Tag: Joshua

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We Believe: Joshua 24

Title slide with photos of Mayberry and Bluemont Churches in the fall

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry & Bluemont Churches
October 26, 2025
Joshua 24:14-28

Sermon recorded at Bluemont Presbyterian Church on Friday, October 24, 2025

At the beginning of worship: 


Early in the fourth century, Constantine, the Roman emperor, legalized Christianity. Supposedly, going into battle significantly outmanned, he dreamed of a cross. He had crosses painted onto the shields of his soldiers and won the battle. In time, he embraced the faith and joined the church. 

I’m not sure it was like this for Constantine, but a lot of folks join the church and then discover it’s less than peaceful. A friend of mine wrote a novel about a man who lived his whole life alone in the wilds of the north woods. His parents moved to the wilderness and when they died, he stayed. It was all he knew. When a lost hunter comes to his cabin looking for help, he tells him about Jesus. The recluse wants to be a part of a church. He moves back to civilization, only to discover a church full of conflict and fighting between various factions.[1]

In Constantine’s time, two significant factions argued over the nature of Christ. One group believed Jesus was God and the other, the Arians, led by Bishop Arius of Alexander, taught that Jesus had been created by God before the creation of the earth. This debate over Jesus as a creature or as God hurt the mission of the church. Ironically, an Arian bishop brought Constantine into the faith. 

Not being a theologian himself, but a ruler, Constantine realized the problem. He called the bishops of the Church together in Nicaea, a town along the coast of what’s today Turkey. Essentially, he locked them in a room and told them to work it out. From the Council of Nicaea, held in 325 AD, comes the essence the Nicene Creed. That council was held 1700 years ago, this year. 

Between now and Advent, on the 1700th anniversary of Nicaea, I want us to spend some time with this creed. This is the most significant creed of the Church. Protestant, Catholics, Orthodox, and Coptic Christians accept the Creed. Even churches who claim to be non-creedal owe an allegiance to this document if they believe in the Trinity and the Incarnation of God in Jesus Christ. This creed becomes the foundation of Christianity as we know it. 

Before reading the scripture:


Today, I want to link my sermon to the beginning of the Creed. It starts, “I believe” or “We believe.”  You can make a case for both. There is no official translation of the Nicene Creed into English. The Eastern Church mostly uses “We” and the Western Church (Protestants and Roman Catholics) mostly uses “I.”[2] However, the Presbyterian Church in our Confessions uses “We.” 

The “I” seems appropriate when one joins the church. The “We” seems more appropriate when we, as the church, proclaim in unison our faith. When we say the Creed or any of the confessions, we draw on a historical profession of faith by those before us who, like us, followed Jesus. 

Also notice, this creed doesn’t tell us what to do. Instead, it informs us as to the nature of the one we worship.[3] The creed summons us to worship God. Worship is the priority of the church. While everything we do is important—from sharing the gospel to helping those in need—worship always remain at the forefront of the Christian faith. God acts so that we might experience salvation. God acts and then calls us to do likewise, which is why we worship God first, then are sent out to serve God through our lives. The foundation of our discipleship comes from knowing God. 

Our text today will be from the last chapter of Joshua. While I talk about the text, you can be looking for it, as it’s toward the front of your Bibles. Israel now controls the Promise Land. In this chapter, Joshua calls the Hebrew people together at Shechem, a historically important site for the Jacob story in Genesis.[4]

The summons to Shechem brings the story of Joshua to a close. Joshua begins by recalling all that God has done for the Hebrew people, going back to Abraham. Joshua wants the people to know they didn’t conquer the land on their own. God led them to victory.

Next, we get to our text for this morning, which begins in verse 14. This is essentially a renewal covenant. The people in the Promised Land are to once again proclaim their loyalty to God. After this passage, the chapter ends with the death of Joshua. 

Read Joshua 24:14-28


We believe. When we say these words, with Christians throughout the ages, we proclaim the God we worship. We believe in a triune God: Father, Son, and Spirit. As one author writing on the creed says, 

To confess the faith is to make what we believe into something shared, public, and recognizable, not just a fleeting thought in the heart. The baptismal confession makes us members of Christ’s army, and to this day there are places where this confession can get you killed. It is not just saying what is in our heart; it is joining a community and sharing its dangers and tasks as well as its blessings.[5]

In our morning text, the people of Israel are at a point in history that they must decide what they believe. It’s a dangerous decision, because they’re surrounded by people who believe differently. Furthermore, it appears some still hold on to other gods, even those gods beyond the Euphrates and the gods of Egypt. 

