In our scripture readings for Judges Sunday, the commanding general of the army of the Israelites, the defeater of the 31 kings west of the Jordan River, Joshua, son of Nun, gives a farewell speech to his people. And Joshua warns the people that the good times in the good place they have come to, are the direct result of God fulfilling his promises, and that the proper response is loyalty and obedience to God. But that's the thing about good times – when we're in them, we tend to forget where they came from, and from whom....
Back in the year 1885, an important national project was completed at Craigellachie, British Columbia – the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway, connecting Port Moody, BC with Montreal, QC. At the cost of 25 million acres of land, and the lives of approximately 600, mostly Chinese, construction labourers, the claims of Canada to the western prairies were solidified, and the spectre of the great-great-great-grandfather of Donald Trump enslaving the future province of Alberta, was averted. And now, seven generations in, on the eve of a separation referendum, the thoughts of Canadians east of Manitoba cry out, “Where's the gratitude?!”
The Israelites were NOT seven generations into the promised land at the time of Joshua's speech, they had witnessed the fall of the walls of Jericho themselves. They had seen God fight on their behalf, overcoming outrageous odds on the battlefield, taking out world powers against which they had no chance. They had personally received the land on which they had not laboured, and the towns that they had not built. And so, Joshua stresses the need to show gratitude to God in the most appropriate way possible – through obedience to the law of Moses, and the rejection of other gods. In this way, the favour of the Lord will be maintained, and the Israelites' side of the covenant will be fulfilled, just as God fulfilled his side.
How long.... should an attitude of gratitude be maintained? We are coming up quickly on the month of November, and we are now four generations past the end of World War 2, is it time to wrap up Remembrance Day? Or are there certain things for which we should be ETERNALLY grateful? If someone saves your life, should you owe them gratitude until the day you die, or until the day you WANT to die? If someone raises you as their child, should you owe them gratitude until the day they die, or until the day you are finally independent? Over what period of time should a debt of gratitude, be amortized?
And how long... CAN an attitude of gratitude be maintained? Our tendency is to resent our own periods of indebtedness. Our tendency is to want to repay debts quickly and finally, to get free and clear. Our tendency is to see those who EXPECT gratitude from us, as manipulative or exploitative. And our tendency is to DOWNPLAY the debts we can't ever see ourselves repaying, especially our debts of gratitude to God. It's easy to say, “we also will serve the Lord.” But over time, as our prosperity continues, it is hard to continue to serve, on the basis of gratitude....
As foreshadowed by the words of Joshua in our readings today, the Israelites will NOT remain loyal to God – they will intermarry with the survivors of the nations, and their gods will become a snare and a trap for them. A cycle will develop: the people will rebel against God, God will allow their enemies to conquer them, the people will cry out to God, God will rescue them. Gratitude for freedom and material blessings will not be enough to convince the people to keep the law of Moses. The covenant will be broken by broken humanity.
And so, God will enact a new covenant, a covenant in the blood of his son Jesus, a covenant based not on performance, but grace. A covenant based not on gratitude for blessings provided, but unconditional love. In this new covenant, God will Father instead of Lord, God will INITIATE sacrifice instead of DEMAND sacrifice, God will forgive instead of punish.
And in this new covenant, we will respond as God's adopted children, not his grateful servants. We will respond with the stronger loyalty based on family and identity. We will not try to gain God's favour or clear our debt of gratitude, because we know that is not possible. Instead, we will live according to God's ideals for our own sake, knowing that it will be for us the path of abundant life. We will follow in the way of Jesus, guided by the Holy Spirit, living in the joy of the life to come, and the goodness of our loving Father.
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we praise you for the many times you have saved your people, and we praise you for saving us from sin, death, and Satan. Help us to live as you would direct us, and help us to be an example for the people around us, in Jesus name, amen.