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Homily for Sunday, June 22, 2008 Readings: Who can blame Jeremiah for being upset with God? Just for doing what God said, he was whipped and placed in public stocks where his fellow Hebrews, the very ones he loved and was trying to save, could spit on him and taunt him. After he gave Pashhur a piece of his mind – or, more accurately, a piece of God’s mind – Jeremiah then had a word with God himself. If the Abingdon Press Interpreter’s Bible informed me correctly, this young prophet was approximately 28 years old at the time of his encounter with Pashhur. Beyond the pain and suffering he had just endured, Jeremiah had obeyed God’s instruction to eschew marriage and children. His own family was fed up with him and rejected him for the most part. This is because he had a difficult assignment: to tell the Hebrews the bad news that Israel would lose its political independence and become a Babylonian province. And that the city of Jerusalem would be burned, including the temple and royal palace, the king would be taken into captivity, and many Jews would be taken into exile. 1 Until Jeremiah was proven right by those events, he was persecuted and mocked and did not have much fun in life. Even after he was proved right, tradition has it that he was stoned to death in Egypt by his exasperated fellow countrymen. 2 Prophets are NOT popular and it’s a really hard thing to be a prophet. Well, that was the Old Testament. Certainly things would improve when the Messiah came, right? God made a new covenant with his people, and surely things would improve for those who obeyed God as faithfully as Jeremiah did, right? Oh boy. Afraid not. To disabuse his apostles of any notions that the Age of Aquarius had arrived – you know – “harmony and understanding: peace, love, flowers, happiness!” as the song from the musical Hair proclaimed- Jesus emphatically tells them it’s not going to be much fun. It was not comfortable for Jeremiah to obey God, it was not going to be comfortable for Jesus, and it was not going to be tons of fun for the Apostles, either. So now I feel like Jeremiah: I have a bummer message to give you: being a Christian, a follower of this long Judeo-Christian tradition, is not guaranteed to be comfortable or fun. Will we be stoned to death? Maybe. Thrown to the Lions? Out of style, but anything’s possible, especially with the de-evolution it sometimes feels like the world is facing. Baring martyrdom, which God does not ask many of us to endure, what other kinds of sacrifices might obeying God require? How hard can we expect it to be? I’m going to venture just a very few ideas - and in the coming week, I invite you all to reflect on this question for yourselves. So, let’s ask this question: What will be required of us to be true Christians? 1st: Our biology sets us up for many forms of selfishness: greediness about getting food, shelter, popularity/power, and toys/baubles seems to be innate. Our tradition asks us to mitigate our biologically based selfishness and to share. We are asked to help our brothers and sisters have the necessities of life. This means feeding, clothing, and many other forms of mission work. This means working for changes in the Geopolitical Sphere so that as a nation we share. We are called to take care of our fellow humans. I could make a case for how doing that ultimately adds to our fun and comfort, but that’s another homily in and of itself, and would make a good letter to Congress. 2nd: Another thing our biology tugs us toward is the need for exploration, innovation, seeking new challenges. This is a part of human nature that God appreciates, I’m sure, but in the young it can lead to thrill seeking and higher than sensible risk tolerance. How can our tradition help us with this? Look how young people drift away from coming to church. Teens and twenty somethings say “It’s boring hearing about all these dead prophets and how does all this stuff help me with my life?” How can we answer them? Something like “Just learn about faith and how to connect with God. One day you will need God, wait and see” is unconvincing. I believe that if we can answer that question “How does all this stuff help me with my life?” for our youth, we would also have the reason to evangelize. If our faith really helps us live better lives, we could not resist sharing it with others, of any age. So our tradition asks us to share our faith, once we have it, certainly with our youth but also with others. Don’t worry, there are many ways of sharing our faith besides door to door canvassing. The best way might be living an exemplary live, one of generosity and peacefulness. 