It’s hard to let go of what we believe as we see in Jacob’s story in Genesis. Jacob’s wife Rachel stole her father’s gods and brought them with her as they headed toward the land promised to Abraham.[6] In addition, the Hebrews were acquainted with the gods of Egypt. 

Furthermore, in the Wilderness, they built their own golden calf to worship. If these people are going to become the covenant people of God, they must put away that which they’ve trusted before and keep only God at the forefront of their lives. 

A covenant is an agreement between two parties. We make covenants all the time. Marriage is a covenant. In a way, a covenant is a contract where each party pledges to do something for the other. God made a promissory covenant with Abraham. He was promised descendants who would become a great nation and who would out-number the stars.[7]

Now, the rewards of Abraham’s covenant are being realized. His descendants have become many and are establishing a nation. Israel can now live out their covenant with God, so they essentially make a discipleship covenant.[8] God will be their God, and they will do God’s work in the world. 

As one commentator notes:

The call of Joshua to Israel is more than simply a narration of past history. It is a demand for discipleship, a call to hear and obey in faithfulness and loyalty the commands of God.[9]

Joshua expects the people to decide who they will serve. Will it be God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob? Or will it be some other god? The decision is up to them, but Joshua has made up his mind. He and his family will serve God. He’s not taking a poll. He’s not waiting around to see which way the winds blow. Joshua doesn’t desire to be a part of the “cool crowd.” Such desires leave us open to being misled.[10] Instead, Joshua sticks with the truth, with the God who has delivered the people from bondage in Egypt.  

The people immediately agree to stick with Joshua. “Not so fast,” Joshua said. Joshua doesn’t just want an emotional commitment which might change next week. He wants the people to truly make the right decision. Joshua pushes back. “You can do it,” he challenges. “And if you enter into this covenant and don’t keep your end of the bargain, God will be vengeful.” But the people continue to insist they’ll follow God. They are told that if they make this covenant and they break it, they’ll be on the hook and must answer to God. But the people insist they’re in it for God.

Only at this point, after being assured of the people’s commitment, does Joshua make the covenant between God and his people. He writes it down, so they’ll know what God expects. And he sets a stone under a large oak, designating the place as holy, kind of like a shrine or altar.  

As I said earlier, the book of Joshua ends with his death. But we’re told in verse 31 that they people remained faithful to the covenant for at least two generations—not only during Joshua’s life, but also during the lives of the elders who outlived Joshua. 

To be in a covenant with God has benefits and requirements. Jesus establishes with us a new covenant, one of grace. But we enter this covenant promising to further his ministry and mission. Like Jesus, we’re to be concern for the poor, the sick, the needy, even those who gotten into trouble and find themselves in prison.[11] Like Jesus, we’re to show compassion and empathy and agape love, which is the type of love which works for the best for others. 

We’re living in an unsettled time. The government shutdown means many are going without a paycheck. Some will look to food banks for help. And soon, many of our neighbors who depend on benefits like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Women, Infant, and Children) may find their budgets impacted.[12] As followers of Christ, of the God who we profess to believe in, we have our marching orders. We need to be generous and gracious and to do what we can to make the lives of others better.  

The Creed reminds us of what the God we proclaim has done for us. And as followers of this God, who strive to be godly, let’s do what we can to support food banks through our giving and volunteering to help the vulnerable among us.  

Let’s now stand and confess our faith with the Nicene Creed, a creed the church has said for 1700 years. 

[1] Robert Marshall,  On Rabbit Trails and Bear Hunts, (2007).

[2] Philip Cary, The Nicene Creed: An Introduction (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2023), 17.

[3] Cary, 12.

[4] See Genesis 33:18-34. There, after Jacob was reunited with his brother Esau, he built an altar to God. Then, tragically, Shechem raped his daughter Dinah, and his sons revenged her abuse. 

[5] Cary, 20. 

[6] See Genesis 31:34.

[7] See Genesis 12:1-2 and 15:5. 

[8] E. John Hamlin, International Theological Commentary: Joshua: Inheriting the Land (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1983), 189-190.

[9]  Trent C. Butler, Word Biblical Commentary: Joshua (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1983) 279.

[10] I’m indebted to Jennifer Erin Valent, a Christian Twitter for this insight. She posted on October 22, 2025: “When you never grow out of the desire to be a part of the “cool” crowd, you’re an easy mark for an unprincipled grifter.”

[11] Drawing upon Matthew 25:35-36 and 43-45. 

