It is the end of the very long journey … after forty some years of being lost the people of Israel are finally going to step into the Jordan River and cross over to the promised land, the land flowing with milk and honey. Moses and the elders of the tribes have gathered to set the parameters of this crossing over – how land will be divided, the rules of community, the ordering of religious life, and so on. Most important is the naming of Moses' successor, for God has told him he will not make the journey across the Jordan River. Joshua is named and has begun to take on that role. In the midst of all the weighty matters before Moses and the tribal elders we find the story of Zelophehad and his daughters:

Then the daughters of Zelophehad came forward … They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and they said, "Our father died in the wilderness; he was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin; and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son?"

In many respects this is a remarkable story. Imagine the consternation these five women caused in their community … the risk they took in approaching the tent of meeting. Women had no place or business at the tent of meeting and risked severe punishment for being there. Yet the daughters of Zelophehad had an issue of important to them, they took the risk. The story is remarkable also in that the daughters are named: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. Names in the days of these girls were carefully chosen, overflowing with meaning. Even today we name our children in honor of family members, or people that were important to us. Sometimes the meaning of the name is taken into consideration. This morning we named two children in baptism. I don't know their naming stories, but I did a bit of searching on the meaning of their names. The name Andrew has its roots in the Greek, and means strong and manly. Ryan's roots are Gaelic and mean king. Back to our five daughters whose names would have told their community the hopes and dreams their parents had for them at their birth, something of their character, and something also of their lineage. The names of all five girls end in the contraction ah, a contraction of the Hebrew name for God – Jehovah … so we know their parents considered them the children of God. Individually their names tell a story perhaps of the wilderness journeying: Mahlah, to be weak, grieved, sore and tired; Noah, a restless wanderer; Hoglah, feasting; Milcah, queen; and Tirzah, delighted and pleased.

Carefully named and loved and nurtured and taught by their parents, these five woman boldly approach the tent of meeting to petition Moses and the elders. It is not fair they argue that our family name dies in the wilderness just because our father left no males to inherit … we should be given land to continue his name. Moses ignores the indignation of the tribal elders and brings the women's request directly to God, who tells Moses that the daughters are right. And, amazingly, the property inheritance laws are altered to take into consideration the situation of these five daughters, and others who follow them.

These five women are examples to us. We might want to jump right in and see this as a story about women's rights and feminism. Indeed, this story brings much to bear in this area. I admire greatly the daring and audacity of these women who took great risk in their actions. But to see it only from that perspective is to miss the claim it has in a broader sense. These women teach us about how we are to "be" in the world as God's sons and daughters. Remember each of their names contains the contraction for a name of God. Their names are a constant reminder that they are children of God. All through their wilderness journey the people of Israel struggled with issues of leadership and faith and doubt … but one thing they knew was they were God's people. Mahlah, and Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah do not forget whose they are … and that identity gives them the courage and daring to approach the Moses and the elders with the injustice that will be done to them. In inheriting property, their identity as children of God will be proclaimed and recorded in history.

We gather this morning with these women as our example. And who knows how they might have influenced the story of Jesus, who surely would have known about them. His living is certainly in keeping with their example. The names of these five women remind me of life's journeys … of how often life parallels the wilderness journeying of the Israelites … and woven into the seasons of living are times of grieving and aching tiredness; restless wanderings; feasting; royal stature; and times of delight. The seasons of our lives are found in the naming of these daughters of God.

In their brave example we are sent out to confront the times and places where people are in danger of losing identity; or to those who have no place in society. We may wonder what can we do … can anything really make a difference? Two examples remind me that it is possible. The first comes from a book I read this week in preparing for this sermon. "The author writes of a woman named Julie who had a crazy vision of dept cancellation for her city. She rallied the churches together in her town and they raised enough money to pay off the debts of some of the poorest people in Fremantle, located in Western Australia. For one week, water bills, gas bills, rent and electricity were paid, those facing eviction from their homes were told their debts had been paid in full, and yet others were given free hot dogs, water bottles and car washes. This very tangible demonstration of the love of Christ was well registered by utilities boards, the mayor and the media." (Desert to Destiny, p. 186, Wendy Yapp) Several years ago, I met a woman who became a champion for the immigrant community in her area. Her qualification to do this work? She is a hairdresser! But she felt the need of a community who had no voice to speak for them and got to work.

With Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah we are sent forth to change the world. We go with nothing more and nothing less than the saving love of God which names and claims us and gives us the power to confront injustice, give a home to those without place, and to create the vision of the world given in our Biblical mandates.

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