Jaw dropping
An old Jewish proverb says, “if you want to make God laugh, show him your plans”. Perhaps an alternative version of that might read, “if you want to make a human jaw drop, show them God’s work!”
It doesn’t get more jaw-dropping than God’s way of conquering Jericho. Imagine being at the planning meeting when Joshua said here is the proposal I believe the Lord has for us. No fighting, just marching, and trumpet blowing. God has a way of doing what only God can do that is beyond what we can ask or imagine (or worry about). God has plans of his own and his call is for us to throw ourselves in raw and dependent trust upon him.
The story of Gilgal
That takes us to our text for this weekend and the story of Gilgal. Here God instructs his people to deliberately disable all their fighting men the moment they set foot on enemy soil. No plan, no military strength – just complete vulnerability in face of opposition and utter dependency upon God. God works like that. When we say, “we don’t know what to do but our eyes are upon you”, when we seek to follow Jesus in faith, when the Spirit points to what God is doing and tells us to step up and join in, then that’s how God operates.
Seek His Face
Someone recently sent me this from Australian pastor Mark Sayers:
“Throughout history, we observe a pattern. When we cry out to Him, when we repent of the ways we have ignored Him and pursued our human-driven plans of renewal – we see that He moves. We don’t get to choose how He moves, yet the biblical record and church history proves that He moves when His people humble themselves, praying and seeking His face while turning from their sin”.
God is moving in and through and out of COVID 19, Gilgal calls us to reconsecrate our lives to a sovereign God and to listen for where He is working, and to step out in adventurous faith and join Him. A first step in that journey would be to get to Gilgal and find that vulnerability and weakness is the empty canvas on which God paints His miracles.
Sunday Plans
Talking of plans we are delighted to let you know that new guidance coming into place for Sunday 2nd May lifts the cap of how many people can gather for worship. That means that in Camphill we are looking to double our capacity and so there is a great deal more (socially distanced) space available. So come and worship together in person its been great so far! Please book in – that is still required.
Talking of Sunday we will take time to say thanks to God for what he has been doing in and around us these last months. Come ready to add your thanks to the online chat or to share it with others.