[12] It is still a question about how much and when the shutdown will impact such programs, but most agree that if it goes on too long, it will hurt. See https://www.npr.org/2025/10/24/nx-s1-5581354/federal-shutdown-snap-wic-food-aid-ebt-hunger and https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/14/wic-funding-uncertain-government-shutdown/86691522007/

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100 Years of Transitions

title slide for Mayberry Presbyterian Church's 100 anniversary featuring 4 pictures of the church in different seasons.

Jeff Garrison
Mayberry Presbyterian Church  
100th Anniversary ServiceJune 13, 2025
Joshua 5:8-12

NOTE: Because of the special celebration concluding Mayberry’s 100th year, I will only be preaching at Mayberry today. Elder Karen Motsinger will preach at Bluemont. Mayberry began its 100th year last September as we celebrated our 100th year as a congregation meeting in the Old Mayberry School House. We end the celebration today, recalling our 100th anniversary of moving into the church building in July 1925.

Sermon recorded at Mayberry Church on Friday, July 11, 2025.

At the beginning of worship:

100 years. That’s a long time ago. None of us were here in 1925 when the congregation moved into this building.100 might be the age some inspire to live, but only a few make it. I’m sure those who built this church building a 100 years ago couldn’t comprehend us celebrating their achievements today any more than we can comprehend such a gathering in 2125.

But in some ways, 100 years doesn’t seem that long ago. Our nation is nearly 250 years old. When our spiritual ancestors moved into this building, our nation’s centennial was a distant memory and probably few remembered it. And our Christian faith is 2000 years old, 8 times older than our nation and 20 times older than this building. In light of eternity, 100 years ain’t even a drop in the bucket. 

Time keeps marching on. Over the past year, with our Mayberry moments,[1] we have learned more about our congregation’s history. Our beginnings went back before this building, from a gathering under a brush arbor to a Sunday school meeting in the old schoolhouse which used to sit in what’s now the parking lot of our community building. We’re heard about the nearby farm boys running up to church early on winter mornings to light a fire in the potbelly stove. There were difficult years after the 2nd World War. Attendance declined and the building became a chapel under Slate Mountain Presbyterian. Then, in the 1970s, we regained momentum and became independent again. 

In 100 years, we’ve had ups and downs. A lot of good people have joined the church. We’ve had joyous weddings but also sad funerals. But through it all, God has been with us. We’re not to take credit for any success, but to give credit to the Almighty. 

Before reading the Scripture:

We’re going to go back into the Old Testament today. Our passage comes at the point when Israel enters the Promised Land. The Hebrew people recall who they are and to whom they belong. It’s a transition, an occasion for religious rituals and feasts. The fifth chapter of Joshua begins with the circumcision of the men, resuming a practice that had not happened during the wilderness. Then they celebrate Passover.

Interestingly, there are six major Passover celebrations recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures.  The first is in Egypt, right before they left. The second is a year later, at Sinai, with the giving of the law. This is the third celebration. The fourth and fifth celebrations come with King Hezekiah and Josiah as they try to reform Israel. The sixth celebration is at the rebuilding of the temple after the Babylonian exile. Each of these events marks a significant point in Israel’s history.[2]

If you want to play with numbers, the number seven in Scripture is holy. We’ve seen that recently in my sermons on Revelation. Jesus celebrated the Passover with the disciples and reinterpreted it. Jesus then becomes the sacrificial lamb, as God passes over our sins for which Jesus paid the price. Jesus’ Passover makes seven.

As I’ve said, our morning text comes at a time of transition, the ending of the Exodus and the entry into the Promised Land. There will be no turning back. God has led them this far, now they are having to do something for themselves. The manna from heaven has come to an end. God calls them into the future. Likewise, God calls us into the future, into our second hundred years. 

Read Joshua 5:8-12

All of us go through transitions—as individuals and as communities. One day we’re happy in school and the next we’re working 9 to 5 (or 11 to 7 in my case, for when I finished college I went straight onto the night shift). One day we’re enjoying our mom’s cooking and the next we’re eating burnt toast and running eggs prepared with our own hands. And one day we’re going to work and the next we’re retired. One day people walked or rode a horse to church and now everyone arrives in cars. Life is full of changes: always has been, always will be.

The Hebrew people went through a significant transition. After 400 years of slavery and 40 years of wandering in the desert, they finally enter the land promised to Abraham and his descendants. Now they’ve come to their new home, two things happen. They are weaned from God’s daily providence of substance and once again required, as we’re told in the third chapter of Genesis, to make a living from the sweat of their brow.[3]

Second, they’re finally able to freely institute religious rituals without being harassed by their masters’ or prohibited from doing due to their wandering in the desert. This transition is marked by the reinstitution of circumcision and the celebration of Passover.

