But I've Got Some Very Good Reasons...

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 2:4-13 (NRSV)

The sheer scope of history in examining the prophet Jeremiah boggles my mind.  When I think about the time frame, we know that he is preaching to a specific moment in history - likely here at the end of the 7th century BCE.  This is a little over 600 years before the birth of Jesus.  

The southern kingdom of Judah was facing a threat from the Babylonian empire.  Unfortunately for God's people, they occupied land that was the preferred route between Egypt and Mesopotamia.  While this might allow for prosperous trade to flourish during certain points in Israelite history, the land often becomes coveted by whichever larger nation or empire becomes greedy for expansion.

In today's reading, we see Jeremiah berate his people for turning away from God.

This seems to be a common theme with humanity and it still rings true all of these centuries later.  While in Jeremiah's day, there were tempting idols from other exotic cultures to worship.  We may scoff at them out of our own sense of superior knowledge.  We know as in verse 11 that idols "are no gods" and our temptation is not to worship anything else.

We might want to belay our scorn for a moment.  

While we aren't tempted after literal alternate deity worship, there are many things that capture our attention, time and resources.  

Many people today are looking for meaning in life.  We seek it out in many ways.  It may be similar to the journey of the person looking for themselves only to find their identity after they return home.  

Sometimes we seek what is not ours

to our eventual detriment!

The largest idol that we have ever worshipped is the self.  We elevate our own desires above the will of God and then we remake God into our image so that our will coincides perfectly with God's will.

Giving in to the self will not refresh or quench our souls.  It is not living water.  Rather, we find that it is more like a cracked cistern that leaks.  We may find that we are empty more often than not.

These are difficult words to hear and they would have been no easier for Jeremiah's original audience all of those years ago.  Self-examination is never easy but it may be profitable if we are willing to pursue it in earnest.

If you have come this far, maybe you'll come a little farther.  We'll explore this more in depth on Sunday.  I know it is Labor Day weekend here in the United States, and so if you can't be here in person, join us online for worship!

In Christ,

Sam

Photo by mliu92 via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

Is Respect a Right or a Benefit?

Lectionary Reading: Jeremiah 1:4-10 (NRSV)

Jeremiah is called at a very young age.  He is worried that he will not be taken seriously.

I know how he feels.

When I started out as a pastor, I grew a beard before taking my first appointment.  After being there for a while, I shaved it off.  One of our parishioners smiled at me and exclaimed, "Oh, you look just like a little boy!"

I heard lots of comments from people I met outside of our church along the lines of "You're too young to be a pastor."

It may be that they believed that old pastors were just hatched and came out of the egg with wrinkles, grey hair and life experience!

It has been my experience in life (and my guess is that this is your experience too) that some people have automatically afforded me respect and others have waited until I proved myself.

There are many in the world with the attitude, "You've got to earn my respect."

This is likely the world in which Jeremiah lived and the reason for his trepidation.  Who is going to listen to me?

I understand the view of earning respect and have done things to prove myself in the eyes of others so that my voice will be heard.  After all, a preacher that no one pays attention to is doing a lot of preparation for nothing!

But as I think about this idea of earned respect, it makes me realize that we may often be telling the world that I will disrespect you until you deserve otherwise.

Both donning and removing your

hat is a sign of respect depending

on your culture!

This is not a healthy way for us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

As I mentioned that I have experienced those that have given respect and those from whom I had to earn it, I can tell you with which I prefer to deal!

Respect for others should be a fundamental thing that is our starting place.  What if we adopted the attitude that people are to be respected until they prove otherwise?  And even then, it may be that we disrespect behavior rather than people.

One argument for earned respect is that it sharpens us.  Would I have been as effective if I didn't have to prove myself?  This may be important for positions of authority that don't have prior certifications.  Leadership is often this way in that we want to follow someone who is going to be effective.

So while I may reserve judgment on a leader based on his or her ability and track record, I will still fundamentally respect them as a person.  This means allowing them a voice until they do or say something that would be harmful to those they encounter.  Fortunately, I live in a country that is set up to allow the people being governed to have a voice through our representative democracy.  This country fundamentally respects its citizens through the Bill of Rights.

This philosophy was not shaped in a vacuum and comes out of the Christian idea that all people are deserving of respect and love simply because they exist.  As I mentioned, our behavior is not always to be commended but we continue to respect human beings.  This is why we treat prisoners humanely.

So as we explore this passage from Jeremiah, we'll discover that the message God gives him to relate is not one that will be popular or well-received.  No wonder he was nervous!  Are you sure you want me to do this God?  I hope you'll join us for worship as we reflect upon Jeremiah's call story together!

In Christ,

Sam


Photo by Aaron Tait via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

Jesus Christ, Prince of Division??

