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In the book of Joshua, God fulfills his promise to God’s people of life in the land of Canaan. God originally promised the land to Abram at the time of Abram’s initial call (Gen 12:1, 7). This promise was reaffirmed to Abram’s descendants Isaac and Jacob and remained a central theme of the Pentateuch (Genesis - Deuteronomy). As we read and study the book of Joshua over the coming weeks, it is vital to set God’s promise of land into the context of God’s overarching plans for humanity. God promised Abram and his descendants the land of Canaan not merely for their own sake but for the sake of all nations. Genesis 12:2-3 reads, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (italics added). In other words, God raised up Israel as his agents through whom he would bless all peoples. Israel’s vocation to serve as a means of blessing was reaffirmed at the feet of Mount Sinai. In Exod 19:5-6, God announced, “Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.” Precisely because God is king over all Creation he has appointed Israel to serve as a special people among all of the other peoples that inhabit the earth. They are to serve a priestly or missional function of connecting the nations to God by reflecting and embodying God’s character before the nations.
How does the promised land of Canaan fit into God’s mission? The land represents a foothold for God’s kingdom as God works to bring blessing and salvation to humanity and all creation following the spread of disobedience and sin as described in Genesis 3-11. God establishes a tiny foothold in the world because it will be in this land and through this people Israel that God will reveal himself most fully in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. But we are getting ahead of ourselves in the biblical story…Nevertheless it is vital to understand the broad story of God’s salvation in order to make sense of the book of Joshua.

As the book of Joshua opens, God’s people stand on the cusp of entering the land. But there are three challenges facing them: Moses is dead, the land is not empty, and Joshua, the new leader, must lead the people forward. But God’s people have a key advantage - they are not alone. God is powerfully present.

The book of Joshua begins with a commissioning speech by God for Joshua. It occurs after the death of Moses. Moses’ death was reported in Deut 34. Moses died with Israel still outside of Canaan on the plains of Moab. God now speaks to Joshua directly in order to empower him to lead God’s people forward in fulfillment of God’s promises. God begins by stating the obvious, “My servant Moses is dead.” The implication is clear. Joshua is now God’s man. It is his time to step into God’s call for his life. The mission is a big one–Joshua is to cross the Jordan River and move into the land that God has promised to them. The emphasis here is on the gift of the land. God is giving it to them. But the gift does not come without action. If our text is steadfast in its insistence that the land of Canaan is a gracious grant from God to God’s people, it also clearly assumes that Joshua and the people must actively move to occupy it. Verse three affirms that God’s promise of land corresponds to the places where the people will actually place their feet. The land is a gift, but it is Israel’s role to occupy it. Verse four describes the boundaries of the land. The land that God is giving to God’s people is a vast one. It extends far beyond what we commonly think of as Canaan. It represents approximately the amount of land that Israel will possess during the heyday of the empire of David and Solomon (2 Sam 8:3-14; 1 Kgs 8:65). The vastness of the gift emphasizes to Joshua the generosity of God. But a gift without the possibility of success is a fleeting one. The reader must remember that Israel is not a super power. It is a people without a land. It is a people without the primary weapons of war: the horse and chariot. Israel is not a military power. It is a people who were enslaved only a generation earlier. The story of Israel’s move into the land is not an invasion by a superior force of arms. Israel will not be successful because Joshua is a skilled general and the people are fierce warriors. Verse five reinforces the previous promises by emphasizing presence of the Lord. The name of Moses is again invoked. The LORD will be with Joshua just as He was with Moses. This language echoes the LORD’s promise of presence to Moses at the burning bush (Exod 3:12). In other words, the God of the Exodus who delivered Israel mightily will now work through Joshua to bring God’s people into the promised land.
The preceding promises serve as the basis for a final exhortation to Joshua in v. 6 “Be strong and courageous.” God’s promises open up a new future for Joshua and Israel. But it is a future into which Joshua and Israel must enter. The future is not dependent upon the physical strength, battlefield ingenuity, or military prowess of Joshua. The LORD is with Joshua. The LORD has guaranteed victory, but Joshua must act. He will be the human agent through whom the LORD will bring Israel into the land. Therefore, Joshua is exhorted to be resolute and courageous. Courage is the key that opens the door to the future that God is offering his people. Joshua must embody this virtue because He is God’s chosen servant for this mission. Courage is the key for Joshua to obey faithfully the LORD’s commands.