Today, the church in America and the Western World faces changes. We must relearn what it means to be a follower of Jesus in a new and radically different world from which we’ve known. We must learn how to share Jesus in a new way which will reach a new generation who approaches life differently. Yes, we’re facing transitions. But the one thing that never changes is the love of God and the command to love others.

You remember, I’m sure, the story of how Israel got to where she’s at in our reading. After the freeing of the Hebrew people from slavery, they cross the sea, which closes in and drowns the pursing Egyptian army. But even after that, they remain in a precarious position. 

Yes, they’re free, but how do you feed a nation in a barren wilderness? In Egypt, they’d filled their stomach on grains and meat but in the desert, the pickings are slim. There aren’t that many mountain goats and fried cactus for dinner doesn’t go over very well. There’s this small problem of having toothpicks hidden in the entrée.  

But God isn’t going to lose his redeemed people, so he provides for their nourishment. A bread-like substance called manna falls from the heavens onto the ground. In the mornings they gather enough for that day, but if they try to hoard any extra, it spoils. It’s not a commodity to be saved and traded with others. The only day they can “collect” an extra measure is the day before the Sabbath, when they need enough for two days.[4]

Yet, they soon tire of eating this stuff. So, God provides quails for meat.[5] And so, for forty years, their diet consisted of manna and quail, provided through an ultra-efficient food delivery system, fresh right outside their tents every morning. Life isn’t hard and they get used to it.

But all things must come to an end and so it is with the manna and quail. Upon entering the Promised Land, the Hebrew people hold a Passover feast and from then on work for their daily bread. God’s ultimate welfare system is replaced, and everyone is required to follow a plow or chop weeds. God provides fertile soil and rain, but God also wants us to grow to where we can take responsibility and do our part in working within creation.  

Erich Fromm wrote a wonderful philosophical treatise titled, The Art of Loving. I assure you; the book isn’t as risqué as it sounds. Fromm draws from scripture as he writes about “motherly love.” God creates the world and humanity. Within the world God provides our basic needs, but God goes further and declares, “It is good.” This corresponds with “motherly love” by providing for our needs and helping us to experience the joy of life. With the Promised Land, flowing with milk and honey, we have additional signs of motherly love—milk to nourish and honey to remind us of the sweetness of life. God says to Israel through the Prophet Isaiah, “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you.”[6]

Yet, motherly love is built on inequality. The infant child is totally dependent on the mother. Motherly love must grow and change as the child grows. If the child is to become a separate human being and able to express love to others, the mother can’t continue to provide for all his or her needs. In addition to motherly love, Fromm speaks of brotherly and erotic love which, unlike motherly love, exists in its finest form between equals.[7]

God provides for the Israelites in the wilderness in a very special way. But the free food wasn’t to continue. For once God provides them with a homeland, they’re required to participate with God as co-creators as they toil to raise their food. Of course, God doesn’t lead them into the land and abandon them, just as God doesn’t abandon us. God remains at their side. Having protected and provided for them during the wilderness, they can now fulfill the role which God had destined for them.  

God wants us to mature, to get to a point we can be responsible and take care of ourselves and fully participate with him in the role assigned to us.  When God carries us, as he did with the Hebrew children in the Exodus, we learn we are to depend on God. When God leads us to a new place where we can be productive, we shouldn’t forget that lesson but instead give God thanks for giving us the means to take care of ourselves.

Those of us here at Mayberry have seen evidence of God providing and being with us throughout the past century.

But God doesn’t call us to rest upon our laurels. So, this morning we should ask how we can use what God has given us to continue partner with God. We have been blessed and for that we should give God thanks as we serve as a blessing to others. As the church moves into our second century, let’s remember to work not just for our own wellbeing, but for the wellbeing of those within our community, near and far. God has provided what we need. It’s up to us to make a difference. Amen. 

[1] To read these moments, check out the Mayberry Presbyterian Church’s Facebook page. See https://www.facebook.com/littlechurchdoingbigthings

[2] E. John Hamlin, Joshua: Inheriting the Land (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983), 36-37.  Text for the other five celebrations in the Old Testament:  Exodus 12:27-29, Numbers 9:5, 2 Chronicles 30, 2 Kings 23:21-23, Ezra 6:19-20

[3] Genesis 3:19.

[4] See Exodus 16 and Numbers 11.

[5] Exodus 16:13 and Numbers 11:31

[6] Isaiah 66:13

[7] Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving (1956, Harper&Row, Perennial Library, 1974), 41-44.