21st Sunday of the Year

Joshua 24:1-18;

Ephesians 5:25-32;

John 6:60-69

Our lives are full of choices.  Why this morning I already had to decide which shoes to wear, my shoes with laces or my loafers.   I choose the loafers.  I had to decide how long to preach.  I decided to be short today.  Then I had to make a really difficult choice:  which BLACK shirt would I wear?  

Many of our choices are fairly simple: like the ones I made this morning.  Some choices of course are much more significant: Which job to take?  Should I accept this promotion which will mean moving the family?  How/where should I retire?

The readings this Sunday deal with a very crucial choice: Which way to go in life? It is a questions most of us who are 16 or older face.  What do I do with my life?  As many of us know only too well, this choice is not always easy to make.

Joshua certainly appreciated the difficulty of this choice. The first reading takes us all the way back to the settlement days in the Promised Land, about twelve hundred years before the birth of Jesus. By that time the Promised Land was divided up among the tribes of Israel. It had been done fairly peacefully.  You might think things would have gone smoothly from then on. The years of wandering were over; the final goal of the Exodus had been reached.  All they would have to do at this point is sit back and thank God for all of the Divine assistance. 

But a big problem was beginning to surface even in those ideal days. There was concern the tribes would drift away from the worship of the God of Israel. How could this happen so soon after God had fulfilled the promises made to their ancestors and had, through Moses, lead them from slavery to freedom?

Joshua challenges the tribes to take a stand. Which way will they go? Will they serve the Lord God of Israel? Or will they serve what passes for divinity among the other nations. Of course, Joshua regards these other gods as powerless. He holds out to the tribes the option of serving the gods of the Amorites.  Joshua sets the example for the rest: “As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” The other tribes follow suit, at least in what they say. Unfortunately their actions will not speak as loudly.

In the gospel, Peter and the rest of the apostles must decide which way they will go in life. They have been listening as Jesus declares he is the bread of life. They have also seen many of the Lord’s disciples drift away, unable to accept what Jesus was saying. As John says so pointedly, they “returned to their former way of life.” How satisfying could that be for them after witnessing all the wonderful things Jesus did and after hearing such life-giving words from his mouth?

Jesus asks his disciples:  will you leave me too?   Peter has an answer. "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”  Peter does not yet understand all that he is hearing, but at least he recognizes there is no satisfying alternative.

Paul uses the marriage relationship to help us understand.   Just as man & woman choose to love, respect, subordinate themselves to each other, so has Christ chosen us.  And there is no satisfying alternative to the gift of life offered to us in Jesus Christ. Paul urges his faithful community in Ephesus “Live in love, as Christ loved us.” He wants them to make the right choice in life.

So today the choice lies before US.  What will we choose?  To serve the Lord or ourselves? 

May we who have been nourished in Word and now in sacrament, follow Joshua, Peter and Paul and choose the way of the Lord.   He has the word of everlasting life. 

This homily prepared by Rev. Ev Hemann, pastor Saint Patrick, Cedar Falls.  He relied on a commentary written by Rev. Timothy P. Schehr.   If you have comments or questions, you can contact Fr Ev   RevEv@saintpatrickcf.org