3rd: We need to have humble ears that are willing to listen to prophets and teachers. Not only those of our Bible, but the ones that may be around us every day. Even a child can make an observation that we should listen to. Discerning the truth of any matter takes mental and emotional openness. We have to give up the fun of knowing it all and the comfort of thinking that we do. To back this point, I refer to Bob Francis’ homily of June 1 in which he said “It’s easy to be self-righteous and pat myself on the back for having “God’s politics” (to steal a phrase) but fail to pay much attention to the needs of strangers I encounter each day, not to mention my neighbors, my coworkers, my friends, and even my own family.” The prophets and teachers we need to listen to are all around us. We guide and teach one another. Let’s have humble ears and listen.. 4th and Last on this too short list: Hope. Paul tells us today that sin’s power is broken. Jesus tells us today that God loves us and will save our souls, even when our bodies are killed. We Christians are NOT ALLOWED to be nihilists or even pessimists. For heaven’s sake, we are saved! That means that, despite our circumstances, we should be joyful. At my Grandmother’s house in southern Pennsylvania, one of her inspired friends painted a mural on the wall. It depicted the house flanked by trees with a map showing the route to that place from D.C. And, at the bottom, in scrolling Pennsylvania Dutch script, was the phrase “All this and Heaven Too.” I’m going to circulate that photo now, in the style of Bill Weggener, to engrain the image in your minds. While the photo is circulating, let’s just sit in God’s sweet silence. When it gets back to me, I’ll finish. (Circulate photo. When it returns:) AMEN 1. The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 5, pg 777-778, Abingdon Press Jeremiah 20: 7 – 13 (with verses above it added to give context) Jeremiah returned from Topheth where he had delivered this message, and he stopped in front of the temple of the Lord. He said to the people there: “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will bring disaster upon this city and its surrounding towns just as I promised because you have stubbornly refused to listen to me.’ Now Pashhur son of Immer, the priest in charge of the Temple of the Lord, heard what Jeremiah was saying. So he arrested Jeremiah the prophet and had him whipped and put in stocks at the Benjamin Gate of the Lord’s temple. The next day, when Pashhur finally released him, Jeremiah said: “Pashhur, the Lord has changed your name. From now on you are to be called “The man who lives in Terror.” For this is what the Lord says: I will send terror upon you and all our friends, and you will watch as they are slaughtered by the swords of the enemy. I will hand the people of Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will take them captive to Babylon or run them through with the sword. And I will let your enemies plunder Jerusalem. All the famed treasurers of the city – the precious jewels and gold and silver of your kings – will be carried off to Babylon. As for you, Pashhur, you and all your household will go as captives to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you promised everything would be all right.” Later, Jeremiah presented this complaint to God: “O Lord, you persuaded me, and I allowed myself to be persuaded. You are stronger than I am, and you overpowered me. Now I am mocked by everyone in the city. Wherever I speak, the words come out in a violent outburst. ‘Violence and destruction’ I shout. So these messages from the Lord have made me a household joke. And I can’t stop! If I say I’ll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am weary of holding it in! I have heard the many rumors about me. They call me ‘The Man who Lives in Terror.’ And they say ‘If you say anything, we will report it.” Even my old friends are watching me, waiting for a fatal slip. ‘He will trap himself’ they say ‘and then we will get our revenge on him.’ But the Lord stands before me like a great warrior. Before him they will stumble. They cannot defeat me. They will be ashamed and thoroughly humiliated. Their dishonor will never be forgotten. Oh Lord Almighty, you know those who are righteous, and you examine the deepest thoughts of hearts and minds. Let me see your vengeance against them, for I have committed my cause to you. Now I will sing out my thanks to the Lord! Praise the Lord for though I was poor and needy, he delivered me from my oppressors.” Psalm 69: 7 – 10 (women please read) 16 – 18 (men please read)
Women: 8 Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me, They treat me like a stranger. 9 Passion for your house burns within me, So those who insult you are also insulting me. 10 When I weep and fast before the Lord, They scoff at me. Men: 16 Answer my prayers, oh Lord, For your unfailing love is wonderful. Turn and take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful 17 Don’t hide from your servant, answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble! 18 Come and rescue me, Free me from all my enemies.
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