Lectionary Scripture: Luke 12:49-56 (NRSV)

What was your family like growing up?  Did you experience an easy childhood where everyone got along with one another?  Or was it more difficult?  Was there a lot of conflict and chaos?

Likely it was somewhere in the middle.

Family systems operate on cycles.  They achieve a type of balance (theorists call this homeostasis) that may or may not be healthy.  Sometimes there are larger family gatherings that upset the applecart.  Old systems that have been escaped through family members moving out or moving away sometimes rear their ugly heads and you have heated arguments arise.

I've heard people tell me as a pastor, "I'm never going back to Thanksgiving dinner as long as it's at so-and-so's house."  I've also heard of people cutting off their relatives from communication because their relationship is unhealthy or emotionally abusive.  Yet at the same time we mourn the loss of contact with people with whom we've grown up.  We may even feel somewhat guilty about making a specific stand with relatives even if we believe it is for the best.

I grew up in a home that included a family business when I was a teenager.  All of us worked the business - both parents, my older siblings and me.  Money was tight and the stress of making ends meet was always present.  Harsh words were often spoken between my father and brother on a cyclical basis.  I often felt the need to play peacemaker between them.  The words said in anger did not help relieve the stress all of us felt.  Eventually, they would make up and we would continue to work together.  This lasted for years until my parents retired.

Who is the witness to how we disagree?

When I received my psychological evaluation as a part of my preparation for ministry (all candidates go through this!), I was labeled as a peacemaker as a large part of my identity.

So when I read today's text, I am at a loss.  It doesn't sound like what Jesus would say!  We more readily identify Jesus as the Prince of Peace rather than a cause of division.  When we identify Jesus with service and love, our reading for Sunday seems to run contrary to those characteristics.

Before preaching my last sermon, I mentioned that our scripture was a part of the genre of eschatology or end times theology.  We see that continue in this reading.  Luke in particular relayed the words and deeds of Jesus in an orderly fashion to share specific theological points.  Luke wrote these things in the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome which directly affected the leadership within the early church.

In a way, I believe that Luke is trying to normalize the stress and conditions that the early church would have been under.  The violence and upheaval that they experienced were seen in the light of the Gospel as something to be expected.

This may actually be comforting when we are going through difficulty.  If we experience family conflict and then find out that most families go through this, it can actually help relieve the stress we are under.

We do know that our relationship with Jesus when taken seriously changes our lives.  We also know that changes are disrupting to the balance and patterns we already regularly experience.  So in a very legitimate way, Jesus does cause division for those who would like for us to remain unchanged!

This Sunday, we will explore this passage further in worship.  As I read it again, my first instinct was to say "let's choose an easier passage to work with!"  But I find that the greater fruit may lie with tackling the tougher scriptures.  Luke included these for our benefit after all!  I hope you'll join us as we discover what that may be!

In Christ,

Sam


Photo by Thomas Halfmann via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

Jesus is Coming! Look Busy!

Lectionary Reading: Luke 12:32-40 (NRSV)

The difficulty of end times theology is that it creates an anxiety over the need for change.  There is an expectation that with the return of Jesus there will be a system reset and this life will be over.

This may work for people who are suffering or facing a difficult future. 

But for the average person, this may not be the case.  When a loved one dies, we grieve at the loss of life even if we believe that the person went to heaven.  We grieve our loss of time with them.  We grieve the future that we had planned that will no longer be possible.  

The sense of always being "ready"

may bring more anxiety than peace!

When we think about Jesus returning and disrupting our lives, there is some natural anxiety over the loss of our plans and dreams.  Then there may be some guilt over the fact that we know that we are supposed to really be happy about Jesus returning!

So this passage for Sunday has some baggage attached to it if we are honest with ourselves.

I have come to believe that our ideas about the return of Jesus may not be as literal as we have interpreted them.  If we are to interpret them literally, what does this do for the generations of Christians that preceded us?  If the end times will occur in a moment in history (and preachers always seem to predict that it will not only be within our lifetime but very soon), then it means that the book of Revelation is only relevant for the particular generation in which these predictions will occur.  Did all of the Christians who came before us waste their time in reading it?

I don’t think so.

So maybe we need to interpret this week’s reading differently.

What if the return of Jesus is more akin to how we treat the least of these as featured in Matthew 25?  Certainly, we encounter the least of these unexpectedly.  Most of us do not calendar encounters with the outsiders among us.  Could these encounters be life-changing? 

They can certainly be life-challenging.

They may also cause us to question the living of our lives as we know it.

As far as our peace of mind goes, I’m not sure this interpretation is any easier!  In fact, if it is all about a more literal encounter with Jesus, then at least I’m off the hook if he doesn’t show!  But maybe he’s been hanging around for longer than I’ve thought.

I look forward to being back from vacation and preaching on this passage this Sunday as we explore it together!

In Christ,

Sam

Photo by Olivier Deveault via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.