One of my favorite courses to teach at Asbury Theological Seminary is Introduction to the Old Testament. This class is one of Asbury’s required biblical studies courses. In this course, I introduce students to the historical background, literature, and theology of the Old Testament. My distinct contribution to the genre of OT Intro courses is my framing of the course within a commitment to global mission and a full presentation of missional hermeneutics within the course lectures.

For those who are interested, here is a video that captures the missional framework for the course. I am also including of copy of the syllabus and the book list:

Let me know if you have any questions about this course in particular or about the Orlando campus of Asbury Theological Seminary.

I am working my way through the new book by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church (Hendrickson, 2008). It is an excellent book in which Frost and Hirsch continue to describe more specifically their understanding of missional church in light of the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. There essential argument is that a rediscovery of or fresh encounter with the Jesus of the Scriptures will mold our understanding of God, ecclesiology, and the world.

Part of chapter One includes these penetrating descriptions of the Church as a missional community:

“Therefore to be reJesused is to come to the recognition that the church as the New Testament defines it is not a religious institution but rather a dynamic community of believers who participate in the way of Jesus and his work in this world”

Quoting from Bosch’s Transforming Mission (p. 519):
Mission takes place where the church, in its total involvement with the world, bears its testimony in the form of a servant, with reference to unbelief, exploitation, discrimination and violence, but also with reference to salvation, healing, liberation, reconciliation and righteousness…Looked at from this perspective mission is, quite simply, the participation of Christians in the liberating mission of Jesus, wagering on a future that verifiable experience seems to belie. It is the good news of God’s love, incarnated in the witness of a community, for the sake of the world.”

Robert McAfee Brown:
“our task to create foretastes of [kingdom of God] on this planet–living glimpses of what life is meant to be, which include art and music and poetry and shared laughter and picnics and politics and moral outrage and special privileges for children only and wonder and humor and endless.” Quoted in “The Meaning of Life”: http://www.maryellenmark.com/text/magazines/life/905W-000-037.html

All of these quotations occur on p. 29 of ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church

How do these quotations help to (re)imagine missional communities as we seek to advance the Gospel in our day?

I am teaching Introduction to the Old Testament this semester at Asbury Theological Seminary. During class conversation, the issue of creation and evolution came up. This is a difficult minefield through which to navigate in evangelical circles. I am more and more convinced however that this debate has negated the message of Genesis 1 in our communities of faith today.

Toward this end, I am posting links to several essays that I have penned on various aspects of Genesis 1. I do this in the hopes of recovering these critical texts for our generation.

Reading Genesis 1:1-2:3 Missionally

Mission in Genesis 1: Implications

Genesis 1: The Genesis of Mission

Before Paradise Lost: The Profound Place of Humanity in Creation

Creation and Mission

Humanity and God’s Creation: Commentary on Genesis 1:26-31

Reading Genesis 1 (Part One)

Reading Genesis 2 (Part Two)

What do you think?

© 2009 Brian D. Russell

Message of the Shack – Random Takeaways

The Shack by William P. Young is a bestselling work of fiction that is spurring fresh conversations about the person and work of God. It narrates the life changing encounter with Godthat its main character “Mack” experiences on a weekend trip to the shack where his youngest daughter Missy was murdered brutally two years earlier at the hands of a serial killer. The death of his daughter brought The Great Sadness into Mackenzie’s life and damaged his relationship with God and others. Moreover, Mack was still bearing the scars of a brutal childhood. Through conversation and hands on experiences with each member of the Trinity as well as the personified wisdom (Sophia), Mack experiences a profound healing that enables him to begin anew to live as the person whom God created him to be.

