"Translating Scripture"   2014

Joshua 4:1-8                  Matthew 5:13-16

 

Joshua 4:1-8

When the entire nation had finished crossing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua: “Select twelve men from the people, one from each tribe, and command them, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood, carry them over with you, and lay them down in the place where you camp tonight.’” Then Joshua summoned the twelve men from the Israelites, whom he had appointed, one from each tribe. Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, one for each of the tribes of the Israelites, so that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the Israelites a memorial forever.” The Israelites did as Joshua commanded. They took up twelve stones out of the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord told Joshua, carried them over with them to the place where they camped, and laid them down there.

 

Matthew 5:13-16

“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under-foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

 

One of the most amazing places I have ever hiked

            was a trail in Washington State through the Hoh rain forest.

                        The trail goes into what is called, an old growth forest,

                            an area with very old trees that has never been logged.

 

One of the things you will notice in an old growth forest

            are perfectly straight lines of tall trees,

                        uniformly spaced and all about the same size and age,

                                    that will often extend for some 200 feet or more.

            It’s really a remarkable sight that tells a story

                        about something that happened perhaps 1000 years ago.

 

A Douglas fir may live 4-600 years, and grow more than 200 feet tall.

            If you can imagine such a tree getting blown over by a storm,

                        of course it will come crashing down to the forest floor.

 

Over time, a lot of time,  it will slowly decay.

            Later on, seeds will fall onto that rotting tree trunk,

                        that may germinate and even start to grow,

                                     getting nutrients from that fallen tree …

                                                                                    … that is then called, a nurse log.

 

In the forest when seedlings are too close together,

            most will not survive,

                        but every few yards  one will mature and grow into sapling, 

                            saplings that will be evenly spaced along the nurse log.

Over the many more decades, the nurse log will continue to decay

            and gradually it will disappear entirely  and leave behind

*                           a perfectly straight line of mature trees in the forest.

 

Imagine a young child hiking in the forest,

            noticing that straight line of trees and asking about it,

                        and the parent explaining about nurse logs…

… and how that line of 200 foot mature fir trees tell the story

            of a great wind and storm that may have happened 1000 years ago.

 

That is similar to process we read about in the Joshua passage.

            The people had been wandering in the wilderness 40 years,

                        and now at last they were entering the Promised Land.

 

In a scene reminiscent of crossing the sea before Pharaoh’s army,

            as they crossed the Jordan River, the riverbed was dry

                        as if the waters were held back by an invisible dam.

 

Then Joshua selected someone from each of the 12 tribes of Israel,

            to pick up and carry a large stone from the dry river bed

                    to build an alter wherever they made camp that first night…

 

… that would be a memorial and a witness to the events of that day,

            a permanent record and reminder to stand forever.

 

Those rounded rocks that had been worn smooth by the flowing water

            would be noticeably out of place in the middle of the desert

                        a full day's walk away from any river or body of water.

 

So they would serve as a visible and constant reminder:

            *           that God, had heard their cries in distant Egypt,

                        *           that God, had sustained them through the wilderness,

                                    *           and that God had promised to never abandon them.

*  Those rocks were souvenirs of hope  and God's promise fulfilled.

 

That pile of smooth river stones so oddly out of place,

            would cause a child to notice, wonder and ask "why?"

*                "How come those rocks are piled there and what do they mean?"

 

Joshua 4:6~7

            "so that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the covenant of the Lord. … So these stones shall be to the Israelites a memorial forever."

 

Just as nurse logs in an old growth forest

     tell the story of a wind storm long ago,

           so too the memorial stones of Joshua  lead to the Exodus story,

                        and by hearing it,   the story has the power transform.

 

When I was a young boy,

            my father's aunt used to tell the most wonderful stories;

                        stories about my ancestors and their place in history –

                                    -  that my heritage was something to live up to,

                                                and should influence the way  I live my life. 

 

*   More than just entertainment, or facts as information,

       her stories were intended to teach, to help define who I became.

 

Have you ever noticed, the Bible is mostly a collection of stories,

            and that Jesus mostly taught about God    by telling parables?

 

            It is by telling and retelling the stories of our faith

                        that we learn to make better decisions  and pass on

                                    that knowledge of God  down through the generations…

 

… which is why it is so important

            that we put Bibles in the hands of 3^rd and 6^th graders

                        so that they can read Scripture stories for themselves,à

                                    because the powerful stories found in God’s word

                                                can transform their minds and their lives…

 

… just as we are transformed    to go back out into the world,

            as salt and light to proclaim the grace and truth of God,

                        to translate what Scripture means   by the way we live.

 

The world in which we live   is far different and less religious,

            than the world and culture in which many of us grew up.

For many of our neighbors, coworkers and colleagues in school,

            they may never come to church or be exposed to the Bible.

 

So the way we live, our attitudes, what we say and what we do,

            the way that God’s grace and truth influences us,

                        the way that we translate Scripture  into life and living,

                              may be the only Bible  that our neighbors ever see…

            … and so Jesus says, vs. 13, 15

                        “You are the salt of the earth” and “ you are the light of the world.”

 

In 1937, Martin Niemoller,

            the pastor of a little church just outside of Berlin;

                                         preached on this same Matthew 5 passage,

                                                and was arrested two weeks later by the Gestapo.

