Choose

We all make choices every day. It is what humans do. We are cognates. We are beings who deduce, think, imagine, feel, analyze…and choose. Some choices are of little consequence, except to our tastes, “No, not the chocolate; on second thought, I shall have the strawberry.” Other choices are major: school, love, where to live, what to believe, and whom to follow.

Think about these three passages from our lessons in the Sunday liturgy ahead. This is just a light preview. First, we will hear from Joshua at the end of his life. He is challenging the children of Israel. Yahweh, their God, promised them land and life as a people of God. But God knows that the local peoples of the region follow other gods. Acknowledging they can choose, God speaks through Joshua to put to them this huge choice, saying,

“Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness;… choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Then the people respond to Joshua’s challenge:

“Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, … Therefore, we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
(From Joshua 24:14-18)

They are given the choice. They are warned about the ramifications of it, and they choose the God who brought them through the wilderness from slavery to promise. This Deliverer, they will serve.

Next look at Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. He urges them to go all-in with God against the “god of this passing world” as he calls the enemy elsewhere (2 Corinthians 4:4). He calls for Christians to gear up with spiritual protection. In this way, we can stand firm with God, against the enemy.

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil…against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.  (Ephesians 6:10-11, 13)

Can you relate to this at all? Is this over the top? Think about it. Remember, we do renounce evil at our baptism; look it up (p. 302, BCP). Three separate questions: “Do you renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God?” Then, “Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God?” Finally, “Do you renounce all sinful desires that draw you from the love of God? Cosmic evil, worldly systems of evil, and personal temptation toward evil—we renounce it all. So, we do contend with evil. I guess we do need a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, proper shoes, a shield of faith, a helmet of righteousness, and a sword of the Spirit. Let’s figure out for ourselves how this can practically apply to spiritual practice and actual personal experience.

One more scripture to think about. In the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel, we have been reviewing week by week the ways Jesus identifies himself as the bread of life, his flesh, and blood, food and drink that we must ingest to live. This is very disturbing to his original hearers:

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you, some do not believe.”… And he said, “For this reason, I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.”

The talk of flesh and blood was troublesome enough to some followers, then Jesus exacerbates it by identifying himself as the Son of Man through whom the Spirit gives life. He says it is the Father that grants a person to come to him. With that, some of his disciples actually leave; they stop following him. Jesus then turns to his twelve chosen and askes them, “Do you also wish to go away?” They tell him, “No.” They choose to stay, to follow, and to learn.

We choose God. It is a free choice. We decide to follow Jesus, and we renew that choice every day if we are wise enough to know how important that is. It is not easy knowing precisely what is involved in following Jesus, but we can work at it and learn. Joshua asks, “Whom will you serve?” Paul asks, are you ready to stand firm? Jesus asks, Do you also wish to go away? This is a challenging set of Bible passages. Believing and following Christ is a huge challenge. You are free: how will you choose?