Muskoka Lakes Ministry of Knox, Port Carling & Zion, Torrance
Sunday May 30, 2021
Message: Be Strong and Courageous
Reverend Glynis Faith
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Announcements
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* Monday 7pm Bible Study via Zoom
* Tue 2-3 pm Music in the Sanctuary at Knox
* Thursday 7:30pm Lectio Divina via Zoom
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Prayer of Adoration & Confession
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God of mystery and truth, we lift our hearts to You in faith and love. Through Your Word all things were created – we don’t understand the detailed process of creation, but we trust in Your Word, through Whom the process occurred. Through Moses You gave us Your Laws, your guidance in how we should live with You and with one another - - - Laws for peace and harmony. Your Laws are perfect and they point to our need for Jesus, our Saviour. Through Joshua You teach us to trust and obey – to be strong and courageous in our faith.
We confess LORD God that we sometimes struggle to trust, wanting answers and evidence before we are willing to step further along our journey of faith. Obedience does not come easy to us in a society that challenges all authority and we often stumble when we forget that our strength and courage result from our trust and obedience to You, not from our own power or might. Lord, forgive us when we faulter. Forgive us and help us grow in our knowledge of You and in our relationship with You and with one another. In Christ’s Name we pray. AMEN

WORDS OF ASSURANCE
“This is the covenant I will establish . . . declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:10, 12
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Prayer of Intercession
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There are many battles in this world, O LORD, personal battles, social battles, economic battles. Lord God, be in those battles and bring about peace, we pray.
We pray for peace around the world – lasting peace!
We pray for peace in our personal lives – peace that is grounded in You!
We pray for peace in our homes – peace that begins with our relationships with You!
We pray for peace in our communities – peace amidst diversity – grant that we might model Your peace in all areas of our lives.
We pray for Your peace to be our guiding light in our churches – may we earnestly seek Your presence in all we do individually and collectively as Your church.
We pray for peace amidst long-standing divisions and feuds – may brothers and sisters unite in love and mutual compassion.
This peace we pray in the Name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN
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“ Be Strong & Courageous ”
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“After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.””
Joshua 1:1-9
Be strong and courageous. Be strong and very courageous. Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
What comes to mind when you hear something repeated over and over again? Perhaps it is something of importance – something someone wants you to remember! When I call a person or business and it is important that I speak with someone, I often begin with my name and number, then a quick message regarding why I need to speak with them, and I conclude by repeating the two important contact details saying, “again, my name is Glynis Faith and my number is 111-222-3344.”
When you are reading your Bible, or if you are following along with The Story, pay attention to details that are repeated, especially, like in today’s reading, when the repetition occurs 3 times in the span of 9 verses. Scripture is pointing out the importance of a detail or message when it is repeated.
These particular passages reveal God encouraging Joshua. The words would indicate that whatever lies ahead for the people, they will need strength and courage to face them. If you have read chapter 7 of the story this week, you know this advice is sound. Joshua and Caleb are the only two surviving Hebrews God led out of captivity. They know the story of God’s great deliverance – of God’s perfect love, grace, mercy and protection.
Be strong and courageous by remembering that God has the power to protect you – to provide for you. Remember the slavery God delivered His people from – remember the Red Sea, as the people crossed on dry land and the waters closed to swallow up Pharaoh’s powerful army – remember the food that appeared every morning and the water that poured fourth from a rock in the middle of the dessert. Remember all God has done for you in the battles you have faced these past 40 years – remember – remember and you will have what you need to be strong and courageous, trusting God through whatever battles lay ahead.
We all face battles in life from time to time. Our battles may not be as big as driving out a powerful nation, but at the time we prepare to face our battles, they likely appear as big or BIGGER.
Perhaps you are preparing to face on oncoming battle. Perhaps you are in the midst of a battle right now. Perhaps you are looking at what is ahead and wondering where do I get this strength and courage God is calling me to use? How can I be strong and courageous when the battle is bigger than me?
Well, the story of Joshua gives us three pieces of advice: 1) Prepare, 2) Trust and 3) Obey. Lets begin with prepare.
“Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.”
