Choose Life

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My name is Vanessa Erickson and I am in the Alameda Parish.

This is a reading from the book of Deuteronomy, verses 11 to 19.

Now, what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.

It is not up in the heaven so that you have to ask,

who will ascend into heaven to get it and to proclaim it to us so that we may obey it.

Nor is it beyond the sea so that you have to ask,

who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so that we may obey it.

No, the word is very near you.

It is in your mouth and in your heart so that you may obey it.

See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.

For I command you today to love the Lord your God,

to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees, and laws.

Then you will live and increase,

and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient,

and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them,

I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed.

You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you,

that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.

Now choose life so that you and your children may live

and that you may love the Lord your God.

Listen to his voice and hold fast to him.

For the Lord is your life,

and he will give you many years in the land.

He swore to give your fathers,

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

It just reminds me of Isaac,

and how many times we heard him share God's word,

primarily with his parents.

The grass withers and the flowers fade,

but the word of our God stands forever.

Amen.

So let me also say good morning, Christchurch.

Good morning.

And thank you, Pastor Jonathan, for inviting me to preach this today.

I must say that this is very unusual for me,

since English is not my language at all.

So bear with me if I make a lot of mistakes.

But I'm very happy to be here.

Since we have family, my wife and I,

Gabriel is our son,

and we have our grandchildren here.

And when we are in Sweden,

we always think,

it's wonderful to have grandchildren,

but why so far away?

So we try to make it once in a while.

And now since we have had this corona business going on,

it hasn't been possible to see each other that much.

So we're very happy about

the technical possibilities to at least communicate.

It's, of course, a privilege to be here to preach

and to do this in the concluding sermon

in the long series of very important texts

that I know that you have gone through this fall.

I have not been able to listen to the entire series,

but I have listened to a couple of sermons.

And I'm impressed from what I've heard.

You have done a wonderful journey

through the book of Deuteronomy,

and I hope it has deepened your appetite

for studying the Old Testament.

And I hope it has enlarged your knowledge

about the relevance of this part of the Bible.

And hopefully you have also understood

that this rather anonymous book,

at least judging from what my students in Sweden used to say.

I hope that you have realized

that this was a favorite of Jesus in Scripture,

together with Psalms and Isaiah.

But before going further into the text in more detail,

let us once more pray together.

Dear Heavenly Father,

we pray today that you would open our eyes,

our ears, and our minds

so that we can see, hear, and perceive your voice

in your own word.

Help us listen to and follow your commands.

Help us honor, love, serve, and obey you in everything.

And let us, with your help, always choose life.

Your life.

The gift of eternal life.

And we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

The portion of Scripture that we just listened to

comes at the end of a long speech by Moses.

The entire book of Deuteronomy is, of course,

in a sense, the last will of the man

who led the Israelites

through the 40 years in the wilderness

after coming out of Egypt.

And now his mission has come to an end.

He has done what he should do.

And he summarizes his message to the people.

And that is what we find in the book of Deuteronomy.

His words are not new to his listeners.

They've heard all of it before.

And we may notice that Moses is not afraid

of repeating himself.

The final words of the paragraph

preceding today's reading

was the exhortation,

Turn to the Lord your God

with all your heart and with all your soul.

Turn to the Lord your God

with all your heart

and with all your soul.

And now today's text

deepens the meaning of this

in three steps.

It's all about how to mature and grow

as part of God's people.

To mature and grow

as part of God's people.

The first step

is to remember

that God's word

is accessible.

The introductory words

are quite revealing.

It is by no means difficult

to understand

and do the will of God.

It is by no means difficult

to understand

and do the will of God.

God's commands

are accessible.

His will

is no secret

to anyone.

And Moses

underlines

what he says

by using two

proverbial sayings.

It is no need

to search high

going to heaven

or far away

going beyond the sea

in order to find out

what God expects

from his own people.

Moses,

Moses,

the word of God

is very near you.

