Fear of the new country

Introduction

I've been thinking about what to share when trying to do an online service.

Somehow it's a stupid time. When my father used to talk about the war, he often began with the words: That was a stupid time.

We don't have a war, thank God, but the term "stupid time" still somehow fits.

The first thing that spontaneously came to my mind about the current situation was a Bible passage from the Old Testament, where God promises Joshua, the leader of Israel at the time, a new land for Israel.

Like so many Old Testament stories, this episode from over 3,000 years ago serves as an image for us Christians today. The people of Israel came out of the desert into a new land, just as God had promised. But Israel's enemies lived there.

The military aspect of this land conquest bothers me and I think all of us find war wrong. But as I said, this story is a picture for us Christians today, and our enemies today are not human.

I'll read the text once (Joshua 1:1-9; NL):

1 After Moses, the Lord's servant, had died, the Lord spoke to Joshua. He was a co-worker of Moses and a son of Nun. 2 "My servant Moses is now dead. Now go with my people across the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: `Wherever you go, you will enter the land I have given you: 4 from the desert in the south to the mountains of Lebanon in the north, all the land of the Hittites, as far as the Euphrates River in the east and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. This shall be your territory.' 5 As long as you live, no one will be able to stand against you, for I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall help my people to the land I promised their ancestors. 7 Be strong and courageous. Obey diligently the laws that my servant Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, so that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 Let the words of the law always be in your mouth. Meditate on the law day and night so that you may obey everything written in it, for only then will you be successful. 9 I say to you: be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not despair. For I, the Lord your God, am with you wherever you go."

The new land?

It will be great, don't be afraid, that is the message of the new land.

What does that have to do with us?

We probably also have the feeling that we are entering a new country, but rather a country that scares us, not a good country!

The virus is keeping us locked up in our homes and we are being told to stop all socialising.

This isolation, this cocooning, which has been an increasingly worrying development in recent years, should no longer make us ill, but save our health.

I can understand that many people don't understand this or don't want to stick to it.

Objectively, however, I have to agree with these measures, because exponential growth in the number of sick people is bringing our healthcare system to the brink of collapse. And we want to be able to care for everyone who is ill.

So we have to face up to this temporarily new country that scares us. I hope it's only temporary, but nobody knows how long it will last.

The Israelites also had difficult situations from time to time back then, there were situations where they simply couldn't get any further.

If I transfer this text to the present day, then God is telling us that he always wants to be with us, that he will not leave us or give up on us and that no one should be able to stand up to us.

Of course, the virus can also make Christians ill and hopefully they will go to the doctor. There was a congregation in South Korea that happily played the bacillus slinger because they believed they couldn't get sick. That was of course very reckless and irresponsible. Of course, Christians get sick too.

But God says here that he always wants to be with us.

Be strong and be courageous. And keep the laws that God has given you. For Joshua these were the 10 commandments and a little more, for us it is the entire Bible, with all its promises and help and including the good news that God has come to us in Jesus. And holding on to the Bible, especially in a situation like this, is certainly not wrong.

The last sentence of the previous section is intended to encourage us:

I say to you: Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not despair. For I, the Lord your God, am with you wherever you go."

Although the virus can make us physically ill, it cannot destroy our relationship with Jesus. But of course it is always a problem to deal with suffering and problems.

I am sure that good things are still waiting for those who are travelling with God, even if the path to the new good land seems somewhat closed off at the moment. God is with us wherever and wherever we go.

Psalm 23

Perhaps you don't find yourself in this situation in this New Land story after all and Psalm 23; NL speaks to you more.

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need. 2 He lets me rest in green valleys, he leads me to fresh water. 3 He gives me strength. He shows me the right way for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are at my side. Your rod and staff protect and comfort me. 5 You set a table for me before the eyes of my enemies. You receive me as a guest and anoint my head with oil. You shower me with blessings. 6 Your goodness and mercy accompany me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Perhaps the present time is the dark valley of death. In the darkness you cannot see what is coming, you cannot see where you are going.

The stick and staff is an image, from the perspective of the sheep, that the shepherd is there, and if we realise that Jesus Christ is there, the good shepherd, then we will somehow get through this stupid time blessed.