Joshua 3:5
To consecrate is to make something holy, or to make something or someone holy for a task. It is to prepare. Think of Moses in front of the burning bush; God told him to take off his sandals, for he was standing on holy ground. Often times the people were called to cleanse themselves and their clothes before presenting themselves before God or to hear God’s Laws spoken. It is a physical or spiritual display of respect. Moses was asked to take off his sandals while stepping on holy ground. Today, people are asked to remove their hats before entering a church.
In the story of Joshua, we learn that one of the things the men were required to do before God would lead them into the Promised Land was to be circumcised. For some reason the act of circumcision had not been done during their 40 year desert journey, so the people needed to renew the covenant of circumcision. They did not have razor sharp scalpels, like our surgeons do today, instead Joshua made flint knives to perform the task.
You will be relieved to know that today we consecrate ourselves, or prepare ourselves to come into God’s presence in other ways.
*we often begin our worship service with an introit, music that helps us clear our thoughts and prepare us for worship. The introit is a time for us to pray quietly, perhaps give God thanks for the opportunity to worship and come into His presence. It is an opportunity for us to shut off the outside world and enter into God’s presence with our mind as well as our body.
*prayer is another way we prepare ourselves before God. It says a great deal when we take time to talk with God. I am delighted when my children call, or text, or Facetime, just as God is delighted when you take a moment to give Him thanks and seek His guidance. Throughout Scripture we read that people consulted the Lord, which is prayer.
*we prepare ourselves to come before God by studying His Word – what does the Lord require of you; well read His Word and you will learn His will for you. I am a fan of journaling, writing down passages that bless me and ones that challenge me.
*even our online worship has been a learning curve for what it means to prepare ourselves before God. I know myself that I need to set up the space to sit and worship and then make sure I have everything I need before I begin. It is too easy to hit pause and go make a coffee, or step away for a moment to grab a bowl of cereal while a hymn is playing. I found myself doing just that a few times and realized I wasn’t entering into a time of worship, I was watching the church service. So now I get dressed, have my Bible close by as a visual reminder, phone turned off and in the other room and sit down to take part in the service through the prayers, hymns and God’s Word. Preparing myself makes even a Zoom worship service an experience with God.
Preparation is exactly that – it is intentional, done for a purpose, and in the case of consecrating ourselves, the preparation is about coming reverently before God, our Creator, our Redeemer, our Sustainer. This is where it begins – intentional preparation.
Next is trust. Trust is often built upon knowledge. The more time you spend with someone, the more you get to know if you can trust them. Well, the people have seen the miracles of God and they have survived 40 years in the desert knowing God’s presence with them. Their families would have passed down the stories of their enslavement to the Egyptians – how God sent 10 plagues to free them from Pharaoh’s power – the events of the Passover – the parting of the Red Sea – how and why the daily manna was provided – when God made His presence known in the cloud around Mt. Sinai and the cloud and fire over the ark that had guided and protected them the past 40 years. These were not ancient old testament stories to the people, these were their family stories – their parents experiences handed down to them to help them remember.
The people were now being asked to do something that seemed both foolhardy and self-destructive. Here is how God instructed them to battle the people of Jericho:
“Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.” Joshua 6:2-5
Just imagine being asked to go into battle without weapons. Imagine any military commander being asked to lead their people into battle carrying an ark and 7 trumpets as their weapons. But, of course, Joshua had seen God do far greater things than this, so he rounded up his army and sent them out with nothing more than their voices to shout with and a deep trust in God’s presence to give them victory.
It is times like this, where we can only see the situation in front of us, that we must put our faith in God. God sees the whole picture. And I don’t suggest for a moment that it is easy. When God calls us to do something bigger than we think we can do, we have to consider what we know of God and think about the times God has led us through other situations that seemed impossible at the time. This is why it is important for us to share our personal stories with others, to help them know they can trust God. If God calls you to it – He will lead you through it; whatever IT is!
After taking a time of discernment part way through my seminary studies, I came to realize God was calling me to pull up my socks and get on with it. The biggest challenge I faced was how to complete and pay for another year and a half of part-time studies while supporting myself and my son. One thing I have always been good at is working to take care of my family. Not working was a huge test of faith for me, but I knew that is what God was calling me to do. God wanted me to trust in His provisions, not in my own. It was a struggle, but I finally said “yes Lord.”