It is in your mouth

and in your heart

so that you may

obey it.

The substance

of the commandments

is that the will

of God

is both

reachable

and doable

for anyone

who has turned

to the Lord

with all his

or her heart.

To again quote

Moses.

because anyone

who turns

to the Lord

is also eager

to learn

by heart

by heart

the word of God.

This is part

of religion

of faith

in practice.

Reading,

memorizing,

meditating

on the word of God.

It is letting

God's word

fill mind

and heart

but never

letting it

stop there.

To know

the will

of God

through his word

is a good thing

but it is not

enough.

It is not

enough.

The meaning

of it all

is that his word

should lead

to action.

The rule

is very simple.

To know

and to do.

To know

and to do.

And if I

pause there

for a moment

and add some

comments

to this first

part of today's

reading

reading

and I

will try

to relate

it more

directly to us.

My first

observation

from my

experience

is that

many of us

seem to

complicate

things

when it

comes to

understanding

the word

of God.

In the

scholarly world

where I

have spent

much of my

adult life

it seems

we have

many times

complicated

the reading

and interpretation

of scripture

to such

a degree

that we

have lost

the directness

of the word.

We have

lost

to understand

the possibility

or the will

to understand

the simple

meaning

of the words

of the Bible.

Well I know

that there are

difficult passages

in the Bible

but most

of what we

read

is not

difficult

to understand.

It might

be difficult

to agree

upon

or act

upon

since we

live in a

much more

secularized

society

than that

of the Bible.

We are

influenced

by so many

ideas

and thoughts

which are

very foreign

to the

word

or to

the

biblical

thinking.

But the

word of

God is

not

necessarily

hard

to

understand.

That is

my first

observation.

My second

observation

has to do

with the

understanding

of the

words

in Deuteronomy

in the

New Testament.

When the

apostle Paul

comments on

this passage

in Romans

10,

he knows

that by

letting

Christ,

who is

the word,

into your

heart,

this gives

you salvation.

And letting

Christ,

the word,

into your

heart,

is simply

becoming a

Christian

and believing

in Christ.

That gives

you salvation.

salvation.

Christianity

is not

only a

matter of

knowledge,

it is a

matter of

faith.

Knowing

Christ is

good,

but it's

not enough.

Knowing

Christ in

your heart,

which is

another word

for faith,

is necessary.

That is

what gives

salvation.

salvation.

To quote

Paul again

in Romans

10,

for it

is with

your heart

that you

believe and

are justified.

so then

the first

step to

mature and

grow as

part of

God's

people is

to never

forget,

never forget

that God's

word is

accessible and

that it is

accessible and

then to

practice it by

reading,

memorizing,

and meditating

on it in

order to

act according

to the

word.

Lord.

So that

is the

first step

I wanted

to point

out.

The second

step, and

if you follow

in your

Bibles, that

is from

verse 15

to 18,

the second

step is

to make a

decision to

obey the

Lord.

When

Moses

instructed the

Israelites how

to think and

act after

arriving in

the promised

land, he

put before

them a

choice between

life and

death.

His words

are sharp,

seemingly

without

compromise.

It is a

matter of

life and

death,

prosperity and

destruction.

Verse 15.

Moses is

well aware

of the

dangers in

life, not

least in a

situation and

community where

there are

other

religions

present.

And that

the Israelites

knew from

Egypt, and

they will

know it

when they

come into

Canaan.

And we,

of course,

know how

right Moses

was.

The history

of Israel

is a

history of

constant

idolatry,

a history

of forgetting

constantly who

is the true

Lord and

God.

But it

is also a

history of

God's constant

calling of the

chosen people to

repent and to

return to

their Lord.

So the

speech of

Moses is

revealing and

prophetic.

And just

like the

other prophets

in the Old

Testament,

Moses exhorts

the people to

keep to the

Lord in

all circumstances.

