Rev. George Miller
June 12, 2022
Joshua 2:1-14
Today we celebrate the Philippines, a nation with over 7,000 islands, an
expansive biodiversity, and people known as resilient, entrepreneurs, gorgeous,
and always smiling.
Personally, we’ve witnessed via Fe, how the people, especially the women,
love to show their love through food…and they do not take “no” easy.
And thank God, because hospitality and confidence are 2 of the things we
experienced through Jesus Christ.
Today, we claim that the history of the Philippines is the history of the
modern world; that many of us may have ties to the beaches, fruit, and people of
the Philippines even if we don’t know it.
Our story starts way back, in the 4th Century as German tribes
invaded Spain, a land that was composed of people from Greece and Rome.
In 1565, by way of Mexico, Spain invaded the Philippines, establishing a colony
named after their Prince Phillip.
Japan came to the island to export silver and import gold. The Dutch soon arrived; the British invaded.
During the Victorian era, this beautiful land of beaches was seen as a trading
post for the world, then as a place filled with raw materials and goods.
The people of the Philippines prospered with a thriving economy, a true
land of opportunity.
Europeans came to create wealth. The
Suez Canal made it easier to access.
The news of the Latin American wars began to inspire the citizens of this
nation. Folk formed “los hijos del paise”
or “sons of the country.”
A spirit swept through the land; calls for liberty and freedom from Spain
grew.
In 1896 a revolution began. In 1898
the Spanish-American war prevented Spain from defending the Philippines.
On May 19, Filipino revolutionary Emilio Aguinaldo took command, coming
to the islands via a US Nacy Ship. June
12 The Declaration of Independence was signed.
But…by August, America took control of Manila, ending the Spanish
American War. The Paris Peace Treaty was
signed, and the Philippines was sold to the US for $20 million dollars.
It would not be until July 4, 1946, that America withdrew, and the Philippines
experienced a 2nd Independence.
Rome, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Japan, Netherlands, Britain, Europe all had
people and businesses connected with the Philippines. Which means that there is a good chance that every
one of us is in some way is related to me, Diane, Ari, Carnide, Fe and My My.
Talk about being the Family of God.
Talk about how we are all created in God’s image and united as one.
So just like Haiti, the story of the Philippines becomes our story as
well, and how beautiful to realize that we are more connected than we are not.
Which ties into today’s scripture, a story about how the Israelites enter
the Promised Land, and become the people of Israel, helping to answer the question
“Who is a Child Of God?”
To be honest, our reading does deal with the invasion of a land already occupied
by others. Just like Haiti the Philippines,
the Promised Land was not an empty place waiting to be discovered or conquered.
The Promised Land already had homes, families, businesses, farms. We wrestle with how God gave the Israelites
land that belonged to others.
THAT is a conversation for another time.
Today, we focus on one person.
Her name is Rahab.
Like Shiphrah, Judith, and Lydia, Rahab is complex. She has a family, she is a non-Jew, and she
is a prostitute.
And unlike the woman at the well or the enslaved servant girl, she has a
name- Rahab.
The author tells us not just her name, but what she says, does, how she
saves her family, and plays a part in undoing the king.
Rahab is smart, quick witted, and even if she is afraid, she does not
show it.
Look at what Rahab does. Though
she’s a gentile, she shows reverence for the Lord, knowing who God is.
She extends hospitality, provides safety, goes against the king’s orders,
and lies to military.
She strikes a deal, demands an oath, and is the savior to her family.
Rahab is not limited to the book of Joshua- she’s mentioned in Hebrews
and James as examples of faith.
In Matthew’s Gospel, we are told she is King David’s great-great grandma,
making Rahab one of Jesus’ ancestors on Joseph’s side of the family.
Imagine- King David, Israel’s greatest King, was not ethnically,
biologically 100% Jewish. He’s not even 75%!
This means that Jesus and David, like so many of us in America, Cuba,
Haiti, Philippines was not just one ethnicity, or one faith, but a creation of
many.
Which means King David and Jesus were much, much darker than we realize
or see in films.
Today’s scripture is uber-complex with many themes. But today, we explore the question- Who is a
Child of God? What makes someone part of
Heaven’s Family?
Is it ethnicity? This story says “no.”
Is it being the right religion with the right set of dogma? This story says no.
Is it living a puritanically pure lifestyle? No.
Being someone with a culturally approved sex life? No.
As uncomfortable as Joshua’s invasion story is, it invites the question of
who is a Child of God, who belongs in, who is part of the community, who gets
to participate in the life of God’s people?
Today’s story is yet another example of how the Bible is filled with
stories that have always been there.
Stories that feature foreigners. Non-traditional. Women. Outcasts. Political intrigue. Adventure.
Bravery. Courage. Trickery.
Folks of different skin tones. Smart. Savy. Scrupulous.
Stories that have always been there, but often silenced, not discussed,
or easily “forgotten” when someone tries to decide who is in and who is out.
Rahab starts today’s story as an ultimate outsider and ends up as one of
the grandmothers of our faith.
Rahab reminds us that we are more alike than we think. That just like the history of the Philippines,
we are made of more than just one trait, or people.
Rahab reminds us that the Chistian community, like the Philippines, is
made of so many voices, experiences, so many brave, complex, and perfectly imperfect
people, that we are more related than not.
We have more in common than we are led to believe.
Thanks to God’s Resurrection of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit we truly are all ONE, equal, united.
Beautiful to look at. With a place
to feast at the Lord’s Heavenly Table.
For that, we can say “Amen.”
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