I was expecting a tax refund, had a bit of money set aside and decided to apply for a student loan and for a bursary through Knox College. Well, the student loan was a challenge because of the part-time distance studies, the tax refund was very very slow coming in, and I was having difficulties getting an answer from the college regarding the bursary.
I struggled with the temptation to take a part-time job as my bills were coming and in and the money was going out. But I had made the commitment with God that I would focus on my studies and finish my degree, so I was determined that God would not be so clear on what He was asking of me if He was not going to provide. Well, it came to the point where Maritime Electric sent a disconnect notice (a terrifying experience) and all I could do was pray, ‘it is all in Your hands Lord,’ and that day my income tax arrived in my account. Shortly afterwards the student loan and college bursaries arrived and God showed me that, indeed, He would provide.
It was not a good position to be in, and I believe the reason I was able to be strong and courageous was by recalling the Biblical accounts of God’s provision, recalling the stories people had shared with me over the years of their own personal encounters with God, and by looking back at the times God had spoken with me and provided for me in the past. God sees the whole story. God sees well beyond the obstacles before us and God calls upon us to trust in His love and care.
God’s ways do not always match up with our human logic. How can one expect fortified walls to fall down at the sound of trumpets and men shouting? The same way God opened the financial doors I needed to complete my studies and the same way He will take you through whatever battles you face, if you will put your faith in Him. Be strong and courageous, for the Lord is your strength and your shield.
Lastly, we are called to obey. To act upon our faith. We are called to be a community of faith. People who study and live by God’s Word. We are called to live out our faith in a way that people can easily identify us as God’s people; people who stand firm on Who and what they believe.
Isn’t that why God built a nation. They were to live differently than the nations around them. They were to be people of the Law, people who loved and trusted God, and people who loved and treated their neighbours as equals to themselves.
The people of Israel were called to live as a holy nation, a nation where the presence of God could reside with them.
You and I today are called to live as a holy people – people of faith and compassion – people whose lives reflect the image of God into the world. We cannot do it alone, we need to invite God to be with us and we need to do it in Christian community.
Obedience to God’s Word is not an easy task. Obedience to God’s Word involves trusting God to provide. Trusting God to provide involves preparing ourselves before God – preparing by learning His Word, faithful prayer, listening to the stories of other people’s experiences with God and sharing our own stories with the next generation.
Friends, be strong and courageous, for the Lord your God will be with you.
Please bow your heads and join me in prayer:
Lord, we can trust in You, whatever our need. You are here with us – a whisper away. When the world seems overwhelming, You call us to be strong and courageous – to trust in Your protection and provision.
Loving God, each of us faces battles in our lives, but we don’t have to face them alone. Let each of us know Your presence Lord, grant us the courage to trust in Your presence to comfort and guide us. Give us strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.
This we pray in the name of Jesus our Saviour. AMEN
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Hymn #324 Great is Thy Faithfulness
Words: Thomas O. Chisholm (1866-1960) Music: William M. Runyan (1870-1957)
Words: copyright © 1923 renewal 1951 by Hope Publishing Co.
Music: copyright © 1923 renewal 1951 by Hope Publishing Co.________________________________________

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
there is not shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not; Thy compassions, they fail not;
as Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness;
morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hands have provided,
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon and starts in their courses above,
join with all nature in eloquent witness
to Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness;
morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hands have provided,
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow;
blessings all mine, with ten thousands beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness;
morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hands have provided,
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.
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Commission & Benediction
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Friends, be strong and courageous, teaching others God’s love and grace. And as you do . . .
May the love, grace and peace of God go with you. AMEN
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Support the Work of Knox and Zion in 2021
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DONATIONS TO KNOX, PORT CARLING
Mail cheques to Knox Presbyterian Church Box 283, Port Carling, ON,
P0B 1J0
E-Transfers to KnoxChurchPC@gmail.com No security question required
Pick up ~ Please call the office (705) 765-3797 to arrange pick up

DONATIONS TO ZION, TORRANCE
Mail cheques to Zion Presbyterian Church 1046 Torrance Rd, Torrance, ON, P0C 1M0
E-Transfers to zionchurchpc@gmail.com No security question required
Pick up ~ Please call the office (705) 765 3797 to arrange pick up