Here is a preliminary list of key themes/messages built into the narrative:

1) God loves each person profoundly. People matter to God.

2) Relationships are the center of life. The Triune God models a profound relational mode of being. The divine-human relationship and human-human relationships are the true meaning and purpose of life.

3) Forgiveness heals the past and opens the future so that we can live as the people whom God created us to be. Forgiveness involves forgiving self, God, and others.

4) The past is redeemable no matter how dark or how wonderful it may be.

5) The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is the most critical act in all Creation.

6) Freedom is worth the price of the possibility/probability of pain and suffering because of misused freedom. God is neither the author of sin or the cause of evil.

7) God’s immanence/nearness/presence is affirmed continually. God is even present in the darkest moments of our lives.

8 ) Our words and actions matter. The way we live either adds the problems in the world or adds value to others to draw them into the relationship that God desires. There is a missional focus for life.

9) Eternity will be an endless adventure of deepening our understanding and relationship with God and others.

What am I missing? What other themes would you add?

© 2009 Brian D. Russell

NIV Matthew 1:18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

One of the joys of parenthood is the opportunity to gaze upon a newborn child for the first time and dream about what he or she may become. Most parents have high hopes and expectations for their children. Along with dreams, one of the initial acts of parenting involves choosing a name. Many parents go to great links to select just the right ones. Shelves of local libraries and booksellers are always stocked full of books of names. If only each child born into our world were able to embody fully all of the hopes and dreams that inspired the name given at his or her birth! How much more did the birth of Jesus represent incredible possibilities?

The birth of Jesus represents the beginning stage of the climax of God’s mission. The God of the Scriptures is a God of mission. God seeks to bring renewal, hope, and restoration to all people and to all of creation. Amazingly God does not act alone. God calls women and men to serve in God’s ultimate cause. God advances his great work through the lives of faithful people who courageously follow God’s call on their lives.

In our text, Matthew recounts the in utero days of Jesus as well as the report of Jesus’ naming.
Our text covers familiar territory. Most of us have heard about the virgin birth, the appearance of angels, and stories of Mary and Joseph. But many of us miss the scandalous undercurrent of this passage. Jesus’ birth is not penned in the happiest terms. Jesus’ birth involved scandal and intrigue.

A Scandalous Discovery and a Noble Reaction

Our text opens with an unexpected pregnancy. A young woman named Mary was engaged to marry Joseph, a descendant of the line of King David. Yet before the marriage or any sexual contact between the two of them occurred, Mary was discovered to be with child. Our text adds the provocative note, “was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit” (emphasis added). How can this be? It is so easy for us moderns to assume that ancients were naive and easily bent to accept supernatural explanations for events. Our text does not tell us whether or not Mary had told Joseph the true cause of her pregnancy nor do we even know if Mary herself understood it. Joseph however was no fool. He had loved Mary. But he had been betrayed (or so he thought). Mary had brought shame into his life. Her pregnancy, ostensibly by the seed of another man, brought dishonor to Mary, but it also soiled the reputation of Joseph. He had every right to demand justice and a public accounting. But Joseph was a different sort of man. Verse 19 calls him “righteous.” In other words, Joseph was a person of integrity and compassion who sought to act rightly and justly in his relationships with God and with other people. He was the sort of person who sought to value and serve God and others above his own rights and prerogatives.

Joseph served as a conduit for God’s work. Think about it: How would history have been different if Joseph had made Mary’s pregnancy a public matter? What if Mary had faced open charges of adultery? What would have happened to God’s plans?

Of course, these questions are purely hypothetical because Joseph chose to act righteously. Remember this key fact: Joseph was acting justly apart from any supernatural revelation or insight into the true nature of Mary’s pregnancy. God had not uttered one syllable to Joseph but Joseph was already on board with God’s plan because of his own character. Joseph was one of the unsung heroes of the Scriptures.

