PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

July 25, 2021

THE BONES OF JOSEPH

The scripture lesson, Exodus 13:17-22, that the pastor of the church I attend used as the basis for her sermon on July 11^th brought memories of a sermon I heard many years ago. At a gathering of United Methodist Ministers the preacher focused specifically on verse 19: “And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph who had required a solemn oath of the Israelites, saying ‘God will surely take notice of you, and then you must carry my bones with you from here.’”

In graphic detail he described how for forty years Moses had to look upon the bones of Joseph.  Very likely they had been placed in an appropriate container and were transported with great solemnity.  Every day Moses was reminded of the place Joseph had in the story of the Israelites.  The whole of the Exodus was overshowed by the aura of Joseph. His every action and decision was measured against the people’s idealized picture of Joseph.  Unfortunately, Moses never seemed to measure up.  Somehow he always fell short.

The preacher then went on to point out that all of us very likely had found ourselves in Moses’ situation.  A former church might have had a pastor who had attained the status of a saint who could do no wrong.  It was against him that all future ministers were judged and who always fell short no matter what they did or tried.  The whole church was dominated by the aura of the shadow of the former pastor.

There is a chance that all of us at some point in our lives have had to deal with the aura of a person out of the past who dominates the present.  It could be a parent or grandparent, uncle or aunt.  It could be someone who held a position that we now hold.  It could be a former member of an organization to which we belong.  Everywhere we looked and everything we did we could catch a glimpse of our predicator.   Not matter what we might do it would never be good enough.

I was fortunate to have a wise district superintendent when I was a young pastor.  He was a valued source of practical advice.  I can still remember him telling me when I had called to complain about how things were going at the church I was serving, “It ain’t right, but it is true.”  It ain’t right that we should be judged against an idealized person from the past, but never-the-less it happens.  If we want to move forward, we are just going to have to deal with it.

A place to begin to deal with the “giant” from the past is to discover why he or she is held in such high regard?  What important place do they play in the history and tradition of the institution or group and what values, characteristics or qualities do they represent?  It may be that there are people who had a close personal relationship with the “giant” and still grieve their leaving.

Rather than being antagonistic about the place of the “giant,” embrace the person and give them their due.  Realize that you can never replace them, but you do not have to actively compete against them.  Let them be a reminder of the past and the part they place in shaping the present and how they inform the future.