Joel 3:10-21

Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.
The sun and moon will be darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.
The Lord will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the heavens will tremble. (Joel 3:14-16)

The day of the Lord is near. This is the day.

Or, at least, this can be the day.

This can be the day when we choose to open ourselves to God, to strip away our defenses, and to allow our vulnerabilities to be known by others and sacrificed to God.

The Hebrew translated above as near can me close in time, place, or relationship.

When we invite God into relationship surely we will hear a roar and thunder as God accepts our invitation.

Joel 3:9-17

Multitudes, multitudes,
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.
The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining. (Joel 3:14-15)

We are each and all in the valley of decision.

The Hebrew translated as decision is חָרוּץ or charuwts (sounds very similar to carrot).

This is to be diligent, sharp, to separate one from the other.

It can also mean to maim or mutilate.

Without God, our decisions are likely to mangle. With God our decisions can bring helpful clarity.

Joel 2:28-3:8

Then afterward,
I will pour out my spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female slaves,
in those days I will pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:28-29)

Joel joins prophets across the ages in anticipating resolution, judgment, and redemption.

We anticipate -- hope for -- an end-time, even as we claim in believe in a God beyond time.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hollowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus taught us the kingdom of heaven is at hand, close by, ready for us to grasp.

The reign of God is almost certainly less a matter of time and space and much more a matter of experience here and now.

And my people shall never again
be put to shame.
You shall know that I am in the
midst of Israel,
and that I, the Lord, am your
God and that there is no other.
And my people shall never again
be put to shame. (Joel: 2:26-27)

To read this after the Holocaust is, perhaps, less reassuring than was once
the case.

But it was also read after the destruction of the second Temple.

The prophecy may originally have been preached to give meaning to the
Babylonian captivity.

We can quibble over "shame" and assert not every failure is cause for shame.
But in the context of whole prophecy this would, I think, be ignoring Joel's clear meaning.

There is purpose beyond earthly pride. There is joy beyond earthly success.
There is a kingdom beyond our current existence.

Joel 2:12-19

Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep.
Let them say, ‘Spare your people, O Lord,
and do not make your heritage a mockery,
a byword among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples,
“Where is their God?” ’
Then the Lord became jealous for his land,
and had pity on his people. (Joel 2:17-18)

Christians understand that in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus we have encountered the fulfillment of God's intention.

We are spared not because we weep and grovel and neither to preempt the mockery of unbelievers.

We are redeemed through the love of God symbolized in the self-sacrifice of Jesus.

Joel 1:15-2:11

Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near—
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful army comes;
their like has never been from of old,
nor will be again after them in ages to come.(Joel 1:1-2)

A long drought is followed by a huge wildfire.

We perceive God's judgment in the terrible turn of nature.

It may well be a judgment we deserve, but it is wrong to see God's specific intent in the unfolding of natural events.

God creates. God frees. God is in relationship with all of creation.

But rain and fire are no more directed by God than you or me.

Joel 1: 1-13

What the cutting locust left,
the swarming locust has eaten.
What the swarming locust left,
the hopping locust has eaten,
and what the hopping locust left,
the destroying locust has eaten. (Joel 1:4)

I know a God of abundance and believe in a theology of abundance.

But we also know plague, earthquake, fire, and flood.

We have each experienced a cloud of locusts descending, darkening our days, and eating away all that on which we have long worked.

I know a God of new beginnings, of resurrection, and renewal.

But even Jesus spent three days in hell, why should I be surprised to find myself there for a time.

Sirach 51:13-22

I inclined my ear a little and received her,
and I found for myself much instruction.
I made progress in her;
to him who gives wisdom I will give glory.
For I resolved to live according to wisdom,
and I was zealous for the good,
and I shall never be disappointed.
My soul grappled with wisdom,
and in my conduct I was strict;(Sirach 51:16-19)

We start the path to wisdom by listening.

We make progress on the path by giving glory to God.

We ascend the path through discipline and resolve.

We continue on the path by ἐξεπέτασα: grappling, stretching, risking, spreading out, opening up.

Sirach 43:23-33

We could say more but could never say enough;
let the final word be: ‘He is the all.’
Where can we find the strength to praise him?
For he is greater than all his works.
Awesome is the Lord and very great,
and marvellous is his power. (Sirach 43:27-29)

How do we communicate with a dog or cat?

How do we communicate with a horse or cow?

They may perceive certain broad purposes: threat, affection, source-of-food.

But beyond these generalities, whatever wisdom we may try to share they will seldom understand and only with rigorous training will they even notice.

The gap in understanding between God and each of us is at least as broad. And God does not train us to obey but inspires us to seek to understand.

Sirach 50:1,11-24

And now bless the God of all,
who everywhere works great wonders,
who fosters our growth from birth,
and deals with us according to his mercy.
May he give us gladness of heart,
and may there be peace in our days...
May he entrust to us his mercy,
and may he deliver us in our days!(Sirach 50:22-24)

I know a self-restrained God who has given us the freedom to choose and will not forsake this gift.

I also know an attentive God who, if invited, is keen to work with us and will not forsake our invitation.

God fosters our growth with both freedom and help, inspiring gladness of heart in finding and knowing our way.

Sirach 44:1-15

But these also were godly men,
whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten;
their wealth will remain with their descendants,
and their inheritance with their children’s children.*
Their descendants stand by the covenants;
their children also, for their sake.
Their offspring will continue for ever,
and their glory will never be blotted out.(Sirach 44:10-13)

Three-thousand years after he died, a group of us were discussing King David.

He certainly accomplished righteous deeds.

He could also be vain, manipulative, cruel, and murderous.

Yet he is remembered with great glory.

David was bold in battle, in sinning, and in love of God.

Boldness -- be we right or wrong -- can clarify.

David was also bold in recognizing error and seeking forgiveness.

Sirach 43:23-33

Awesome is the Lord and very great,
and marvellous is his power.
Glorify the Lord and exalt him as much as you can,
for he surpasses even that.
When you exalt him, summon all your strength,
and do not grow weary, for you cannot praise him enough.(Sirach 43:29-30)

We are told to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise.

It is easy enough to do so, if we will simply choose to see and hear; if we will step outside the small world we have created and enter the universe of God.

To do so we must sacrifice our desire to be in control, opening ourselves to the greater creation of God.

Far beyond our control is astounding beauty, profound goodness, and ultimate truth. But God offers them for our joy.

Gracious God, thanks and praise, honor and glory be to you, now and for evermore.

Sirach 43:1-22

He pours frost over the earth like salt,
and icicles form like pointed thorns.
The cold north wind blows,
and ice freezes on the water;
it settles on every pool of water,
and the water puts it on like a breastplate. (Sirach 43:19-20)

Last night was to be the first frost.

I am not yet sure it happened.

Beneath my warm covers I did not feel the change.

In warmth and comfort it is easy to neglect God.

Discomfort most often arouses my attention.

Sirach 38:24-34

So it is with is the potter sitting at his work
and turning the wheel with his feet;
he is always deeply concerned over his products,
and he produces them in quantity.
He moulds the clay with his arm
and makes it pliable with his feet;
he sets his heart on finishing the glazing,
and he takes care in firing the kiln.
All these rely on their hands,
and all are skilful in their own work...
How different the one who devotes himself
to the study of the law of the Most High! (Sirach 38:29-30,34)

Sirach writes of the difference between craftsmen and those who would be wise.

But wisdom also requires deep concern, real work, heartfelt commitment, and careful attention.

It is the object and outcome that differs much more than the method.