Live- Sermon on Jeremiah 29:4-14

 

Rev. George Miller

November 28, 2021

Jeremiah 29:4-14

 

Imagine if you will, that 3,000 years from now there will be a New New Testament added to the Bible.

 

It would contain books about the Crusades, the Holocaust, and COVID.

 

Imagine theologians 3,000 years in the future will attempt to put these events under the lens of theology, a God who cares about justice and kindness, who gets upset when AGAPE love is denied.

 

How would a New New Testament describe historical events, God, and our handling of COVID?

 

Imagine, 3,000 years from now there was a prophet named Judy Jetson, flying around in a sky machine, with her assistant Rosey the Robot.

 

Her task is to take the events of COVID 19 and write about them in a biblical way.

 

What would Judy Jetson say about America circa 2020-21?

 

Perhaps she would start her New New Testament Book by writing  “Behold in the land of USA, surrounded by two seas, lived a people who descended from 13 ancient tribes with names like Virginia and Vermont.”

 

“God looked upon the people and wondered ‘Why do I see half a million people homeless?  Why are 37 million people in poverty while the rich hold great banquets?  Why are 2 million people behind bars?’ 

 

‘Have my commandments not been clear?  Didn’t my Son remind them of what to do?’”

 

Imagine, Judy Jetson continues her prophetic writing.

 

“Behold, in the year of Avengers-END Game, a plague spread across USA.  A plague spread by breath and people crammed into close quarters.”

 

“God spoke to the people through doctors and nurses, science and research, saying-

 

‘Heed my commands- wear a mask, wash your hands, avoid unclean gatherings, maintain a 6-foot distance, and go to CVS for a vaccine which I am freely giving to you.”

 

“But the people did not listen.  The people refused to wash their hands.  They refused to avoid large gatherings.  They refused to mask.  They refused to heed the words of the prophets and medical experts God had sent.”

 

“So the people suffered.  The plague spread across the land.  45 million people came down with the disease.”

 

“Still, the people did not obey the commands they were given to have abundant life.  750,000 died- women, grandparents, children, police.”

 

Imagine 3,000 years from now this is the story read on a Sunday in some futuristic church with people shaking their head, saying-

 

“Why didn’t those USArilites listen to Judy?  Why didn’t they listen to God?  We would never be that unfaithful.”

 

Imagine.

 

That’s exactly what we are doing today, as we read the words of the Prophet Jeremiah, trying to make sense of a culture, a time, a historical crisis we could never fully understand.

 

But we can try.

 

Jeremiah is writing to a group of people who have undergone great suffering.  He’s telling them the hard truth while also giving them a reason to have hope and hold on.

 

Here is the story of what’s happened 3,000 ago in the land of Judah-

 

The people had forgotten that they were Citizens of Heaven.  They had forgotten how to take Sabbath.

 

Instead of following God’s teachings, they took the ideas they liked best from here and there.

 

Instead of valuing community, the land, and being part of something bigger than themselves, they became all about me, Me, ME.

 

All while the land, the widowed, the orphan, and the immigrant perished. 

 

This made the people vulnerable.  An enemy from another nation came in, attacked their Temple, their homes, and destroyed their businesses

 

Then the enemy carried them to a place called Babylon, 550 miles away.

 

There the Children of God suffered greatly.  They had no place to worship.  They were mocked for their beliefs.   

 

The people were in great despair, waiting to go back to their native land.

 

So they gave up hope.

 

They were depressed.  They became targets to false prophets who told them “Don’t worry- in 2 years this will all be over, and just like that, it will disappear, you’ll go back home, and things will be exactly as they were.”

 

But Jeremiah knew different.  He read the signs and paid attention to the political climate.  He knew the people were going to be in Babylon for their entire lifetime.

 

Under the direction of God, filled with the AGAPE Love of a Heavenly Father who carries their children, Jeremiah knew the best thing he could do is to tell the people the truth.

 

So he did.

 

By telling the truth, he empowered the Children of God to move from grief into acceptance, from darkness into some kind of light.

 

And with the gift of acceptance, he also gave them hope.

 

What did Jeremiah tell the people?  

 

He says “Listen, beloved- we are in a horrible situation.  Despite what others tell you, and despite what you want to believe, this is going to be our way of living for the rest of our life.”

 

“So instead of denying it and fighting amongst ourselves, accept this reality and live the best possible life you can.”

 

Jeremiah tells the people who are living 600 miles away from Jerusalem-

 

“This is your new residence.  So build yourself a house and turn it into a home.   Hang pictures on the wall; plant a garden with beautiful flowers.”

 

“Care for your property, prune your trees, feed the birds, grow fresh food that will nourish your body.”

 

To a group of despondent, depressed people, Jeremiah says “This may not be where you want to be, but this is where you are.”

 

“So do your best.  Become part of the city; get to know your neighbors.”

 

“The more you bless this community, the more it will bless you back and bring you a sense of peace.”

 

To those who think there is no future, Jeremiah says “Make love and have babies.  Let your daughters and sons get married.  Fill your homes with the cooing and crying of grandchildren.”

