Joshua 3.7-17 (p218) Luke 9.

57-62 (p1041) It must be a sign of age but I now find long journeys a bit of an effort. In fact, I have also realised that coming home seems more tiring than the going. Yet that hasnt always been the way of it. For in youth, journeys away from home often were mixed pleasures. Since, undoubtedly on one hand, they spelt new experiences, new places and new friends. But also those journeys were associated with new trials of life. Maybe we were travelling to a new job or career course or the undertaking of some other mental or physical challenge. And to prove the point think of your first trip away from home to school or your first steps into a new house or even going to your first day of earning a wage. All soujourns that can still bring butterflies to the tummy. Well that must have been the Israelites emotional state standing on the banks of the Jordon. They had indeed arrived - but what was next? Because ahead was a real homeland which was the very gift of a faithful God. However, they could also envisage the many struggles and strifes; not least the usurping of the existing populations. An idea, I have to say, that is very comfortable on our modern ears. There would be all the problems of building permenant dwellings and establishing fields. Moreover, there would all the difficulties in establishing fixed communities and leadership. No wonder they must indeed have had butterflies in the pit of the stomachs. No wonder they had feet well and truly planted on dry land even if it was the wrong side. But they had at least two things to get them over to canaan side. Firstly, they had Gods promise that he would be with them on the daunting journey. That of course was the import of Joshuas little

pep talk. However, they also had something else. It lay in their collective community memory. For have you noticed the huge similarilites between the israelites crossing the Red Sea with Moses and this new promise of a dry-shod crossing with Joshua. In other words, from their experience, they knew that if they went where God wanted them to go then they would witness to a miracle. An , as we heard, they did start to cross and God did start to be miraclous. Well when we set out on lifes journeys we too have the same promise and the same memory. For we know we have Gods promise to go with us. We also can think back to previous such journeys and be confident. Confident in our experience of Gods past guidance and help sometimes in a way that was not far short of the miraclous. If then God is calling you on a journey this morning then do not dither like the israelites but boldly go as they said on star trek. However, even we start moving forward another problem can set in and literally can be a show stopper. To explain, I need to tell you that my family have few calls to fame. But one of them was that a young lad called bert fulton learned to play the piano at my gradparents house. In fact, he changed his name when he went on the stage later to that of Rikki fulton. Well, he once played a cameo role in the Bill foryths quirky film about the glasgow ice cream wars called comfort and joy. In it, he was a psychiatrist who had been in the Navy. He discribes crossing between two ships by jackstay transfer. The character claimed that when you were in the middle you could not see either back or forward. You just knew you were travelling over the churning waves between the two charging ocean greyhounds. Well as jackstay transfers of personnel are not much done these

days, I cannot confirm the truth of that. But nevertheless we can sympathise with the sentiment. Because we know what it is like to start on a journey towards to the new in strong faith. But then we get half way through and all seems unfamilar and threatening. It is then our trust in the divine promise and presence desserts us. This can occur on those early journeys in life; into a career, into parenthood or into where we live. It can occur in middle life when we suddenly fear our future holds little direction, promise or expectation. It can occur in later life when unknown even disturbing medical journeys are being made. What then is to be done? Well one crucial thing is not to look back. Which was very much the point Jesus was making. For the people he was talking too were quite frankly offering excuses why they did not want to go where God wanted them. Maybe they were nervous of the unknown, or daunted about what they would have to take on. Either way they were like the israelites panicking in the middle of the Red Sea. But this time Christ does not push them since they were already inspired enough to see their promised destination. Instead he just warned. He warned that when we step out towards our destiny in God, you can only go forward to the future awaits us. So why waste time looking back! Now that sounds harsh. But if you think about its not really! For what was actually being left behind - a wandering in the wilderness of faithlessness- a gnawing homesickness for where we should be - a lonesome looking for a miracle in the wrong place. Worse still an lingering despondency brought on by what we could have been and are not. And that is not a view worth looking at all. We talked earlier of films. That reminds me there used to be two celluliod chestnuts screened constantly when I was a small boy. Each

were embyronic disaster movies. One was the airliner on which all the aircrew goes down food poisoning - was the fish that did it if I recall. This plotline of course was mercilessly lampooned in the airplane movies. But the other film was about a small boy whose father works in a bank. Come closing time at a weekend, he wanders into the strong-room. Needless to say, its door then gets closed inadvertantly with him inside. The problem is the time lock is on. So the rest of the drama is getting the little blighter out again. Nevertheless, time locks do have their purpose. Because life is full of journey known and unknown; desired and dreaded; easy and difficult. Yet if they are God ordained then we are moving to the promise land. We are advancing towards of the places and people and opportunities we were born for. In fact, we are surely moving to the better shore of what God wants for us and that Christ will prevent us retreating from. Let us then step out even into risk and danger in expectation of the miracle of safety Moreover, let us willingly set the time lock which bars the door behind us. . For only now will we be the person we can be. For only now do we obey Christs words - come and follow me Because only now can we say - without a shadow of doubt - whats next?

Amen HYMN......................