Crossing Over - Scout Sunday

“Crossing Over”
Brimfield Faith UMC / February 19, 2012
Joshua 3:14-17

BACKPACKING & WATER

My scouting career ended as a Webelos Scout with my Arrow of Light. I was all ready to cross over into Boy Scouts when we moved to a new town and I made the decision to focus on sports rather than Boy Scouts. There are times when I wish I had made the venture of Scouting rather than playing baseball and swimming.

One of those times came my sophomore year of college. A couple of buddies of mine decided that we should go camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. This seemed like a great idea. Get away from the hubbub of the stress of the dorms, school and classes. What a better place than out in the woods. I borrowed my brother’s camping supplies and was ready to go. (He was an Eagle Scout.) Our crew hopped in the car and headed south for our week long adventure. Thankfully, we had one Eagle Scout to lead the way, maps, and good trail to follow… or so we thought.

After misjudging drive travel time, we arrived about an hour before sunset. Dusk has started to set in but we decided to start out anyways. After an intense uphill and poorly cleared trek, we need to set up camp. Dusk had quickly set in and we finally found a site that would work. After an evening of rainfall, we awoke fairly dry and ready to continue our journey. The second night was much better. We found a stream high in the mountains that provided much needed water. (Of course, we purified it.) It was some of the best water that I had ever tasted.



WATER

Many of you know that water is essential when hiking. You want to travel as light as possible and carrying extra water can be terribly heavy. When finding water you want to find a fairly quick moving stream to ensure fairly safe drinking water. General babbling mountain streams are easy to find and a much welcome sight. While babbling brooks are welcomed, rushing rivers are another thing. When there is a bridge there is no problem. Without a bridge, a shallow section of water or a fall tree, crossing a rushing river is impossible without a boat.

There are many stories involving water and rivers in the Bible. Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt across the Red Sea, through the desert wilderness, and toward the Promise Land. At one point, water is so scarce that Moses upon God’s command strikes a rock and water comes pouring forth. There are other instances where water appears to be a problem. Every time water becomes a challenge, God turns the challenge into an opportunity.

The most important body in the Bible is the Jordan River. While the Jordan doesn’t get as much press as say the Red Sea, it carries significant importance. The Jordan River was the large river that served as a marker to the Promise Land. Before the Israelites crossed into the Promise Land, it was the barrier that prevented them from entering in the land. When they came to occupy the land, it became an important barrier for them. During the harvest and rainy season the river stood about ten feet deep and had strong and potential dangerous currents.



STEPPING IN

In the passage read early, the Israelites finally are prepared to cross the Jordan River. The arraigned time was when the river was at its highest and its most dangerous time. It required great risk for Joshua to lead the people across the river. During the crossing of the Red Sea, Moses got to raise his staff to part the waters. The priests carrying the tabernacle, the dwelling place of God, stepped into the Jordan River. They took a significant risk. They could have easily been swept away in the strong currents, lost the tabernacle and their own lives. Instead, as they place their feet in the water, the waters stop flowing. The grounds dried up and the Israelites cross over the Jordan River. This was a momentous occasion. It was the fulfillment of prophecies and promises. It required the Israelites to make sacrifices. It required them to take risks. To step out in faith. To learn to trust in the Lord.

Like the Israelites, we need to trust God and take risks. God never intended the Israelites to take forty years to enter the Promise Land. They simply were unable to wait and to trust in the Lord. They hung onto their past and clung to that which was comfortable. How often do we do the same thing? Instead, we hang on to our past. We cling to comforts. We ignore God’s calling on our lives. We dismiss it as crazy. It is easier to stay in our cocoons of safety instead of stepping out and trust in God.



MEMORIAL STONES

After the Israelites crossed the river they were instructed to go back into the river and told to take 12 stones to create a monument that reminded the people what God had done that day. We need to create reminders of our victories. It is easy to forget that we have the skills and abilities to overcome the obstacles and challenges in our lives.

Scouting does a great job of creating memorials. Merit badges and ranks promotions reinforce and remind the Scouts they have acquired certain skills and abilities. The Eagle Scout is the ultimate marker in your Scouting journey. It is the final memorial in your journey of Scouting.

Everyone has markers in their lives. Whether it is a thing, a picture, a memento, there is something that reminds you of the obstacles you have overcome in your life and how those challenges have helped to shape you and your faith. Without crossing into nostalgia, we need those markers to remind us who we have become, the skills and tools that we possess to overcome future challenges.



CHALLENGES

The initial step into the waters is always the first step on a much greater journey. Once the Israelites crossed the Jordan there was no turning back. God was calling them forth into the greater challenges. They had to defeat entire cities like Jericho. They were not trained warriors. They were outnumbered. The initial step into the water paled in comparison to that which was before them. The challenges that were ahead of them are what kept them from crossing the Jordan years earlier.

They had learned an important lesson. In every challenge there is an opportunity for God to act. There is an opportunity for us to grow in our faith. There is an opportunity to discover ourselves, our gifts, our graces, and our talents. Challenges are not to be feared but to be welcomed. The memorial created in the Jordan reminded them God was there and faithful. It reminded them to resist the urge to flee back to comfort and safety. The memorials in our lives remind us to not avoid conflict. Don’t run from it. Conflict is the greatest opportunity in life to grow. When we learn to listen to God and to wise counselors, we can successfully maneuver conflicts.

As Scouts, you have been given the tools to resolve conflict and problem solve more than you ever know. There is always the chance to grow. A chance to find a resolution. A chance to discover your true identity. The award of Eagle is a remind of these truths. The Eagle project requires you to have a mentor and to involve other scouts in the project. This is not by accident but a reminder that you need others to help you through life.



THE RIGHT TRAIL

While the first night of our hiking trip was challenging, the next two days were magnificent. The second night we slept on flat ground at the top of the mountain. It was glorious and well worth the hike. Ironically, the final day of the trip was the easiest part of the trail. It was wide, mostly downhill and enjoyable. As we reached the bottom, we realized that we had started on the wrong section of the trail. If we had started on the right section of the trail we would have had an easy beginning and a much more pleasant hiking trip.

Our biggest downfall. The lack of a trained guide. How often in life do we not only take the path less taken but the path with greater difficulty? We are invited to trust in God and allow Jesus to be our ultimate guide. In John 14 Jesus reminds us, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes through me except the father.” Instead of wandering aimlessly and getting lost, we invite Christ, the guide, into our lives and hearts.

So as we conclude this morning, I would invite you to invite Jesus to be your guide. And find a church home, surround yourself with wise people who know the way of Jesus and can help guide your own journey of faith. It is okay to be hesitant to step into the waters of faith, to cross the river and face the challenges that lie ahead. When you cry out for help in your time of need, God will not leave you or forsake you. Surrounding you are people who will help you, guide you and support you. Those people can only help you so much. Your ultimate help starts when you chose to follow Jesus Christ. He is our leader. He is our guide. He is the way.

Let’s pray.