 

“Live,” is what Jeremiah says to the people.  “Live your best possible life.”

 

“When others tell you this will be over soon, don’t believe them.  But believe this- the Lord does have a plan.”

 

To the people, he says “God is not asleep.  God knows exactly here you are.  When you speak to God, God will hear.  When you seek, God will find you.  When you turn your heart to God, God will bless you in ways you can’t imagine.”

 

“Live” is what Jeremiah says.

 

Live.  Perhaps there is no greater word we can hear today.

 

We know that so many of you are not existing the way you want to.

 

We know some have had to move out of your homes, either to assisted living, or back up north.

 

And it is hard; it is not easy.  We’re not denying that.  But God says “Live.”  In the space you are in, make it the most beautiful space possible, and live.

 

We know some of you are undergoing serious health issues in which you are stuck at home or in rehab. 

 

God says “Live.”  In the space you are in, welcome the help of others, do your exercises, get your rest, and live.

 

We know many of us are so, so far away from where you were born and our families of birth, and holidays only make that distance worse.

 

But God says “Live.”  Reach out to a neighbor.  Treat yourself to a meal.  Volunteer. 

 

We know for many of us, this is a holiday season in which it feels like death has kidnapped our loved ones away- our Mom, our spouse, our child, our best friend, our dog or cat.

 

But God says “Live.”  Hold onto their memory and recall their stories, and when you cry, I will be beside you.

 

For all of us living in a time of COVID, in which parties, parades, travel, banquets, worship, in store shopping is not a reality, God says “Live.”

 

“Search me out and you will find I am there.  Give me your heart, and I will enfold you with my AGAPE Love.”

 

Friends- we as a nation are still in the thick of it.  Most likely things in our lifetime will never, ever go back to how they were.

 

But it does not mean we lose hope.  It does not mean we give in.  It does not mean we victimize or punish ourselves.

 

It means we grieve, we mourn, we acknowledge, we accept, we move on.

 

And we live.

 

As Children of God, we live.

 

As Citizens of Heaven, we live.

 

As Sisters and Brothers in Christ, we live.

 

As bearers of God’s AGAPE love, we live.

 

For that, we say “Amen.” 

Cultural Traditionalists- Story, Family, Community Matter- Amos

 

Rev. George Miller

Nov 14, 2021

Amos 1:1-2, 5:14-14, 24

 

A few months ago, thanks to the watchful eye and listening ear of Rev. Vertigan, the Florida Conference paid for me to attend the Rural Ministry meeting that took place in Iowa.

 

It was an affirming experience- being with pastors who understood what it’s like to serve places where pastures of cows and groves of trees line the road.

 

Absent was the big-city crassness of over-read folk telling us that we must care for x, y, and z.  It was WE who talked about what mattered when you are the shepherd of a place where-

 

-Aging takes place

-Beauty Queens matter

-You actually know the store owner, the cashier, the other customer

 

A highlight of the Rural Conference was guest speaker Tex Sample; couldn’t be any more country!

 

Tex taught that in rural communities, no one’s really republican or democrat; they are Cultural Traditionalists.

 

Cultural Traditionalists are folk in which family, neighbor, and what is best for their community comes first.

 

In business, a Cultural Traditionalist cares about free enterprise, but the family unit is numero uno.  They appreciate fair competition, but cooperation is king.

 

A Cultural Traditionalist asks “What is best for the family?”, not “What is best for me?”

 

In a Cultural Traditionalist town, men are accountable to their family and community, and… STORIES MATTER.

 

Folks in rural towns could care less about talking points and graphs; what they care about is the story attached to the thing you want them to care about.

 

Issues about the environment, equality- they’re best addressed through personal stories that show why they matter, framed within the context of family.

 

As Tax taught “Never miss an opportunity to tell a story with a Cultural Traditionalist.” It is more important than the written word.

 

To develop relationship with a Cultural Traditionalist, watch how they act, where they gather, what’s in their fridge, ask about the things you see.

 

When it comes to voting, Cultural Traditionalists are 24% liberal, 28% conservative, the rest fall between.

 

So, you listen to and you tell stories.  The farmer who lost their land.  The father who found out his son is gay. 

 

Stories of the veteran who’s scared whenever 4^th of July rolls around.  Stories of the woman who’s been sexually abused and verbally harassed in the field.

 

According to Tex- big city folk care about cut-throat competition with a goal to win; small town folk care about daily interactions in which family and neighbor can live their best life.

 

Amos would’ve liked Tex Sample.  After all, Amos was himself a small-town boy living around 800 BCE; a southerner who raised sheep. 

 

Amos knew the stories of his people inside and out.  He knew all about the family of God. 

 

He knew about how his great-great-great MeMaw and PePaw were mistreated in Egypt.

 

Amos knew the stories of how God rescued his faith family, fed his faith family, simply asking that they fairly treat their neighbor, the orphan, immigrant, and the widowed.