In a

sense, he

summarizes what

is meant by

fearing the

Lord and

what the

benefits of

this fear

are.

It is to

love the

Lord, walk

in his ways,

and keep his

commandments.

Verse 16.

All this

leads to a

blessed life.

Idolatry,

on the

contrary,

leads to

destruction.

And we

can see that

Moses even

foresees that

in the future

the promised

land will

be taken

away from

the people.

Not because

of God's

will, but

because of

the disobedience

of God's

people.

life is

not

now, thinking

of ourselves,

we know that

life is not

totally black

and white.

And we

know from

other parts

of the

Bible, and

probably from

our own

experience, that

life is not

always easy

to live.

Blessing

cannot be

ordered,

but it can

be prayed

for.

blessing is

no automatic

phenomenon

that simply

comes as a

result of

obedience.

But we

do know

that

disobedience

very seldom

has any

good results.

That we

know, and

history

confirms our

knowledge.

knowledge.

What we

have here

in the

words of

Moses is

in a

sense a

guide for

how to

relate to

God as

part of

his people.

And it

can be

summed up

in four

simple

words.

To

honor or

fear God.

The Hebrew

word is

double in

meaning.

Fearing God

is more

giving honor

to him than

being afraid

of him.

Even if

there are

times

when there

is good

reason also

to fear in

the sense

of being

afraid.

But honor

is mainly

giving,

honoring is

the basic

meaning of

the word.

That is the

first word.

The second

word is to

love God.

And love

in the Bible

is less a

matter of

very special

thrilling

emotions and

more a

matter of

loyalty and

faithfulness.

We know

that.

The third

word is to

serve God.

And serving

God is

paradoxically

often to

serve people

in need.

And it

has rightfully

been said

that we

as his

people are

the hands

and the

feet of

the Lord.

And the

fourth word

to obey,

to obey

God.

God.

And this

is of

course

stressed in

today's

Bible

reading.

And I

will return

to it in

a moment.

We have

the words

like,

to walk

in his

that is

the Lord's

way and

to keep

his

commandments,

decrees,

and laws.

Verse 16.

So as

Christians,

we are

called to

walk in

God's

ways and

obey the

will of

God.

What that

is, we

know from

him who

himself is

the way

and who

was obedient

to his

father until

death.

I think

that St.

Paul sums

up our

calling in

the letter

to the

Philippians

in the

simple

sentence,

your

attitude

should be

the same

as that

of Christ

Jesus.

Your

attitude,

your

and mine,

should be

the same

as that

of Christ

Jesus.

And then

he continues

by describing

the life

of Jesus

from his

being with

the Father

in the

heavens.

And then

coming

down,

giving his

life on

the cross,

and followed

again by

God's

exaltation

of him

back to

his heavenly

throne at

the side

of the

Father.

where he

now is

praying for

us.

And it

is, of

course, no

coincidence that

Paul, in the

letter to the

Romans, writes

about the

Christian faith

in terms of

obedience.

Obedience.

When he, in

the beginning of

the letter, talks

about his own

mission as an

apostle, he

says that it

is to call

people from

among all the

Gentiles to

the obedience

that comes

from faith.

So the

second step

to mature

and grow

as part of

God's people

is to learn

obedience,

obedience to

the Lord,

and to make

a decision to

follow him

by honoring,

loving,

and serving

him.

God's

God's

life.

That leads

me to the

third step,

mainly seen

in the two

last verses

of today's

reading.

conclusion.

Concluding his

long speech

or sermon

to the

Israelites,

Moses once

more challenges

his listeners

to make a

choice.

And again,

and he repeats

himself,

it is a matter

of life and

death.

In a sense,

what he says

is again nothing

new.

It is a

repetition of

what he has

already said,

but it

underlines the

message he's

conveying to

the people.

The importance

is further

underlined by

the fact that

he this time

takes heaven

and earth

as witnesses

against the

people.

