Sermon On The Pothole Experience

Drew Barrymore, an American actress once remarked: “Oh, I would love to be a motivational speaker. I have pulled myself out of a million potholes, and I can see the potholes ahead of me. That doesn't mean that I could always do that so perfectly for my own life. I totally fall in potholes.” Psalm 23:4 reminds us: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

The metaphorical "pothole experience” is considered as the unforeseen obstacles, setbacks, and difficult challenges that may jolt or derail a person's journey in life, similar to how actual potholes disrupt a smooth road. They represent the sudden pitfalls of life. Potholes can include personal struggles, unexpected events, relationship difficulties, or failures that could seemingly knock one off their perch, or cause deviation from an intended path, requiring them to stop, assess, and find another way to keep moving forward. They are a constant reminder that the lustrous surface of life is never guaranteed or burnished and should be avoided wherever possible to prevent possible damage or heartache.

Its composition is of constant unevenness because of unpredictable external factors, internal complexity, the natural process of change and the evolutionary drive to survive and reproduce, favoring the preference to feel pain and face hardship over predictable comfort and ease. These differing forces ensure that life involves a balance of good and bad, joy and sorrow, constant difficulties and other protrusions that shape everyone, rather than a monotonous, unchangeable state. God's comfort can provide strength and solace during life's struggles, not the removal of them. A life aligned with faith may involve trials and challenges, as true comfort is found in God's ever-present, strengthening companionship amidst affliction, and the hope of eternal joy, rather than in a life devoid of all skirmishes.

After Moses' death, Joshua led the Israelites in their conquest of Canaan. The first city they faced was Jericho, which was surrounded by massive walls. God commanded Joshua and his army to march around the city once a day for six days. On the seventh day, they were to circle it seven times. Priests blew trumpets made from ram's horns as the army marched. On the seventh circuit on the seventh day, the priests gave a final blast, the people shouted, and the walls of Jericho miraculously collapsed. The Israelites stormed the city, and killed every man and woman, the young and the old, as well as the oxen, sheep, and donkeys. Only Rahab, her parents, brothers and all "those who belonged to her" were spared. Joshua 6:8-21 reminds us: “And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.

Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days. On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.