God is still looking for modern day Josephs or Josephines–men and women who are fully committed to living lives that embody and reflect the character of God in their everyday dealings with others. As our text demonstrates, such lifestyles can change the course of human history. Never underestimate the importance or power of a God-centered, Christ-formed character. Joseph’s character empowered Joseph to act in accordance with God’s plan on instinct. Joseph had no idea that Mary’s pregnancy was God’s doing. Yet because he was a righteous person, that is, a person who acted justly, wisely, and in accordance with God’s character, he was able to open up the future to the powerful work that God was going to do through the child in Mary’s womb.

How many people would be able to describe you as a righteous man or a righteous woman?
In what ways would your life need to change for such a description to be true?
Are we willing to act faithfully in obscurity in order to advance the mission of God?

An Unbelievable Announcement

Joseph’s decision not to expose Mary to public disgrace opened up the future for God to act decisively. God was not finished with either Mary or Joseph. There was a plan to unleash and a mission to accomplish. Before Joseph broke his engagement with Mary, God sent a messenger to him in a dream. This angel exhorted Joseph to wed Marry despite her pregnancy. Joseph is informed that Mary has conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit. There has been no illicit behavior. God is behind this pregnancy.

The baby that Mary was carrying would be a special boy. The angel then offers two names for the boy that point poignantly to the child’s mission and future.

The child’s name will be Jesus for he will save his people from their sins. Jesus is derived from the Hebrew word for “The LORD saves.” In other words, the name Jesus points to Jesus’ mission. From birth, Jesus’ purpose was to act decisively to usher in the age of salvation.

Second, the angel alludes to a second purpose of Jesus’ coming by quoting from the prophet Isaiah. Jesus would embody the hope of “Immanuel” which means “God is with us.” Jesus manifested the presence of God in the world.

Jesus had quite a name to live up to. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus death and resurrection are in view from the very beginning of Jesus’ earthly existence. There is simply no way of understanding Jesus or his mission apart from the Cross. Jesus is the long awaited savior and king, but he is going to be a different sort of one. Jesus has come to give up his life so that others might live; Jesus will be raised up from the dead to unleash those who follow him to live as the people whom God created them to be.

As we know from the rest of the Gospel story, Jesus lived up to his name. Jesus died on the cross to deliver all who believe from the power of sin. Then he sends those whom he delivers back into the world to share this message with others. But his followers do not enter into this mission alone. The last line of Matthew’s Gospel (28:20) echoes the promise of Immanuel: And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Have you experienced Jesus as the one who brings salvation? Have you experienced Jesus as the who makes God’s presence a living reality in our lives?

The Courage to Act

Joseph was left with a choice. He is in on the secret that Mary has conceived from the Holy Spirit. He will marry her and serve as the father of the child. But don’t ever think for a moment that this was an easy choice for Joseph personally. It cost Joseph something of his reputation to follow God’s will on this. For who would believe such a story? Imagine the whispers as it became clear that Mary was already pregnant before the wedding. Even if Joseph shared with the accusers the truth, who would believe his story? Mary pregnant by the Holy Spirit? Yeah, right! Following Jesus Christ involves learning to live above self. This is the courage to act. Erwin Raphael McManus defines courage this way: Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the absence of self. This is also the essence of discipleship. Just as the baby Jesus would grow into the man who would go to the cross to open up a new future for humanity so too are his followers called to live courageously in full participation with God’s mission in the world. Jesus will later say this to his followers:

If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Matt 16:24)

Joseph chose to live above his own reputation in order to act in line with God’s plans. He takes Mary as his wife. He further honors God and baby whom Mary is carrying by refraining from sexual intercourse for the length of the pregnancy. Then as soon as the boy is born, Joseph receives him as his own son and gives him the name Jesus just as the angel had commanded.

How many of us live courageously and boldly in our walk with Jesus Christ? How would our impact on the world be different is we followed the model of Joseph?

Conclusion:
God is looking for heroes and heroines. Each of us was birthed into the world with high hopes and God-given potential. God is seeking women and men through whom He can work to shape a future in line with the character and purposes of God.

What if following Jesus Christ were the way to live a life that demands explanation–one that furthers God’s work and points others to hope and restoration available only through the Gospel?

What do you think?
© 2008 Brian D. Russell