And heaven

and earth,

of course,

meaning everything

that comes from

the creator

of it all.

So what he

is doing is

that he's

taking God

himself as

a witness.

And the

alternatives are

distinctly

stated.

Life and

death,

blessing,

and curse.

And we

could add

belief or

unbelief.

The choice,

says Moses,

is up to

the people.

And what

they choose

will have

consequences

not only for

themselves,

but also for

their children.

The people

are given a

choice.

from the

side of God,

the decision

is already

made.

He has

chosen them

to be his

people.

Now they

are challenged

to do their

choice,

a choice

which will

show itself

in the way

the people

think and

act.

therefore they

are urged

to love

the Lord,

listen to

his voice,

and hold

fast to

him.

In the

last verse,

this only,

this only

will lead

to life,

for the

Lord is

your life,

as Moses

says.

So the

message also,

this last

part of

the text

is clear.

Choose the

Lord to be

your God.

Choose life.

And I

think that

this message

is as

important

today as

it was

when it

was first

presented.

We,

all,

the people

of God

today,

we also

need to

make the

same

choice

over and

over again.

We know

that life

at large

is filled

with small

and big

choices we

have to

make.

Some of

them are

more important

than others.

Some are

easy to

make,

others are

more difficult.

But there

is one

choice,

there is

one choice

which

determines

more of

our life

than anything

else.

and going

back in

my own

life,

I learned

about this

decisive

choice early

in my

life.

I grew

up on a

farm in

the northern

part of

Sweden,

in a

small rural

community.

My parents

were Christians

and my

siblings and

I were

brought up

in that

faith.

faith.

When I

was in

my

teens,

I was

part of

a youth

group in

our

church.

We were

not a

very large

group,

but we

met once

a week

for singing,

Bible study,

and different

programs.

And I

must admit

that most

of what we

did I

have forgotten.

Isn't

that life

too?

But there's

one thing

that I

remember.

It was a

song that

we often

sung.

And I

won't sing

it for you

because that's

not my

gift.

But in

translation it

says,

choose now,

choose Jesus,

and choose

for life.

Choose now,

choose Jesus,

and choose

for life.

preparing this

sermon back

in Sweden,

those words

have been

ringing in

my head.

Choose now,

choose Jesus,

and choose

for life.

And looking

back on my

life, I

realize that

the choice

I myself

made as a

teenager to

follow Jesus

has had an

enormous effect

on my life.

and it

has affected

my entire

life

to something

good.

So when

we read

and listen

to the

words in

today's

Bible

reading,

and the

theme of

this sermon,

we can

actually forget

most of

what has

been said.

God

will

stay in

your mind,

or to

speak

biblically

in your

heart.

Choose

life,

choose

Jesus.

And doing

so,

you will

experience

that Christian

belief,

or choosing

to believe,

is actually

dependent

on the

fact that

God

himself

first

chose

us.

And I

quote from

the Gospel

of John,

Jesus'

own words,

you did

not choose

me,

but I

chose you,

and appointed

you to go

and bear

fruit.

John

John 15:16

chapter 15,

verse 16.

So our

choice

is in

reality

an answer

to God's

or Jesus'

choosing of

us.

The Lord

is always

a step

ahead of

us.

And the

life we

are urged

to choose

is the

eternal

life,

since

it is

a life

given by

him who

is himself

eternal.

So that

was the

third step

in this

text,

and it

summarizes

what I

wanted to

say today.

So let

me conclude

with two

short

quotes from

the text

in Deuteronomy

30.

The

Lord,

and here

we can see

that the

meaning of

the Lord

is both

God

and Jesus.

Jesus,

the Lord

is your

life,

the Lord

is your

life,

and then

the words,

now

choose

life.

Choose

now,

choose

Jesus,

and choose

for life.

God

is your

life.

That, I

think, is

today's message, and a greeting from God himself to all his people, including us,

who are gathered here at Christ's church today.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

ope Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.