Are you sure? (Y/N)

In today’s first reading (Jos. 24:14-29) we have Israel’s great renewal of the covenant at Shechem, beginning with Joshua’s glorious invitation and challenge to the people:

Fear the LORD
and serve him completely and sincerely.
Cast out the gods your fathers served…
and serve the LORD.

If it does not please you to serve the LORD,
decide today whom you will serve,
the gods your fathers served...
or the gods of (those)
in whose country you are dwelling.

As for me and my household,
we will serve the LORD.

The people agree to serve the Lord, but Joshua warns them:

"You may not be able to serve the LORD,
for he is a holy God;
he is a jealous God...

But the people answered Joshua,
"We will still serve the LORD."

Joshua therefore said to the people,
"You are your own witnesses
that you have chosen to serve the LORD."
They replied, "We are, indeed!"

I am absurdly reminded of a question that the old MS-DOS personal computer operating system used to ask: Are you sure? (Y/N)

(The question became so familiar that it became fodder for humor [“If Microsoft built cars… before deploying the airbag in an accident, it would ask, Are you sure? (Y/N)”])

The reality is that you and I are being asked these questions all the time in real life: will you serve the Lord? Are you sure?

All the time we are tempted to fall back on old ways, to serve old gods.

Will you serve the LORD?

Are you sure? (Y/N)

All the time we are tempted to serve the priorities of this world, the gods of those in whose country we dwell.

Will you serve the LORD?

Are you sure? (Y/N)