Is life a comedy or a tragedy? Are we the hero or the victim? Or maybe the villain? Is the world descending into chaos and dystopia or are we on a path of ever-increasing prosperity and progress? The stories we tell orient us to our place in the world and our role in the story.
The Bible tells the story of a loving God and a messy people. There is a beginning and an end. Major themes of creation, redemption, and sanctification trace the arc of this grand narrative. And Jesus Christ is the center of it all – the great hero of the story who comes incognito to rescue and redeem his broken creation.
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation
O Lord, your scars are your trophies, proof of your unfailing love for me. I am haunted by the guilt of my past, the sins of my present, and my fear of the future. Lord, at the cross you said, “It is finished.” So I stop my worry. I rest in you. You have done it all. Amen.
Confession
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Lord, forgive my fugitive ways. I turn and run from you. Forgive my criminal acts of hypocrisy and self-righteousness. Forgive my violations of arrogance and selfishness. Forgive me for denying you, ignoring you, and disregarding you. I am the one at fault. I have no other help but to turn my face to you and plead, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Word: Judges 6:36-37
“Then Gideon said to God, ‘If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.’”
Meditation: The Fleece and the Floor by Julianna Shults
We return to our unlikely hero, Gideon, who has now made it out of the pit where he was hiding. Gideon is about to take his first steps from terrified weakling to the man of valor who will save Israel as God empowers him.
Even with God’s confidence, Gideon did not immediately warm up to the idea of leading God’s charge against the Midianites. He follows God’s first command to tear down the altar of Baal. God never said he couldn’t do it in the middle of the night under cover of darkness. He did it, and God’s protection was sure. As everyone, including God’s people, saw the false idol fall, they began to follow Gideon as God’s judge.
Gideon is suddenly unsure again as the warriors start amassing and this gets real. He decides to devise a test to be sure God is with him. Gideon will put out some fleece on the ground overnight. If it is wet and the ground is dry, God is with him. God responds by doing exactly what Gideon asks.
But that’s not enough. Gideon decides that maybe since fleece naturally attracts moisture it might have been a fluke. He asks God to do the reverse the next night, leaving the fleece dry and the ground wet. God does this as well.
I know the desperate wish for this kind of tangible proof. I am approaching a big decision or an uncertain change, and I long for physical proof that I’m doing the right thing. Gideon got his evidence from some fleece, but I never have.
Instead of fleece, God sent us his son in the flesh and who knows every darkness and temptation we face. Yet, he remained sinless. Jesus came to forgive the times we doubt and to fulfill God’s promise to save us from our sins. Jesus’ last promise to his disciples was that he would be with us wherever we go.
Our doubt and worry are not a surprise to God. Even in the moments where we question, God walks with us and provides us his Word and a community of believers who are empowered by Him to stand with us. God doesn’t walk away from us when we ask hard questions and look for evidence of his goodness. Instead, God promises his presence in Word and Sacrament. God is faithful, even when we are not. God’s good and loving promises are true even in Gideon’s doubt, just as they are for us.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your constant presence even in the midst of our doubt. Help us to trust you and be confident in your faithfulness always. Amen.
Benediction
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Heb. 13:20-21)