of God's promise, and as he looked at the Promised Land, I am confident he remembered in awe and gratitude the way God had been at work in and through his life. When we reach to top of our Mt. Pisgah, what are we going to see? And what will we remember? Let us pray, God, on this All Saints Sunday as we remember the lives of those who have gone before us and as we think about where our lives are headed, help each of us learn what each of us needs to learn from this story about Moses on top of Mt. Pisgah. Amen. Pastoral prayer: Let us thank God for the gifts and blessings we have received. We have come here with a variety of concerns and problems. Let us ask God for guidance and help. God, as we participate in this service of Holy Communion, we remember those persons dear to us who have died this past year. Thank you for their lives and for all the good memories we enjoy; we are grateful for all they said and did that inspire us to live better lives. We also thank you for the wisdom and strength that come to us through the painful memories. God, for all the ways your grace was at work through them, we give you thanks. Thank you for each of these persons who have been part of this church family: (After each name is read, the congregation responds: "For ______ thanks be to God.") T.J. Archer, Tom Barnett, Annabell Black, Tom Bradfield, Al Eldgridge, Carlton Farr, Dick Geyer, Robert Hibbetts, Beatrice "Trixie" Horridge, Zelia Moore, Charles M. Ogle, Wilson Thomas Saint, Byron James Vanderlip, Mary Catherine Pennington, Mabel Scheider. God, there are others who have died whose lives have touched us deeply. Hear our prayers of gratitude for these persons we now silently name in our hearts. (pause) As we gather in Holy Communion with Christ, may we also be aware of our communion with all those who have died in the faith. This we pray in Jesus name. Amen. |