By Pastor Pam Seebach
Harmony, Mabel, and Newburg United Methodist Churches
When I was young, I was a Brownie, then a Girl Scout. When my son was young, he joined the Cub Scouts. Good programs, introducing young people to skills and thoughts they might never have encountered before! Both the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts have a code which they memorize and recite (you can find the codes and lots more information on their websites!) and the codes or promises are remarkably similar. The girls promise: “On my honor, I will try: to serve God and my country, to help people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law.” The boys promise: “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally aware, and morally straight.”
As a pastor, I find it hopeful that after all these years, serving God is still first on the list of things we ask young people to promise to do. (The Girl Scout web page allows for the Scout to substitute the name of their deity in the event that God does not fit in their spiritual beliefs.) Serving their country is the second thing the young people promise to do. We live in a time of political tension and strife, when serving (or protecting) oneself often seems to outweigh any other concerns. Perhaps we could all turn back our internal clocks for a while and find those promises again: I promise to serve God and my country. One important opportunity to serve your country is coming up in just a few short weeks! You will have the opportunity to vote for our next slate of political leaders. You can register to vote here: https://mnvotes.sos.mn.gov/voterregistration/index. Register, then VOTE!
Serving God also is a choice and can be carried out in myriad ways. Joshua took over leading the Israelites after Moses died just short of reaching the Promised Land. The people were backsliding into worshiping idols and other gods. Joshua knew he couldn’t force them to believe in and serve the One God, so he wisely presented them with the choice: “So now, revere the Lord. Serve him honestly and faithfully. Put aside the gods that your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt and serve the Lord. But if it seems wrong in your opinion to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Choose the gods whom your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But my family and I will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14-15, Common English Bible) Joshua asked the Israelites to give up their old ways, the false gods, and the weak fear of an invisible but all-powerful God, and to put their trust in this God who had led them out of slavery and to their new life and new land.
Living in the present age, we have the same choice: do we serve the God of love who sent us Jesus, or do we serve the gods of money, power, and self-gratification? If we choose to serve God, how do we do that? Jesus, God’s Son, told a story to a crowd of curious people gathered around him, explaining this issue. He related that at the end of time, the Son of Man will come to judge the people. To one group He will say, “I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.” The people didn’t remember doing those things, but Jesus explained, “I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.” (Matthew 25:34-40, CEB) The other group had not done kind and merciful things for the needy, so they were sent away. Those are some of the ways by which we, also, can serve God.
Like many powerful people, or organizations, the Boy and Girl Scouts have come under fire for many reasons in recent years. However, I see a lot of good in their basic code: trying to serve God and country, and helping other people all the time, would move us – individually and as a country – in the direction of being a more kind and loving society. We can take a lesson from our children! Whom will YOU serve? (and don’t forget to vote!)
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