 

So Amos was shocked, absolutely shocked when he traveled to the northern part of Israel into the big city.

 

What Amos saw defied description- huge opulent mansions, people is designer clothes, priests in ornate sanctuaries with expensive items purchased with people’s offerings.

 

Amos saw people who had multiple homes, worship leaders who engaged in extravagant feasts while using superfluous words.

 

All while the local famer was struggling to pay the exorbitant rent the real estate moguls were charging them. 

 

All while widows were overcharged by store owners using dishonest scales.

 

All while the poor and vulnerable were coming before unjust judges who were giving them the harshest of sentences.

 

In other words- Amos, as a Cultural Traditionalist, is shocked to see how the HAVES have so MUCH,  while the agricultural workers, elderly, and immigrant have so little.

 

Amos is aware that this lopsided system can not hold up, that even though things look good for the 1%, the nation is heading towards disaster.

 

So Amos speaks up, he speaks out. 

 

He reminds them of the Covenant; he reminds them of all God has done.

 

He condemns the business leaders and the priests; not for being rich or successful, but for how they’re using their resources, mistreating others, refusing to pay an extra penny per pound.

 

As you can imagine, this does no go well.  But it doesn’t stop this small-town boy from speaking up.

 

“Seek good; love good.  Establish justice in the gate.  Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.”

 

“Do these things, and God will be gracious to us.”

 

But the priests, the CEOS, the Fortune 500 do not listen to Amos.

 

They kick him out of town, sending him back home to Kansas.  Sure enough, 50 years later, his words come true, and the Big Apple is turned into political, economic applesauce.

 

Amos tried to empower the people to let justice roll down like living waters, but the folk chose not to listen…

 

For years we’ve been using words like justice, kindness, humility, but I’m not sure if we really know what that means, or what that looks like.

 

After all, justice and kindness are not things, they are actions.

 

Kindness, humility it not something you can buy, they are things you do.

 

What is just?  What is kind? 

 

What may be seen as just or kind in the city may not be seen as just in the country. 

 

Sometimes all this talk about kindness and justice can feel like we’re running an election, not a church service.

 

We talk about justice.

But what does justice look like?

 

Amos says “Seek good; love good.  Establish justice in the gate; let righteousness roll like a stream.”

 

What can justice look like?  Well, in the spirit of Tex, a story.

 

Once upon a time, in the land of Philippi, around the early 40’s, a man named Paul and his traveling companion Timothy entered the city.

 

Recently, Paul had an amazing experience in which he encountered the Living Lord and could not wait to tell everyone about it.

 

So near and far, north and south, city and countryside, Paul traveled, sharing the Good News.

 

On this particular day, in this particular city, he and his companion decided “Let’s go to the gate and see who is there.”

 

Since it was the Sabbath, he assumed they’d meet men gathered in prayer.

 

Instead, what they saw was a group of women sitting by the river.  One of them was a businesswoman named Lydia who made purple clothes.

 

There’s a good chance that on this day of rest, these women were working, doing the time-consuming process of turning crushed shells into purple dye.

 

What do Paul and Timothy do by these waters on a Saturday when surrounded by hard-working women?

 

They sat down beside them.

  They talked with them.

They shared stories. 

 

Paul and Timothy could’ve stayed within the gates of the city, attend the big mega church in town.

 

But instead, Paul and his companion went to the city gates, where the river flowed, and they sat down besides a group of working women, and they talked.

 

Got to know them.  Shared stories.

 

Could it be that the roots of justice are that simple?

 

Could that be what righteousness and humility looks like?

 

To simply show up; go to the outskirts.

 

To sit beside ordinary folk doing ordinary things.

 

To speak, see, listen. 

To be on the same level.

 

To not stand above, or stand apart, but to sit right beside, next to, right with.

 

After all, isn’t that what Jesus did?

 

Jesus met folk in the sick room, the living room, the dining room of people no different than you and me.

 

Didn’t Jesus go to the shore where men worked, to the homes where women had many tasks, to the places where children and family gathered?

 

Perhaps justice is not as complicated as we think, or something so scholastic it has to be studied ad nauseum.

 

Perhaps righteousness is nothing more than what Paul and Timothy did.

 

Went where the people were at.

Sat down beside.  Shared stories.

 

As you may recall, Lydia and her household not only turned their hearts to Christ, but so did their actions.

 

When Paul and Timonthy are unjustly arrested, it is Lydia who gives them a place to stay and recuperate.

 

In closing, Amos is an amazing fellow, a small town boy with the audacity to remind folk that they have strayed from what matters.

 

His words are not lost on us today, 2,800 years later.

 

We don’t have to fear what he has to say.  We can remember his story.

 

To know that when we seek good, when we love good, the Lord is more than happy to be gracious.

 

When we do what is right and what is just, the water of everflowing life pours out upon us.

 

And not just us, but our family, our friends, our community become blessed as well.

 

Our faith is not just a set of beliefs.

 

Our faith is a set of stories; our faith shines in how we act and how we exist with one another, with creation, and with God.

 

Amen and amen.