Father Nissen's sermon, November 2, which is All Souls Day

The text for today's sermon is an Old Testament reading, Joshua 3 : 7 - 17:

The LORD told Joshua, "Beginning today I will show the people that you are their leader, and they will know that I am helping you as I helped Moses. Now, tell the priests who are carrying the chest to go a little way into the river and stand there."

Joshua spoke to the people: Come here and listen to what the LORD our God said he will do! The Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites control the land on the other side of the river. But the living God will be with you and will force them out of the land when you attack. And now, God is going to prove that he's powerful enough to force them out. Just watch the sacred chest that belongs to the LORD, the ruler of the whole earth. As soon as the priests carrying the chest step into the Jordan, the water will stop flowing and pile up as if someone had built a dam across the river. The LORD has also said that each of the twelve tribes should choose one man to represent it.

The Israelites packed up and left camp. The priests carrying the chest walked in front, until they came to the Jordan River. The water in the river had risen over its banks, as it often does in springtime. But as soon as the feet of the priests touched the water, the river stopped flowing, and the water started piling up at the town of Adam near Zarethan. No water flowed toward the Dead Sea, and the priests stood in the middle of the dry riverbed near Jericho while everyone else crossed over.

Joshua was commissioned to lead Israel into the promised land. God promises Joshua to go with him. Joshua believed God's promises, so he had to be courageous and act.

Let us, too, be courageous and act so that God's promises may be fulfilled in family, church, and lives in our community.

It took a lot of courage to build St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, a most beautiful place. It will take courage in this age to extend Jesus' love to people who do not live just in Silverdale.