            He spent the next eight years in a Nazi concentration camp.

 

Earlier that year, the Nazi regime passed a law declaring

            that German nationalism and patriotism were entirely

                        consistent with Christian truth and biblical teaching.

 

Therefore pastors were under pressure   and required by law

            to preach in support of the Nazi   anti-Jewish nationalism.

Hitler's thugs would beat and imprison   any who objected,

              and replace them with other pastors more willing to submit.

 

Under those coercive conditions  of Nazi threats and violence,

            and knowing that he might be arrested and imprisoned

                  for placing loyalty to Christ above loyalty to the stateà

 

à  Martin Niemoller

            preached a most remarkable and courageous sermon that day,

                        about salt and light  

                             Christian values   in contrast to world and culture,

                                    and standing against the prevailing winds of society.

 

He began his sermon that day

            by reading a long list of names   of those already arrested,

              and promising, that even more would likely be taken away soon.

 

Then he said:

                When I read the names, a little while ago, did we not think, 'Alas, will this wind, this storm, that is going through the world just now, not blow out the Gospel candle?  We must therefore take the message in, out of the storm, and put it in a safe nook.'

 

                It's only during these days, that I have understood what the Lord Jesus Christ means when he says: Don't cover up the light!  I have not lit the candle for you to put it under a bowl, in order to protect it from the wind. … It is not your business to worry about whether the candle is extinguished or not by the storm.  We are not to worry about that.  It is His concern. 

                We are only to see that the light is not hidden away -- hidden away perhaps with a noble intent, that we may bring it back out in calmer times ---

                But no!    Let your light shine before men!               …  and may God help us all …

 

It's been more than 75 years, yet this is still one of

            the most powerful and challenging sermons I have ever read.

                                        I am filled with respect and admiration

                                                for his courage in preaching it and living it.

 

As salt in the open wounds of Nazi atrocities and aggression,

       as God's light exposing the depravity of Hitler's intentions,

                 they stood as salt and light against the power of Nazi evil;

*   so too, we are challenged to consider our commitment to Jesus,

         and our willingness to accept the cost of standing for Christ.

 

      So what does it mean for us to stand and live as salt and light

            in the context and perspective of our culture and society?

 

In our world and in our lives,

   there are many other voices that seek our attention and loyalty,

            but we cannot serve the Lord God and compromise with them…

                for we are challenged to live distinctly into God's grace…

            …and there are real consequences in what we choose;

                        for either God is the priority of our lives, or God is not.

                       

It means that we are on guard --

            always conscious of the danger of being seduced,

                        or not aware of the trash blowing in the from the world,

                                       or compromising the word and truth of God

                                         for the sake of our own comfort and ease.

 

**   So how do we do salt?,  and how do we do light?

                                    I've always found that salty food makes me thirsty.

 

Let us ask ourselves, are the influences and effects of my living,

            causing in those who are around me, in those I could influence,

                  to thirst for truth,   the living water   of Jesus Christ?

 

When other people encounter us  out in the world,

   does the presence of God in us   make any discernable difference,

                        and is God’s gracious love transforming us   in a way

                                    that attracts others toward a relationship with God?

*              That is a part of being God's salt to the earth.

 

Before the days of electricity,      every evening a lamp-lighter

            went from street light to street light lighting the wicks.

Looking at that from a distance, you would see a lit trek,

            a glowing line of streetlights marking where he had been.

 

            What sort of route have we been marking for others?

                        What can they see and follow

                                    by our expressions and our demonstrations of faith?

*   Does that path we've lit   lead to discipleship, to Jesus Christ?

 

Can our fellow students, coworkers, friends, neighbors & family,

      recognize God's grace in us, in our relationships & how we live,

à         and can they see

               the possibility of God in their lives  by what they see in us…

… more than just wearing a cross, a bumper-sticker or fish symbol?

 

Is our relationship with God  guiding the relationships we live?,

            our behavior during the week, and not just on Sunday?

 

   Our task as the people of God, as the redeemed followers of Christ,

     is for God's grace, hope and truth in us

            to stand out faithfully in us as salt and light

               in distinct contrast to the world, its culture & values à

 

in such a way,     that our lives demonstrate before others,

            Christian courage, joy, integrity, peace and character,à

                  as signs of hope and promise pointing beyond ourselves

                   toward the steadfastly-faithful  grace of God,

                                     as evidence that all are loved and precious to God.

 

Clearly our call is to be different in meaningful and hopeful ways;

            that make a difference in the world,

                        by restraining evil and promoting God's gracious truth…

                                    … for that is what it means to be

                                                the salt of the earth;  the light of the world.

 

            Our task   is not to let our salt be diluted or contaminated,

                nor allow   our light to be filtered or blocked by this world…

                       … but, as Jesus commanded those who follow in grace:  vs. 16

               let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

 

Our task as the people of God, as the redeemed followers of Christ,

    is to translate Scripture by standing distinctly as salt & light,

            in contrast to the world and its culture …    

 

à in a way, that somehow in us, 

            in what we do, and in what we say, and by our attitudes,

                    people ought to see something that says   our God is real.