Scripture: 30:1-21 Text: Isaiah 30:21 Message: This is the way. Walk in it. July 19, 2015; Bethel CRC, Brockville, ON VBS Kickoff

This is the way. Walk in it. Isaiah 30 tells us about a stubborn nation of . They wanted to go their own way. “No one can tell us what to do.” “What do parents know anyway?” “What good are priests or preachers?” “We’re not gonna listen to some old-fashioned, stuck-in-the-mud fogies.” “We’ll go our own way. We’ll choose our own gods. We’ll make our own rules. We’ll decide on our own wisdom.” But the love of God continued to reach out to them. The kindness of God continued to call them. “Come to me. This is the way. Walk in it.” “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, whichever way you go, you won’t be able to ignore the voice that is graciously calling to you: This is the way. Walk in it.” This is the way of life and freedom when we follow God. He is the Creator, who know all things and knows how all things work. He is all-wise. He is the Source of Life. He also knows the pain of death and has defeated death. He offers the joy of life, new life in Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is the Truth, who knows what is right and shows us the way for right living with each other and with God. God’s voice calls us away from our own stubborn rebellion to follow him, to walk his path of blessing and hope and joy and life and truth. Making this choice to follow God, to listen to his voice and to choose to walk in his way, doesn’t mean that life will be easy and without challenges. We do not always know what will be around the next corner. The journey is not always a straight line from A to B. It may have some twists and turns. Some of those twists and turns will be of our own making. Some of you might remember Billy from a comic strip called The Family Circus. He’s a young chap that knows his own way home. The teacher says to Billy in school that the shortest distance between two points is a straight

1 line. But when Billy goes home from school he walks in all directions, climbing trees, over picnic tables, around lamp posts. He chooses to go his own way because that is more interesting. This past summer, Jane and I had the privilege of driving through Southern British Columbia. Everything is scenic there, but we decided to take a more scenic route to get to our destination. Instead of the usual speed limit of 80-90 km/hr, this road had so many curves and corners that the speed was 60 km/hr, and often it was 40 km/hr. It took longer. It was impossible to see what was ahead, except that it was another corner. Even so, we enjoyed the sights around us and reached our destination. The journey with God may take us to some uncharted territory. Like a GPS that does not know about a certain road or some new construction, it may seem that we are off the beaten track, going into some new and unknown area. But unlike a GPS, God knows the way and the end destination. When we listen to his voice, we can know that we will get there safely, even if there are curves and turns and the way is unknown. What are some curves or uncharted places that you have experienced in your life? In our journey, it might be the diagnosis of a new sickness or a family tragedy that we never anticipated or experienced. We may have our questions about why it is happening and what will come out of it. We might wonder how we will get through this new experience. We have never been there before. Or we might we faced with a new opportunity we had not expected. There might be a move to a new community, away from familiar circles of family and friends. With the adventure of something new, there is also the uncertainty of how everything will work out. The theme for Vacation School is “Journey Off the Map,” with the sub-theme, “Unknown to Us, Known to Him.” We might not know exactly what is around the next corner, or where the path is leading us. But we can know that God is in control. He knows the way. He guides us with his truth. He brings us in the way of life. At VBS this week we will be learning about Daniel and his friends. Their story begins with the experience of being taken from their homeland to by King Nebuchadnezzar. They were taken from their home and brought to a foreign place, an enemy place. The story continues with Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshech and Abednego being

2 commanded to bow down to an idol. Later, Daniel would disobey the king if he continued to pray to his own God. They may have had many questions about this new journey that they were on, in a foreign country. Even so, they listened to God’s instruction and trusted him to care for them. They requested a special diet and God blessed them with excellent health and ability. They obeyed God and did not bow down to an idol. God saved them from harm in the fiery furnace. Daniel continued to express his trust in God by praying to God. God protected him in the den of hungry lions. All of these experiences were a new and strange journey, unknown to Daniel and his friends. Even so, God was with them, taking care of them as they trusted him. Our story with the children this week includes the story of Jesus, who also came to this earth to be our Guide. God shows his love for us in sending Jesus to die for our sins. Jesus rose from the dead, coming to life so that we can have life. He is the Way and the Truth and the Life. He is our Guide for every day. Do you know Jesus as your Guide? Are you following him and trusting him, no matter what happens? Do you listen to his voice? “This is the way. Walk in it.” Are you choosing the way of obedience and service, a way that expresses love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? He is our Guide in the familiar, well-worn paths. He is the one we can trust, even in those uncertain and frightening experiences. He is the one who will guide us through the uncharted territory where we have never gone before. He is the one who gives us hope and confidence even in the face of death. He has gone that way before and has defeated death. Jesus is our Guide. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, listen to his voice. Listen to his Word and Spirit: This is the way. Walk in it. Amen.

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