Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

           Text: Numbers 13:30

Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dear Friends in Christ Jesus:

           From the Bible stories that were read to you as children and from your Sunday School lessons, most of you have heard of Moses. Quite probably you can recall Joshua. But we don’t hear much about Caleb, the companion of Moses and Joshua. So today, it’s good for us to recall Caleb – because he proclaimed one of the earliest call to action sermons on record. Caleb’s sermon is appropriate for us today, as we resolve to unite around our Lord and His Church – once again to renew our efforts to reach out to people with the Word of God.

Caleb’s sermon is short and simple. It is written – “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’” The first thing we note in Caleb’s call to action is the challenge that he presented to ancient Israel – and also to us.

           You’ll recall how God through Moses delivered the people of Israel from a life of slavery in Egypt to one of freedom. He promised to lead these people to the Promised Land, Canaan – “a land flowing with milk and honey.” And God kept His promise. After leading them for a year or two, the Lord brought His people to the southern boundary of the land He had promised them. He now urged the people of Israel to enter and to occupy this land for themselves and for their children.

           To prepare themselves for taking over this land, the Israelites sent 12 spies, one from each tribe in Israel, to get a lay of the land. They were to seek information about the strength and number of its inhabitants, the fertility and productivity of the soil, the fortifications of the cities, the culture of the people, and other useful information.

           Upon their return, the spies reported that the Lord had indeed told them the truth – Canaan was certainly a land flowing with milk and honey. But they also had discouraging words – “But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.” To these fearful spies, the inhabitants were giants. Having heard the report of the 10 false spies, the people of Israel lost heart and wanted to return to Egypt. In this situation of despair, Caleb silenced the commotion and picked up God’s people with the stirring words – “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

           Our situation today is quite similar to that of Israel.  The Lord has done great things for us. In His time, the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to keep His law for us and to endure the punishment for our sins. He did this to deliver us from the slavery of sin and death – and to bring us into the promised land of His kingdom. God has called us to be His people and has given us the high dignity of being His representatives. As such, we’re to share with all people the glorious message of salvation through Jesus Christ. Our God has placed us here to teach God’s people – what it means to be a Christian and to equip one another to live as His representatives in the world. We also seek to reach out to all people in our community who don’t know the salvation Christ has won for them – and share that saving message with them.

           But we too must face great obstacles that try to discourage us. The world itself lies in the power of Satan. By nature, all people prefer to serve evil – rather than God. People dismiss goodness and righteousness as – “that sissy church stuff”. Those who seek to serve God by loving their fellow human beings are often ridiculed as being pushovers. Just because the world is in the power of the devil – it rejects those who would speak for God and walk in His ways.

           The spirit of our times is set against the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our generation has been called “the now generation” or “the me generation”. People aren’t interested in the future, especially in eternity. So many are concerned only about themselves. They don’t want to hear that they’re responsible to God for the way they live. They want to feel that they’re just fine the way they are. They don’t want to be reminded that by nature they’re under God’s judgment and are in need of a Savior. Blinding themselves to their responsibility to God, people by-and-large don’t want to be told that God expects them to serve Him – by accepting responsibility for their fellow human beings everywhere. They indeed want to live only for themselves.

           And then there are the many people baptized in our churches who did go to Church for a while. It’s discouraging to note how many people have given up God and the Church for the world and its ways. Never before in the history of our nation has there been such widespread apostasy as during the past 30 years. For example, and this is typical of most Christian denominations, of all children baptized in our church body during the past 30 years, less than half are still going to church. More than 40 percent of the infants baptized in our congregations are never confirmed. As we observe such widespread rejection of the Gospel, we can easily become discouraged and lose heart.

           To stir up our enthusiasm and gather us together to meet the great challenges of today’s world, Caleb would say to us as he did to God’s people long ago – “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

           The second thing we hear in Caleb’s sermon is its note of confidence – “for we can certainly do it.” What was it that made Caleb so confident? He knew that it was the Lord who had brought the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. He had observed the Lord’s many miracles through which He had provided for the needs of His people. He had heard the Lord’s command to enter the Promised Land – and he believed God’s promise that He would go with them and bless them.

           We too have good reasons for being confident as we rally together to work with the Lord. We have God’s command – “Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.”

           As we proclaim the Word of the Lord, we’re never alone. God is with us as we teach His Word – to awaken and sustain faith and to empower us to live as He would have us live. We can also be confident because God gives us people with talents sufficient for our task. We may not always realize this – we may complain that it’s difficult to find people willing to work and to help. But we have been given these people nevertheless. So, on this day, we face the future of with confidence, as we say with Caleb – “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

           The third point we note in Caleb’s call to action is his sense of urgency. Caleb recognized that now was God’s time for His people to occupy the Promised Land. Should they pass up the opportunity this time – who knew when they would have that chance again? Caleb was right in being urgent. However, the people of Israel rejected his challenge and refused to enter Canaan. As a result, the 10 false spies died from a plague, and all Israelites 20 years of age and older – were condemned to wander 40 years in the wilderness without ever reaching their destination. Finally, having realized the consequences of their refusal, the people of Israel changed their minds and offered to enter Canaan after all. But then it was too late. Moses told the people that through their unbelief – they had forfeited God’s promise to go with them. God’s opportunity for them had come and gone – now, it was too late.

           With the same sense of urgency, Caleb would urge us today to gather together and meet our opportunities and responsibilities now. Tomorrow, next year, may be too late. Are all of us making use of today’s opportunities to hear and study the Word of God? Are we sharing our talents to further the proclamation of the Word? Are we reaching out to the unchurched people in our community? Are we making use of every opportunity to grow in our Christian faith and life – and to share the Gospel of the Savior with others. As St. Paul wrote – “As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” As we look at our opportunities and review our trust in God’s promises – “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.